The handheld market has grown quite a lot in the past few years. Recently, we’ve heard rumors about Sony entering the handheld market once again. So what about the Apple? Are they the type of tech giant that is willing to take advantage of this new trend?
Well, the Apple Handheld game console might be the upcoming handheld star that we all are waiting for. Or, it might turn out to be another huge flop as well. And if it actually gets released, can it actually keep up with the modern handheld trends?
News & Rumors
Apple’s plan on developing a Nintendo Switch competitor is rumored for quite a while now. This information was leaked by Twitter leaker @FronTron. According to him, he posted a link on his tweet from a South Korean forum thread mentioning that Apple is reportedly working on a hybrid console. It also says they will bring a whole new chip for this handheld with potential Ray Tracing support, and big game developer such as Ubisoft is under negotiation for future game development.
Talking about game development, another well-known Twitter leaker name @StellaFudge tweeted that, Apple has invested a huge pool of money in their game development, which was set to compete against the big Nintendo title such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And now two years have passed, and we still haven’t heard anything from the officials. At this point, these rumors remain just rumors. But since the market of the handheld console is on the rise again, if Apple suddenly makes any move, we wouldn’t be that much surprised.
- But the question is, can it actually beat the legacy of Nintendo games?
Well, certainly not. MakeUseOf made a really nice statement by specifying this particular matter in their article about Apple Handheld. Here it says, “Whenever a Nintendo product launches, we expect to see games like Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, Super Smash Bros., and so on. But Apple doesn’t have any of these exclusive titles, which would drag the fans toward their handheld console. In this case, even if they manage to deliver top-notch hardware and hire big game developers, dragging Nintendo’s fan base into the Apple Ecosystem will be a tough goal to achieve.”
Specs Speculation
So if they actually decide to come up with an announcement, what choices does Apple have in terms of its chip selection? Will they go for the latest M2 series? Or, are they planning to stay with the previous M1 model? Well, that we don’t know. But we could safely predict, they are most likely to go with the latest M2 series, or it could be a completely custom-built chip as well. Because the M1 series would be backdated chip for a console that is set to compete with the future handheld market. Especially, when rumors about the upcoming Nintendo Switch-2 are already on the buzz.
Price & Release Date
Well, knowing Apple, we don’t expect prices to be as near as Nintendo Switch. Also, if the prices are as similar as other handheld consoles such as Steam Deck or AYANEO consoles, then it might cause a huge debate as well. Because Apple’s iOS or Apple Arcade doesn’t offer that much flexibility in terms of game choices. And if the prices are set higher, Apple has to make sure they have enough games to support the system. So yeah, the price will make a huge difference when it comes to grabbing the attention of handheld enthusiasts.
Wrapping Up
We will be back again when there will be more information left to discuss. Till then, let’s just hope Apple surprises us with an actual announcement, including its release date.
