So next week it sounds like Apple is going to launch a new Apple TV box/upgrade… with a likely app store. New platform, new outlet for games, big screen display, probably a chipset like A8 or A9 (far superior to the likes of Ouya etc)? Likely with siri voice controls and some kind of touch controller maybe? I wonder if it’ll have any kind of console-style game controller… either way, seems like this will compete with all the other micro consoles right off the bat? So, essentially, a new games console with a $149 price tag? Could be interesting.
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I’m stoked! Definitely wish I had an app ready for the store when it opens, but I’ll probably be a few months behind unfortunately. Definitely wondering what the performance will look like. If the A9 is twice as powerful as the A8, games could actually be pretty intensive – especially considering the screen will only be 1080p. Gotta wonder what the controller is going to look like though, if I does’t have any physical joystick (which I assume it won’t) I don’t really know what the advantage other than physical screen size the Apple TV will have in comparison to the other iDevices…
HD 1080p is about 2/3rds (a bit less) the data of a 2048x1536 screen, so yah, some advantage to that - 35% boost.
I also wish now I had something ready to go since scarcity on any new platform is a major boost to early sales.
I assume it won’t have a game controller as such, unless they might surprise us, probably more of a touchy-feely screen thingy or something? Might be hard to envisage how to actually control fast-action games without some kind of decent buttons etc.
There’s no real information on the controller, other than it’s black. Useful!
iOS has support for generic Bluetooth controllers though, so it should work out of the box with a standard PS3 gamepad. Not sure if there is any button count we can rely on, but hopefully the stock controller has somewhat more than current ATVs. If it’s like the existing Apple Remote there won’t be many buttons to spare, since at least one will be for the system menu. The old remote has 7 buttons, including directional ones (and a design that makes it terrible as a game controller).
Apple seem intent on pushing games really hard now, so it might be a nice device to develop for. They even started a Twitter account for games! Plus the whole actually selling the devices outside the US, rather than dragging their feet like Amazon did with FireTV.
It would be nice to see them come out with a more dedicated gaming controller. But baby-steps, I suppose. And having a remote that is slightly more capable is a welcome addition. We will see if anyone is willing to design games specifically for that remote.
As it is, an App-Store for the AppleTV, as well as a more robust SDK, are definitely a step in the right direction.
The one big thing of the tablets/phones is the touch controller interface which has allowed many types of games to be successful, but imagine trying to play games on a ‘tv remote’ … really bad… a joke really… they MUST address that if they want the platform to be succesful with anything other than offering ‘applications’. And to expect people to just go to third parties to get a controller, seems like an inconvenience… they should really commit to it being a console and have their own controller.
I’m definitely excited but like everyone else am curious about the “touch controller” and wondering if there will also be a game controller. The touch controller will be better than just a TV remote that every other micro console has, and perhaps even open the platform up to supporting normal IOS apps easier (similar to how the fire tv tried to have normal phone apps “just work” even though it didn’t go to well) but we’ll have to see since until next Wednesday there is just rumors.
Also curious to see if the API the touch remote uses is the same as normal IOS or if it is more mouse like (guessing it will be since its a separate device).
I don’t think the new AppleTV will have an A9 processor. It is heavily rumored to have an A8. However, I’d love to be wrong (at least an A8X would be nice). The good news is that the A8 supports the current full feature set of Metal, and supports ASTC texture support!
I don’t think Apple is going to seriously invest in top of the line gaming controller. Even if gaming is hugely successful on the platform is targeted to home theater owners first, gamers probably a distance third or fourth market for the product. I think it’s going to use a modified interface of the existing AppleTV remote.
If I had to guess, I would peg the remote/controller looking as follows:
I’m thinking a smaller Wii-esque controller. Instead of a D pad it would have a touch sensitive scroll wheel with embedded directions on it. You could navigate tapping the scroll pad or ala iPod classic or Apple Watch, with rotational movement on the touch area. The center of the touchpad would also acts as a button. I’m not sure if the center would be a physical button or if the entire area would function like a small version of a touch pad on a MacBook Pro. There are two input buttons and a microphone for Siri (which I imagine by tapping and holding the center/select button) similar to iOS’s home button. It will most likely communicate via bluetooth and be useable in vertical for home theater, horizontal for gaming. There is an embedded gyroscope for motion sense/tilt input gameplay.
Note: I am not claiming to have inside information, just hypothesizing a bit to get in on the fun. 
Edit: Wasn’t even close.
IDK, it’s either a console or it’s not. These “kinda-sorta” half consoles never pan out as a viable market for games.
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They’re likely to start selling a gamepad controller. I am not sure if playing games on a small controller would be comfortable…
Mobile phones were not a big market for games until the iOS App Store. This will be much more visible than the Android micro consoles.
Hopefully.
The controller conversation sounds kind of torturous to the end users - which ever direction they decide.
A thought - maybe the huge installed customer base already has the controllers they need, all mobile apple devices in existance. Iphone, ipad, iwatch etc.
This also sounds torturous but conceptually could be the controller solution.
Yah before iphone etc had an app store people would maybe not have thought of it as being dominated by games but not its heavily a gaming platform. Same thing will happen with apps on appletv, it’s natural… provided the input device doesn’t suck for gaming. If it doesn’t suck, it wont be long before the appletv app store is drowned out with thousands of games. Its kind of too big of an opportunity for Apple to pass up - games on the tv - console territory - I wish they would just sort of turn appletv into a microconsole which is what it really will be, and really integrate the control scheme with not just past audience but future audience in mind, ie people wanting to play lots of games for extended periods of time. And heavens forbid games will all be 99 cents. lol
will unity ads work on apple tv?
Not much point asking unity questions at this point is there? They havent said anything about supporting it yet. I would bet if Apple comes out with this app store, then Unity would naturally want to be on that platform, and so anything that works within unity will probably work with it… not sure on the ad service though, but why not.
It’s very likely that converting existing games to ATV4 is just a matter of adding an input option via the existing Game Controller framework, then setting the new target. Unity already supports this framework.
I was super-stoked when the first AppStore was announced in 2008, but that was before I got into Unity, and OpenGL ES was painful and the iPhone’s prospect in 2008-2009 was none too certain.
When the iPad was announced Apple was locking out Unity (and Flash devs) . . . I was pissed at myself for missing the AppStore gold rush but thought I could still make a great iPad app, something simple and fun like Crossy Road (nope!)
I thought Ouya was a good idea but the hw didn’t have enough oomph to do Unity dev.
I’ve got an iPad Air 2 and if the TV is as good as that it’s going to be a great platform.
and yes I’m stoked! Too bad I don’t have much free time now . . .
Sounds pretty interesting. Is there already more information on this concerning developer registration? Is this going to be included in the apple developer program? They did put iOS and OSX together lately, so that you pay once and you can develop for both platforms.
I would consider that they will make just about the entire iOS App Stores available to the TV/Console.
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