There was a lot of buzz surrounding the announcement of a new Apple TV for the last several weeks. Less so for any new grand change, but instead because word on the street was that this new iteration was going to be targeting the gamer market.
Well, the new Apply TV has been officially announced, and while it does offer up some neat things in terms of gaming, it’s not the set-top gaming most many were expecting. The new features being implemented have led many people to say this new Apple box is a lot more Nintendo Wii (the dated non-U variety) than it is next generation.
Look, there is no way that any Apple TV was going to compete with any next generation platform, at least not without years of development and focus on the gaming market, –something that Apply hasn’t done– but it’s a step in the right direction. The last thing any of us want is another Pippin fiasco from the company.
This new Apple TV comes with a Siri enabled remote that will support voice control for app navigation. Call me lazy and old-fashioned, –or just someone who has watched his mother scream at the Xbox One Kinect to do anything– but I’m perfectly okay tapping a button. The nice thing is that the remote comes with an integrated touch-based pad on the top, as well as pulling from the Nintendo Wii with the ability to support motion controls; a feature that they will no doubt push for upcoming games.
The hit game Crossy Road was being featured in conjunction with the new Apple TV as it had an AppleTV-exclusive multiplayer feature. If other players wanted to get in on the Crossy Road fun, all they’d to do was pull out their iPhone, iPod, or iPad to jump into the action. Harmonix was also on stage to debut a new game, Beat Sports on the platform. The game follows in the style of their other games by being a rhythm based sports collection -it was cute if anything.
I think Apple is very interested in taking a bite of the home console market, but the company is doing so with baby steps as opposed to jumping in head first. Gaming is a billion dollar industry –one that Apple reaps the benefits of with their App Store– but one that isn’t easy to crack, especially from a console point of view.
The new AppleTV drops this October for $149 for the 32 GB version and $199 for the 64 GB version.
About Author
