183 replies to this topic

[Atticus]

Discuss?

[Tuncer (IMG)]

Probably. Unfortunately means the death of Macgamestore.com and Inside Mac Games. This just changed everything....

[ltcommander.data]

Another question is whether Valve saw this coming and whether they think this is a betrayal of their investment in the Mac platform? With the ubiquity of iTunes on Windows, Apple could presumably also make an App Store for Windows as well. And then the next logical progression would be to bring Game Center to Mac and Windows.

[Mister Mumbles]

It remains to be seen, but for the people who play more casually I would also suspect that they wouldn't even bother with anything else once this would come standard with every Mac, depending on how many game developers will jump on that bandwagon. It actually would be dumb for smaller devs not to since they could get a much better exposure in such an environment. On the other hand, if it turns out anything like the iDevice app store it may end up a pain to navigate unless you knew what to look for. Hm.

I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic about this announcement. I'm just curious to see how this is going to turn out.

Edit: I doubt Valve will have that much to worry about as their main concern was getting their own games onto the Mac (at least that's the impression I got). Though it might kill some of the third-party support some were hoping for. We'll see.

[Tacohead]

One has to wonder if this would be as easily accepted in the Mac OS environment as it is in the IOS environment where there is no choice but to accept it. In the Mac OS environment there is choice. You can buy your applications from a variety of places. I suppose it's really going to come down to content – how many publishers jump on board.

Between Steam and the new Mac App Store I would think the Mac Game Store might have something to be concerned about?

-PN

[Thain Esh Kelch]

Also, for Valve it doesn't mean much, as they still rely on Steam running in the background as DRM.

[Janichsan]

I think acceptance by the developers will largely depend on how much freedom and control they will have about their products in the Mac App Store. As Tacohead said, you don't have any choice but to be in the App Store when you want to sell your products for the iDevices. On the Mac on the other hand, you have all the options of the world.

Also, I think that Mac users are usually savvy enough to get their software from other sources than just the built-in Mac App Store. So while it probably will have some impact on the Mac software distribution landscape, it probably won't mean the end for its competitors.

[Sneaky Snake]

I'm not sure how I feel about the Mac app store yet.

On one hand I think it's great and would simplify tints for the average Mac user. However it only simplifies things if it's the only and singular app store. If the app store has some apps, steam has other apps, and then other apps are only avaiable right form the dev then that'll complicate things.

And what about the expensive apps like Creative Suite, Office, Final Cut Studio, and even AAA games that go for $50-60? Will they be on the app store?

[Mister Mumbles]

Janichsan, on 20 October 2010 - 01:11 PM, said:

Also, I think that Mac users are usually savvy enough to get their software from other sources than just the built-in Mac App Store.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Overhearing a lot of the questions/issues average customers have in Apple retail stores, official or otherwise, most of them seem to be barely computer literate, so if given an easy choice I doubt they'd bother looking for anything else.

[Smoke_Tetsu]

$#^&$^#&*$ once again they are messing with the location of the titlebar buttons take a look at the screenshot of the mac app store window at the Lion page. Basically on that app the titlebar buttons are a part of the toolbar.... someone tell me how this is better? It's change for changes sake once again. This doesn't inspire confidence in me that the UI changes in Lion are going to be good. That looks worse than the default titlebar button location in itunes 10... at least then it was the same as in the mini player... this looks terrible with how much padding from the edge of the border they now have. And here I thought it couldn't get any worse from Apple.

Also I find it interesting how not too long ago Steve Jobs was dismissing the idea of an app store for the Mac but I guess when he said no he was just meaning no to only being restricted to the app store for purchasing apps.

Also I don't agree that full screen is the beter way to enjoy my apps... it's good sometimes but most of the time I like being able to mix windows on my desktop.

It'll be interesting to see if the Mac App store gets the Mac more gaming attention but that remains to be seen... so far they haven't announced Game Center for the Mac, eh?

[Eric5h5]

Smoke_Tetsu, on 20 October 2010 - 01:47 PM, said:

Also I don't agree that full screen is the beter way to enjoy my apps... it's good sometimes but most of the time I like being able to mix windows on my desktop.

Yeah; there are a couple of apps I run full-screen, but mostly not.  It's not like I'm working on a 10" screen here....

--Eric

[Zobeid]

Smoke_Tetsu, on 20 October 2010 - 01:47 PM, said:

Also I don't agree that full screen is the beter way to enjoy my apps... it's good sometimes but most of the time I like being able to mix windows on my desktop.

This was a big deal for me, since I have been crying out for this ever since Mac OS X was introduced.  I came from the Amiga world, and from the beginning (1985!) Amiga programs could open full-screen displays (called "custom screens") and switch between them.  After Amiga died, every other OS seemed to me like a step backwards -- until Mac OS X came along.  And of course it was great, and it has gotten better, but I never quite got over missing custom screens.

I don't know whether to say "Thank you Apple!" or "What took so blasted long?"

[Frigidman]

Zobeid, on 20 October 2010 - 03:18 PM, said:

This was a big deal for me, since I have been crying out for this ever since Mac OS X was introduced.  I came from the Amiga world, and from the beginning (1985!) Amiga programs could open full-screen displays (called "custom screens") and switch between them.  After Amiga died, every other OS seemed to me like a step backwards -- until Mac OS X came along.  And of course it was great, and it has gotten better, but I never quite got over missing custom screens.

I don't know whether to say "Thank you Apple!" or "What took so blasted long?"

I think an app controlling my whole screen (even if I can switch between them) is a step backwards. I couldn't stand working in an environment like that when I depend on switching to specific documents in a multitude of applications, all of which are visible on my screen at all times.

New OSX looks like ass to me. I won't be upgrading.

[ikir]

Tuncer (IMG), on 20 October 2010 - 12:36 PM, said:

Probably. Unfortunately means the death of Macgamestore.com and Inside Mac Games. This just changed everything....

Why?? I can understand Mac games Store, but why Inside Mac Games?

[Tuncer (IMG)]

ikir, on 20 October 2010 - 03:40 PM, said:

Why?? I can understand Mac games Store, but why Inside Mac Games?

Inside Mac Games makes no money, unfortunately.

[Smoke_Tetsu]

Frigidman, on 20 October 2010 - 03:32 PM, said:

I think an app controlling my whole screen (even if I can switch between them) is a step backwards. I couldn't stand working in an environment like that when I depend on switching to specific documents in a multitude of applications, all of which are visible on my screen at all times.

Speaking of which I'm not sure I like mission control yet. It seems like they've changed the behavior of spaces so instead of being able to make spaces and put whatever window you want in them full screen apps automatically get their own space and you have to use the Expose function for windows. But I like being able to have whatever windows I want be in certain spaces like my graphics program or doing file management in a space other than my main one that I mostly use to keep chat windows and e-mail on.

[devSin]

Can you reduce your cut somewhere less than 30%? I think the terms are the same (?) as with iOS, so there's zero chance of seeing AAA titles (good luck getting the fat cats to fork over that much dough), and you probably have a friendlier approvals process than Apple likely will.

It would be pretty hard to convince me that you still rely on moving physical product for your income, so I'm assuming you're referring to digital sales...

[Tuncer (IMG)]

Yes, digita compromise the majority of our sales (like 95 percent).

[devSin]

Speaking as someone with no retail or sales or market experience, I'm also uncertain that a 99-cent flood (i.e., a sudden inrush of Flash-based games and software) would have a lasting impact. I just don't think the volume is there for anybody to outlast you with that price scheme (I also think the computer is probably a bit better protected from the impulse buy than the phone or tablet, and the gaming market seems insular enough to support its own dedicated apparatuses).

Long-term, I think the mass exodus to iPhone and iPad and the not-too-bleak-to-not-keep-getting-bleaker state of computer gaming is what should have you looking for new opportunities.

[Zobeid]

Smoke_Tetsu, on 20 October 2010 - 03:54 PM, said:

Speaking of which I'm not sure I like mission control yet. It seems like they've changed the behavior of spaces so instead of being able to make spaces and put whatever window you want in them full screen apps automatically get their own space and you have to use the Expose function for windows. But I like being able to have whatever windows I want be in certain spaces like my graphics program or doing file management in a space other than my main one that I mostly use to keep chat windows and e-mail on.

I still haven't seen the demonstration, I just got bits and pieces of it. . .

On Amiga, an app could open a custom screen (with its choice of resolution and bit depth, which is something I don't expect -- or see any need for -- on Mac OS X!), and the screen could be private or public.  Meaning, if it was a private screen, then only that app could use it, but if the app opened a public screen then other apps could put their windows on it too -- sort of like an additional Workbench.  Thus, it incorporated functions similar to Spaces.

I tried to use Spaces, but it severely bugged me and I turned it off.  I had trouble finding stuff.  I'm hoping Lion will make everything organized.