Yeah, I could see two products in the lineup.
1) The $49 (maybe $79?) Apple TV, powered by something like the current A8 processor and just a small fob with an HDMI port on one end and [maybe] Gb ethernet on the other (some of us do like to use ethernet
). Comes with the old Apple TV remote, but with "Hey, Siri" built in.
2) GamePod, the $249 Ax-powered gaming console. This is basically an iPad Pro without a screen or battery, and comes with an actual game controller. The only connectors are USB-C and ethernet, but it comes with a USB-C to HDMI cable in the box. USB-C to DisplayPort cable is an accessory (don't worry, there are lots of these things out there). The single USB-C port supports hub-type devices for connecting to ethernet, USB, and other video outputs. That's it. I don't see it needing anything else. Well, except a built-in power supply. The entire package could be the size of a current Mac Mini, and be offered in several models, where the only differentiating factor is storage. 64GB, 256GB, 512GB. Games and apps are delivered through the tvOS App Store. Naturally, it supports Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and should support Apple News+ but through a new video-centric version.
$249 might be a bit low for Apple ($299 is better?), but they surprised us with the original iPad. Considering it would use Apple's Ax chips and iPad Pro logic, pricing would be much lower than Intel. This might let Apple keep the price down while delivering blazing fast performance.
It would have to ship with a "killer app", some Halo-style, gotta-have-it-right-now, exclusive gaming title that was so bad ass that gamers would rush out to buy them just for
that game! The original Xbox didn't sell the Xbox,
Halo sold the Xbox. Apple would need something of that caliber to get people excited. Otherwise, people already own an Xbox or a Playstation or a Wii or whatever. There has to be something truly compelling, and it has to do everything that the current Apple TV does so I can move my Apple TV to another room and not have to have multiple boxes. And the cost of the box + the cost of the games has to be convincing enough that I set those other consoles aside.
Otherwise, it's a tightly competitive market where game developers (much more so than the console manufacturers) are already busy and may not want to be bothered. It has to be good enough that Bungie's next BIG FUTURE GAMEĀ® is GamePod exclusive (or some other such thing). As with iPhone, developers will sort out where the action is and turn their attention toward that.
Downside, here: If BIG FUTURE GAMEĀ® reaches a point where the best titles are $5 with in-app purchases, the whole thing will just
. Any game,
and I mean any game, that sticks me somewhere where I cannot proceed without $$$, I
immediately quit playing and the delete the title. That is just lazy development.