Apple may be working on a handheld console – Times of India

There is a possibility for Apple to return to the range of gaming.
GSMArena reports that there is a possibility of a new handheld console made by Apple to be unveiled soon. It will aim to go mass market and take on the Nintendo Switch.
The new console might come to compete in the range dominated by the Nintendo Switch and that soon will get more alternatives as to the Steam Deck by Valve.
Apple’s hybrid handheld console
The report also claims that Apple’s console will be a hybrid device, a combination of Switch and Sony’s PS5. That’s probably because it’s expected to work with Apple’s upcoming AR/VR headset.
Furthermore, Apple has kickstarted the development of several titles and has major studios on board, claims the report. The company has its alternatives to Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey and they are already ready to go.
When the tech giant unveiled it’s Apple Arcade subscription-based service having access to paid and also exclusive to iOS / iPad games the company’s new attention to the gaming department became evident.
Apple’s history of gaming console
Apple launched a console dubbed as Apple Bandai Pippin which was produced between 1996 and 1997 as a derivative of the Apple Macintosh platform.
The company’s objective was to create an inexpensive computer system aimed mostly at playing CD-based multimedia software, especially games, but also functioning as a thin client.
The operating system was a version of System 7.5.2, and it used a 66 MHz PowerPC 603 processor with a 14.4 kb/s modem. The device came with a 4x speed CD-ROM drive and video output for a standard television display
We know that the console didn’t really take off. Bandai has produced around 100,000 units but sold just 40,000 before discontinuing it. Several years later, Apple seems to be ready for another try.
The gaming industry is estimated at billions of dollars and mobile gaming has really taken off.