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Apple TV Games... Failed?

Mr. Zarniwoop

Mr. Zarniwoop

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 9, 2005
751
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Where Did Apple TV Games Go Wrong? (Fast Company, 8/25/2017)
https://www.fastcompany.com/40457373/where-did-apple-tv-games-go-wrong said:
But five months after launch, Kingdom: New Lands has only sold about 600 units on Apple TV, versus 54,000 sales for the iOS version and about 35,000 sales for the Xbox One version that arrived about a year ago.
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As one of the 600, I'm disappointed at the lack of great Apple TV games.

Some of the problem is that people don't even realize there are any. Literally every person who's seen the SteelSeries Nimbus controller on my coffee table after being told it's for the Apple TV answer "wait, it can play games?"
 
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I agree, the last rendition of the Apple TV has been very disappointing overall. More people seem to have the older Apple TVs and wonder why they cannot use any of the new "apps". I thought games would be a no brainer success. And Siri integration.... is barely useful.

In terms of the games, I still try to play the few that I have, using the remote controller. It is awkward and there really aren't many compelling titles.
 
I fully agree!

I bought the Apple TV and part of me was excited for a platform that will potentially pickup where the Wii left off. I like my Wii but they never continued making more games similar to the Wii Sports and Resort series that made it a family fun and interactive. Not sure why Apple doesn't see/care about that segment but hopefully the new Apple TV will address that.
 
The writing was on the wall when Disney abandoned Disney Infinity on the platform, well before the entire line cancellation. What was left was mainly iOS App Store type games scaled up with an awkward controller.

Apple would need to put some serious effort to save Apple TV as a gaming platform now, both with developer support and for consumer awareness and advertising. Aside from tech demos for new Ax chips at keynotes, Apple has never seemed terribly keen on fostering a gaming community in the way that they have with music, film, productivity and creativity on their devices.

For the record, I also own a full Fire TV box (not stick) alongside my Apple TV and gaming is equally lousy a proposition on that platform too.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if those numbers were just because of the ATV to iOS comparison.

It also probably doesn't help that any amount of gaming almost always requires a controller, which the ATV doesn't ship with... just a remote which is absolutely not designed for gaming. If you want to even stick your foot in the door, you need to rely on some third-party controller which may or may not be anything decent, if not comparable to Apple's style of quality.
 
I do not play games. But my son and grandson (6) play a lot of games. My son was hoping for a good platform for my grandson (and granddaughter). But they kind of gave up on the ATV and started using the XBOX One and now the Nintendo Switch. I think the main problem is the IN APP PURCHASE. I have tried playing games with my grandson while baby sitting and it is a terrible experience. It is very hard to get past all of the buy this or that gimmicks. I wish Apple would allow you to exclude any game that is designed for the sole purpose of IN APP PURCHASE.
 
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Are games on Apple TV a failure? Who knows? The Apple TV's App Store is considered a subset of the other App Stores, which are listed under Apple's services division. All we really know is that the services division is large and growing, a Fortune 500 business unto itself.

Also, we do know that there is a sizable market for "casual" games on mobile devices. Perhaps Apple simply wanted to capitalize on that, as opposed to being a hard-core gaming platform lik Xbox or PlayStation.
 
Robnsn2015 said:
Are games on Apple TV a failure? Who knows? The Apple TV's App Store is considered a subset of the other App Stores, which are listed under Apple's services division. All we really know is that the services division is large and growing, a Fortune 500 business unto itself.

Also, we do know that there is a sizable market for "casual" games on mobile devices. Perhaps Apple simply wanted to capitalize on that, as opposed to being a hard-core gaming platform lik Xbox or PlayStation.
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Like I said my son got a Nintendo Switch because he want causal games for his kids without IN APP PURCHASE SCAMS.
 
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d21mike said:
Like I said my son got a Nintendo Switch because he want causal games for his kids without IN APP PURCHASE SCAMS.
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The Nintendo Switch is a nice machine and I'm glad your family is enjoying it.

Back to what I was saying about casual games, let me define. A "casual" game is one that does not run on a traditional gaming console or handheld gaming device. The bulk of the casual gaming market is on mobile phones. Perhaps Apple wanted to get a piece of that market on Apple TV as opposed to creating a full-fledged console. I'm speculating, of course, since I have no idea what Apple's true intentions really were. Still, if Apple wanted to create a console, the probably wouldn't have used the same Ax processors used in iOS devices.

Anyway, here some info on the growth of gaming. Pretty interesting stuff, I believe.

https://newzoo.com/insights/article...-108-9-billion-in-2017-with-mobile-taking-42/
 
I wish there was just a better selection & types of games. I bought the Nimbus controller because I thought I'd be using it more.

I realize these are meant to be causal games, but it would still be cool to get some IP based games (like DC's Injustice, or a Marvel title, etc.)


There are some decent games (I have a few racing games, Sonic, etc.), just wish there a bigger variety.
 
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Coffee50 said:
I wish there was just a better selection & types of games. I bought the Nimbus controller because I thought I'd be using it more.

I realize these are meant to be causal games, but it would still be cool to get some IP based games (like DC's Injustice, or a Marvel title, etc.)


There are some decent games (I have a few racing games, Sonic, etc.), just wish there a bigger variety.
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Maybe the next generation of Apple TV will have the processing power necessary to facilitate more complex games. Right now, the Apple TV is basically at the same level of an iPhone from 2014.
 
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I think games on the Apple TV are DOA regardless of how much processing power is in the new version. Apple doesn't show any interest in competing with the PS4 and Xbox for graphically intensive multiplayer gaming and there doesn't seem to be a market for cheap iPhone games that are expanded for the big screen.
 
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For starters, they could make it easier to find iOS apps that include an Apple TV version in the iTunes store. There is a section for Apple Watch-enabled apps, but none for the Apple TV (at least none that I could find). There is just very little promotion. A shame really, since some apps show that the device is capable of running very good looking games (try "AG Drive" for example).
 
Tmelon said:
I think games on the Apple TV are DOA regardless of how much processing power is in the new version. Apple doesn't show any interest in competing with the PS4 and Xbox for graphically intensive multiplayer gaming and there doesn't seem to be a market for cheap iPhone games that are expanded for the big screen.
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I don't think they should compete with PS4 or Xbox, the Nintendo market has plenty of fish to go after.
 
Totally agree that the ATV is a massively missed opportunity at the moment.

I bought a Switch for gaming at home and on the go. I would really like to be able to do the same with my iPad or iPhone - the Switch when portable isn't much bigger than a Plus iPhone. You could have games shared across all three with iCloud saves to keep your progress synchronised.

A properly games-focussed set of controller accessories is definitely needed. If there was a quality controller case for the iPhone and a similar setup for the iPad that would sort out the mobile controls. A similarly configured controller for the ATV would cover gaming at home.

Given Apple's continued success the obvious move would be to buy a source of great content like Nintendo...
 
If they'd allow generic bluetooth controller support it would have helped IMMENSELY in my book.

Being able to use an XB/PS controller that you might already have (or have extras of) would make it far more accessible.

I tried several mFI controllers and, at least to me, none of them were up to spec of what Sony & MS put out.

Beyond those, imagine using the AMAZING 8bitdo retro controllers with the ATV?

It would be sensational!
TV gaming needs controllers and great and interesting controllers are out there...
They just aren't mFI ones usually.
 
turbineseaplane said:
If they'd allow generic bluetooth controller support it would have helped IMMENSELY in my book.

Being able to use an XB/PS controller that you might already have (or have extras of) would make it far more accessible.

I tried several mFI controllers and, at least to me, none of them were up to spec of what Sony & MS put out.

Beyond those, imagine using the AMAZING 8bitdo retro controllers with the ATV?

It would be sensational!
TV gaming needs controllers and great and interesting controllers are out there...
They just aren't mFI ones usually.
Click to expand...

Do PlayStation controllers work on Xbox One and vice versa? If they don't, how can one expect those controllers work on iOS?
 
Robnsn2015 said:
Do PlayStation controllers work on Xbox One and vice versa? If they don't, how can one expect those controllers work on iOS?
Click to expand...

What I'm trying to say is that it would help the Apple TV if they weren't intentionally restricting the use of 3rd party non mFi controllers.

Still make mFi ones, by all means, but make that BT stack an open situation or allow the use of USB. The PS4 controller for example works wonderfully on macOS right out of the box using USB.

Go even further if you're Apple - Encourage, allow and work with Sony, Nintendo and MS (if they wanted) to get controller support. Maybe it'd be new special controller hardware, who knows... Sony might like to have the ATV be a PSNOW client as one example. Nintendo might not mind doing a special premium controller + full price game situation, etc. These are big entrenched players in gaming and Apple does (and has) work differently with those sorts of companies in spots, and it would be really cool to see here.

The point is that Apple could be tackling the ATV gaming situation differently and basically anything done differently would be better than what they've done.

ATV is a wasteland of nothingness in terms of gaming and it's a shame.
 
Most of the gaming growth is in mobile gaming, not console gaming. Apple TV, being based on a variation of a mobile OS and a variation of a mobile architecture, is making it easier for developers of mobile games to bring their IP to Apple TV. Is this approach successful? It depends on Apple's definition of success and on numbers that those of us outside of Apple are not privy to.

If those casual games (or variations of mobile game) aren't appealing to you (and they won't be appealing to everyone), then do what I did last year and get an Xbox One S. Now that's a nice machine!
 
I still think it'd be nice if they tried a more aggressive approach here.

Yes… One could buy an Xbox or PlayStation… I personally just wish they'd make the Apple TV a bit more robust in this area.
 
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As I have said in another topic I just don't see how this could really work. You are effectively trying to create a new market for people who for whatever reason are not already catered for by PC, PS4, Xbox or mobile gaming.

Someone mentioned Nintendo is the market to go after and I would dispute that Nintendo are not successful because of their equipment but because of their IPs which beside a couple of recent mobile games are exclusive to their hardware. If you think Apple fanboys are hardcore they have nothing on Nintendo fanboys.

An Apple TV would require devs to develop for a totally new breed of system with a very small install base, even if Apple did make it easier to make games for.
The question has to be why would devs feel the need to develop for such a niche product when they can just put their efforts in to the other systems?
 
Robnsn2015 said:
Most of the gaming growth is in mobile gaming, not console gaming.
Click to expand...

Despite the success of mobile gaming, console and PC gaming is a big industry that is indeed growing.

Back in mid-2015, I had a blog post which predicted how for the Apple TV 4 to truly be run-away hit, Apple needs to move towards "console-style" gaming (see point #4 in the article).

"..a push into console-style gaming would all but guarantee a whole new level of success for the already popular Apple TV."

http://www.jeffperrinmusic.com/blog/a-musicians-wish-list-for-the-new-apple-tv/

Guess they didn't take my advice. :p:cool::D

//
 
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JeffPerrin said:
Despite the success of mobile gaming, console and PC gaming is a big industry that is indeed growing.

Back in mid-2015, I had a blog post which predicted how for the Apple TV 4 to truly be run-away hit, Apple needs to move towards "console-style" gaming (see point #4 in the article).

"..a push into console-style gaming would all but guarantee a whole new level of success for the already popular Apple TV."

http://www.jeffperrinmusic.com/blog/a-musicians-wish-list-for-the-new-apple-tv/

Guess they didn't take my advice. :p:cool::D

//
Click to expand...
Very cool wish list and a well-written article.

Unfortunately, mobile gaming is the fastest-growing aspect of gaming. Also, console gaming is mostly locked up between PlayStation and Xbox, with PlayStation clearly in the lead. The big gaming hardware companies seem to be retreating to their strengths: Microsoft is integrating Xbox gaming with PC gaming, the Nintendo Switch leverages Nintendo's strengths in portable gaming, and Apple seems to be leveraging its strengths in mobile gaming.

By the way, I think it is pretty convenient that I can buy a game for Apple TV and get the same game on my iPhone with no extra charge.
 
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