Apple Television to Feature Kinect-Like Game Console?

Apple’s rumored television set has been the target of a huge amount of speculation, but CultofMac brings us an interesting Apple television rumor that hasn’t been heard before: That Apple is building a gesture-controlled game console into the device.

…Apple is working on a television set with an iTunes-integrated touch screen remote and Siri-like voice command technology. The TV set will be coming before the end of 2012. Rumors and patents have said as much for the past year, so that’s nothing new. But that’s not all we’ve heard.

Our sources also say that Apple’s television set will come with an Apple-branded, Kinect-like video game console. The interface will rely heavily on motion and touch controls.

Of course, the rumor also references features that have previously been claimed as coming to Apple’s television, such as Siri voice technology and a touch-controlled remote, as well as that it will be coming out before the end of the year.

Apple dipped its feet into the gaming industry once before with a short-lived gaming console called Pippin, although the device flopped on the market. Apple has also been hiring notable figures from the gaming world.

Still, It’s worth exercising significant caution with rumors such as these, regardless of the source. Very little information has been provided here, leaving this claim in the category of things that  sinmply cannot be verified. Even so, it does provide some interesting things to think about.

Even so, in my opinion, Apple releasing a dedicated game console seems extremely unlikely, especially considering how much emphasis Apple has put on AirPlay Mirroring, which can be used to deliver a console-like gaming experience through the iPhone and iPad.

J. Glenn Künzler

Glenn is Managing Editor at MacTrast, and has been using a Mac since he bought his first MacBook Pro in 2006. He lives in a small town in Utah, enjoys bacon more than you can possibly imagine, and is severely addicted to pie.