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Apple TV Dev Tidbits: First Emulator Available, Old Remotes Work With New TV, Siri Remote Limited for Gaming

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As developers get their hands on Apple TV, they've started experimenting with its new operating system tvOS, testing new kinds of apps and finding tidbits that haven't been discovered yet. Developer James Addyman, for instance, has created an emulator for the new Apple TV called Provenance.

provenanceappletvemulator.png
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Provenance is an iOS front end that allows support for multiple emulators. Currently, it supports emulators for Sega's Genesis, Master System, Mega CD and Game Gear and Nintendo's NES, SNES, Gameboy and Gameboy Advance.

If you're lucky enough to have an ?TV Dev Kit, go checkout Provenance for tvOS! http://t.co/Snd3jejzEU
http://t.co/3i0bbTMQUf - James Addyman (@jasarien) September 18, 2015
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While Provenance is still being developed and it's unlikely the app will make it into the Apple TV's App Store, other developers can test Provenance as Addyman continues work on it. Addyman says certain issues still need to be corrected, including determining when the Apple TV will erase its local content and how to properly map old Sega and Nintendo gamepad functions to the Siri Remote. Addyman began developing Provenance last week within the tvOS simulator.

Mirroring Addyman's concerns about mapping old Nintendo and Sega gamepad functions to the Siri Remote, developer Steve Troughton-Smith points out how many inputs can actually be used for playing games.

So the gamepad situation is even more dire: you have dpad, accelerometer, and one button. They *really* need to revert that gamepad decision - Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) September 18, 2015
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While the touchpad can be clicked, acting as a "second button", it can't be clicked easily while being used to control movement. This could make game development difficult, as games have to be able to be played on the Siri Remote.

Troughton-Smith has also been revealing Apple TV tidbits as he explores the dev kit. For instance, when a user picks up the new Siri Remote it senses it's being held and automatically wakes up the screen before a button is pressed. IR is used to control a TV's volume with the Siri Remote and your TV remote can be used to control the Apple TV.

Additionally, the existing Apple TV IR remotes also work with the new Apple TV. This includes the silver aluminum remote that ships with current Apple TVs and the original white plastic Apple TV remote. While they don't allow you to access Siri, they do allow you to navigate around the Apple TV's interface.

Finally, with Apple TV dev kits in the hands of developers, some have made their way onto sites like eBay and Craigslist for sale for up to $1,000.

The new Apple TV will be available in October and come in two variations: a 32 GB version for $149 and a 64 GB version for $199.

Article Link: Apple TV Dev Tidbits: First Emulator Available, Old Remotes Work With New TV, Siri Remote Limited for Gaming
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/18/apple-tv-dev-tidbits-emulator-old-remotes/
MacRumors said:
While Provenance is still being developed and it's unlikely the app will make it into the Apple TV's App Store, other developers …
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Please, please, Apple, just this once? We hardly ever ask for many different—sometimes contradictory—things that we'll later complain about for being implemented in ways we don't like!
 
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Jeremy1026 said:
Couldn't agree more with Steve, requiring all apps/games work with the Siri remote is going to serious stifle development.
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does the requirement say it has to work well? you could map controls to the siri remote to the best of your ability and then focus on a real controller.
 
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topdrawer said:
does the requirement say it has to work well? you could map controls to the siri remote to the best of your ability and then focus on a real controller.
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I feel like this would be bad for users and the AppleTV reputation because not everyone will know that they should buy a controller to play it properly.

Apple could reverse the decision, but how do they warn people to make sure they have a controller before buying the app? Could be a mess for them and making sure all games work with the Siri remote saves them some trouble.

That being said, it means that games won't be all that great on AppleTV which is disappointing.
 
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Jeremy1026 said:
You do realize that the App Store rules still exist, and are not any less strict for tvOS than iOS right? There is no way an emulator will be allowed on the App Store.
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Remember that Xcode 7 lets anybody build & install any apps they want. You don't need an App Store, and you don't need to follow App Store rules. You can download, build & install the emulator linked right now from Github
 
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Neat bit of kit....

neat emulator, however i wonder what the restrictions will be on Apple TV regarding submitting apps for tvOS. like everything else Apple controls, i guess there certain stuff u have to code apart from just "It must work with the Siri remote."

Good thing AppleTV 4 is backward compatible with older remotes.....,.. I'm surprised, just about the only thing that is hardware wise.

They could have made the tvOS only work with the siri remote, but I guess Apple wants to go soft.
 
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Forget it,for emulators you WILL need a real controller.
Also highly unlikely this will make it to the real App store.
If you are interested in emulators and retro games,get an Amazon Fire TV.it's perfect for emulation,from Atari 2600 to Dreamcast.it handles them all pefectly.and you can use PS4 controller,or Xbox 360 Wired controller or any bluetooth controler.
 
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ColdShadow said:
Forget it,for emulators you WILL need a real controller.
Also highly unlikely this will make it to the real App store.
If you are interested in emulators and retro games,get an Amazon Fire TV.it's perfect for emulation,from Atari 2600 to Dreamcast.it handles them all pefectly.and you can use PS4 controller,or Xbox 360 Wired controller or any bluetooth controler.
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Can't you use mifi gaming controllers or whatever is Called with the new Apple TV
 
i don't get why people get all excited for emulators.

you can play any game you want on your computer, phone or tablet as it is.

so you can play it on your tv now? woopty doo? just mirror your ipad and there you go.
 
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Corrode said:
I feel like this would be bad for users and the AppleTV reputation because not everyone will know that they should buy a controller to play it properly.

Apple could reverse the decision, but how do they warn people to make sure they have a controller before buying the app? Could be a mess for them and making sure all games work with the Siri remote saves them some trouble.

That being said, it means that games won't be all that great on AppleTV which is disappointing.
Click to expand...
They should have included a gaming controller with the new Apple TV
But Apple doesn't care about gaming that much
 
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Would be cool to see Steam release an app to stream games from PC's on the same network or use Nvidia shield some how. But the remote requirement will restrict this obviously but still something to think about
 
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