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[Richard Kain]

At today's Mac press conference, Apple revealed the details about an updated, revamped release for the Apple TV. And after years of speculation, the big news is that an App Store is finally coming to the Apple TV. While this App Store isn't exactly going to be game-centric, it is going to be open to game releases, and several game developers were in attendance at the conference to show off some of their titles.

Another big take-away from the conference was the rather peculiar "remote" that the new model of the Apple TV is going to come with. While there is some gaming potential with this remote, it is definitely not a standard control pad. It is likely that most developers who want to hit it big on the Apple TV's new store will likely have to either custom tailor their games to work with the remote, or target the Apple TV for exclusive titles.

Opening the Apple TV up for App development is good for pretty much anybody. But we have yet to see how this will shake out for the independent game development scene. It could be a fertile new market for game sales. Despite the competition in the micro-console market, the Apple TV has always been a go-to device for anyone already tied into Apple's ecosystem. It is likely that the new model will get a fairly large early install base. While I anticipate that certain styles of games won't do very well, I can think of several other styles that could do quite well.

[gimymblert]

you mean the apple wii?



I need to know more about the technical aspect
- pointing? what method?
- touchpad? rumble? haptic?

[ThemsAllTook]

The new remote is Bluetooth, I hope? The old IR one wasn't even reliable enough for the most basic navigation and video playing.

[gimymblert]

http://kotaku.com/apple-tv-is-getting-a-gaming-remote-1729609225?hipra_discussion_redesign=off&utm_expid=66866090-52.r5txldOmRkqnbJxnyozIeA.1

[gimymblert]

base on the gif demo above it's a waggle
It does have pointing nor know where the screen is? so no 1:1 movement?

[gimymblert]

New Remote

As we expected Apple’s completely redesigned the remote for the Apple TV. The Two big differences are a glass touchpad on the top and a new button to beckon Siri. The little black rectangle is also equipped with an accelerometer and gyroscope so you can use it a little bit like a Nintendo Wii remote. It’s also Bluetooth-powered so you don’t need to point it at the TV. In fact, you can even turn your TV on and off and control the volume with the Apple TV remote. It lasts 3 months on a single charge and uses a lightning post to charge.

The New Apple TV Is an App-Powered Fun Machine

There’s also a toggle for volume, a menu button, a home screen, and a play/pause button. And it kind of looks like a tiny little iPhone, except without a colorful touchscreen. The touchpad essentially works the same way as other iOS device, though, except your swipes are being registered on your TV and not the gadget in your hand. So if you’re browsing through movies, you can swipe your thumb and zoom through your entertainment options. You can also move through shows or movies using the touchpad.

Here’s the kicker, though. Some apps will let you use an iPhone or an iPod touch as a game controller. So that makes multiplayer pretty damn easy. You can even start playing a game on your iPhone and move to your Apple TV when you get home. Apple is even allowing third parties to developer their own external controllers. So that makes non-stop fun even easier!

http://gizmodo.com/the-new-apple-tv-is-an-app-powered-fun-machine-1729461839

[s0]

serious question: who actually needs smart tvs?

tv is kinda this medium for old people who aren't very tech savvy and mostly tech savvy ppl have moved on to other devices. maybe extrapolating too much from anecdotal evidence here, but i don't know a single person who actually uses the "smart" features on their tv (if they even own a tv in the first place).

[ProgramGamer]

It's mostly so that kids can deal with getting their iPhones taken away.

[Tanner]

i love watching my shit on a tv and not on a goddamn laptop or tablet. yeah those are nice if i'm in bed or on the toilet but if the option is there of fucking course i'm going to watch it on my couch on my tv.

i use the shit out of my smart tv

[Torchkas]

I'd rather just have a really big screen without latency though.

[gimymblert]

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/253258/Devs_React_Apples_new_gameready_Apple_TV_and_clicksensitive_iPhones.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+%28Gamasutra+News%29

Iphone have click sensitive haptic touchscreen

[s0]

ohhh so it's basically like the macbook's trackpad now? that is pretty dang sweet. makes me regret getting an iphone 6 last year and not waiting for the new one. o welp #firstworldproblems

[gimymblert]

[Richard Kain]

I see a lot of potential here. But I also see a fair amount of risk. Any game really worth playing on the new Apple TV will have to be seriously augmented for the new remote, or made with the remote in mind from the ground up. If your game isn't Canabalt, that's a major issue.

I'm thinking I might pick up one of these things as a birthday present for my Dad. He loves all things Apple, and wouldn't mind getting his hands on a gizmo like this. And if I get it for him, he wouldn't mind me using it for development purposes. Time to update XCode on my Mac Mini and start testing.

[s0]

i love watching my shit on a tv and not on a goddamn laptop or tablet. yeah those are nice if i'm in bed or on the toilet but if the option is there of fucking course i'm going to watch it on my couch on my tv.

i use the shit out of my smart tv

ok fair enough. also i guess netflix and other paid streaming services are not v popular in my country (because the library is tiny due to rights bs) so that probably removes one of the big reasons to use smart tvs.

[WabiArcade]

Has anyone seen this screen shot?

[WabiArcade]

I feel like the default controller limits the kinds of games that will go on appleTV to only large screen versions of iOS games. If there's an actual game controller, then maybe some pc games can be portered? Or at least it would be easier to port then if the controls had to be re-mapped to a smaller controller, with fewer inputs.

[gimymblert]

Their controller is a motion control + track pad, no pointing at all and no precise spatial tracking.

So expect a glorify mice with gesture as input

And I don't know how "click" is handled

[ProgramGamer]

Next big idle game on apple tv: Apple clicker

[Alevice]

serious question: who actually needs smart tvs?

tv is kinda this medium for old people who aren't very tech savvy and mostly tech savvy ppl have moved on to other devices. maybe extrapolating too much from anecdotal evidence here, but i don't know a single person who actually uses the "smart" features on their tv (if they even own a tv in the first place).

most people i know use it for netflix.

i just have my laptop plugged there and its smarter