> The same thing has been said about Apple over and over throughout the years.
And it hasn't really been wrong? Try booting up any Mac game from the 2010s on Apple Silicon; there's a 90% chance it depends on a 32-bit library Apple won't give you anymore. MacOS just hasn't proven to be a great platform for game development, and that's fuelled by Apple's constant desire for constant architectural reform and perpetual yak-shaving. That's fine, and it works well for some applications, but it makes for a pretty lousy target for gamedev.
Apple plays with their cards held to their chest, so I agree with you that they're playing the long game. They already own the casual gaming market (and profit handsomely from it), and they seem perfectly satisfied to ignore everything else. Long-term though, I don't see how Apple can make any of their devices attractive gaming consoles without bringing a legacy of PC/console titles with it. I guess all that remains to be seen, though.
> I personally think the Apple TV is the dark horse here. All Apple needs to do is release a next-gen Apple TV that has enough horsepower to run current-gen games, and suddenly Apple is competing in the console market.
That's a fairly grounded argument, but I still don't see a carrot at the end of the stick for game developers here. Sure, casual games will be easy to port, and what few native MacOS titles remain will be easy enough too, but why would studios like EA or Ubisoft port their games? Why would indie productions with limited time dedicate resources to ensuring Metal compatibility? I see no appeal, and I bet Apple knows that it's a pretty raw deal too. It will be interesting to see if they respond to this.
> Investing the time to optimize for Metal will give devs access to far more than just the Mac market.
You're right, but all of this hinges on whether or not developers want to pay the Apple tax and deal with the constantly changing ecosystem. That comes at a cost, one that's greater than dumping a game on PC or releasing a title for a console. Maybe the scales are turning in Apple's favor, but the momentum of the current gaming ecosystem seems to not care.