Disney Not Planning Additional Updates to 'Disney Infinity 3.0' for Apple TV

[robbyx]

If only Apple sold a traditional controller and didn't depend on third party companies to provide controllers, which often have incomplete support/compatibility. A gaming controller from the source blessed with full support would be a godsend.

Apple didn't really commit to gaming and that's the problem. The remote is a terrible game controller. Apple should have created a first party controller and allowed at least 4 controllers to be connected simultaneously. There is absolutely nothing attractive about Apple TV as a gaming platform and I think they've really blown their chance to be taken seriously in that market.

As for streaming media, I actually prefer the interface for Hulu and Netflix on Apple TV3. I often have to swipe up and relaunch the Hulu app in order to see updated content. I find this very annoying. ATV3 apps had clean, efficient UIs. ATV4 apps are the opposite. I have yet to find a really cool app that makes me really see the product's potential. Not Apple's fault, of course, but maybe apps aren't the future of TV after all. I had high hopes for an Apple TV with App Store but am quite underwhelmed by ATV4.

 

[adbe]

It wouldn't hurt anyone if they (Disney) gave people who bought the bundle either a free copy of the software for another console of their choice or a partial refund - if they were upset enough to care they probably plan on buying more figures or game expansions after all.

Yeah, I wont be doing that! I was all set to pick up ToyBox Take Over, but now Avalanche have dropped support for DI, I'm going to skip it. The ATV version of DI just has too many unfixed bugs to be investing further into that ecosystem.

I thoroughly enjoyed the three Star Wars playsets, and got some fun time out of ToyBox Speedway. I know everything from Battlegrounds onwards will not be supported by the ATV, but even the older stuff now I have to take on faith that game breaking bugs wont emerge.
[doublepost=1459389349][/doublepost]

"Disney likely made this decision due to poor app sales and revenue generation on the Apple TV."

but then...

"Disney has updated its Disney Infinity website with a new disclaimer noting not all content is available for PC, Steam, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Amazon, Google Play, and Apple TV."

so the point about poor apple tv sales would only make sense if they were only dropping only apple tv updates, not PC + iOS etc

I think the truth is more simply that Avalanche overreached with too many platforms. They also don't seem to have their crap totally together. Without the might of Disney's IP behind them, I doubt they'd even have made it as far as Infinity 3.0.

 

[peterdevries]

Apple doesn't provide sales figures specifically for the Apple TV. Anyway, I bet it's selling terribly. And I never, ever hear any buzz about it. People are not buying it in droves.

Kind of like how I rarely see Apple Watches in the wild, or hear any buzz about them. You can tell when a product lands with a thud.

You would make a great analyst.

 

[bchreng]

Wait... I thought Disney Infinity on iOS was a small portion of what can be had on the console? If it's the full version, I wouldn't mind playing it on the iPad instead.

 

[developer13245]

The linked toucharcade article says it all. Apple has killed app store discoverability.
By doing so they've killed the innovation engine, so no, "Games and Apps on TV" are NOT gonna be huge.
Apple killed it via their own selfish ignorance, and essentially killed the platform along with it.

We have a tvOS version of our game 96% complete, but stopped working on it due to lack of app store discoverability features. Without those, the risk and return on investment just does not make future apps on the platform viable.

 

[Iconoclysm]

I'm not surprised. Apple TV apps aren't selling because Apple TVs aren't selling. It's another huge product misfire, along with the Apple Watch. The track record for new products post-Jobs is not looking very good.

Can you show me where the competition has been successful in turning their TV product into an App platform? You're trying to bend reality to your predictions, and it's a huge misfire.
[doublepost=1459406850][/doublepost]

Apple doesn't provide sales figures specifically for the Apple TV. Anyway, I bet it's selling terribly. And I never, ever hear any buzz about it. People are not buying it in droves.

Kind of like how I rarely see Apple Watches in the wild, or hear any buzz about them. You can tell when a product lands with a thud.

You live in an anecdotal bubble, I hope you realize that.

 

[JoeShades]

The linked toucharcade article says it all. Apple has killed app store discoverability.
By doing so they've killed the innovation engine, so no, "Games and Apps on TV" are NOT gonna be huge.
Apple killed it via their own selfish ignorance, and essentially killed the platform along with it.

We have a tvOS version of our game 96% complete, but stopped working on it due to lack of app store discoverability features. Without those, the risk and return on investment just does not make future apps on the platform viable.

The linked article is from December 7th or so, one month into the Apple TV release. That type of lazy reporting is for morons with the common sense of a tire. No really only one month after being released sales of games are not that great. Wow shocking.

 

[8692574]

Maybe I'm just in a bubble, I know lots of people with AppleTVs.

I do completely understand why games aren't selling. The remote is not even kind of a good controller for games.
It feels like you're hacking the device when you play a game... definitely doing something it wasn't designed for.

This is the main problem, bad controller support is what kills gaming on AppleTV, and also the fact that you can download only portion of the game.

Pricing can be another killer, with people used to have free or .99$ games having to pay more on the platform is a problem, while i do belive many games are worth well over the .99$ price tag, we have been spoiled and anything even around 10 bucks is considered expensive (on iOS)!!

Of course the same people that complain about a 10$ game on iOs are the same that shell out 80 for an xbox game....go figure...

 

[Iconoclysm]

This is the main problem, bad controller support is what kills gaming on AppleTV, and also the fact that you can download only portion of the game.

Pricing can be another killer, with people used to have free or .99$ games having to pay more on the platform is a problem, while i do belive many games are worth well over the .99$ price tag, we have been spoiled and anything even around 10 bucks is considered expensive (on iOS)!!

Of course the same people that complain about a 10$ game on iOs are the same that shell out 80 for an xbox game....go figure...

I picked up that Steel Series controller and am really impressed with the quality. Also, lightning port for charging is a nice touch.

That said, I do not want to play most of the games available right now. There are TONS that I could see ported from iOS that would be huge. I don't want to play Final Fantasy on my iPhone, but put it on the AppleTV and I'll gladly give it a shot, for instance.

Of course the people that would pay more for a game are used to buying premium games ($80 would be a deluxe edition including DLC) like you'd find on consoles. AppleTV still has a shot at being relevant for games and apps but I can't imagine why anyone expected it to come out of the gate as a success. Valve hasn't even gotten the Steam Box off the ground and that's a dedicated gaming platform. I can't even manage a season of a TV show yet in iTunes without scrolling for 5 minutes, Hulu has taken a huge step backwards with their app, HBO Go is even a mess...work must be done.

 

[Madmic23]

I bought the Disney Infinity Starter pack for my Apple TV. The controller is great, which is the main reason why I bought it.

As for the game, the biggest issue with it is load times. Since Apple restricted app sizes to 200MB or less, the game has to stream it's resources from the internet for each level. I have a 50MB/s fiber internet connection, and it takes a couple of minutes to load a level. Minutes. I can get up, go the kitchen, make a snack, come back and not have to worry about missing anything, because the level is still loading.

I might have to get the PS3 version of this game and play that instead.

Having said all that, I love the controller, and it makes some of the otherwise unplayable games much more enjoyable.

 

[r-m]

Maybe I'm just in a bubble, I know lots of people with AppleTVs.

I do completely understand why games aren't selling. The remote is not even kind of a good controller for games.
It feels like you're hacking the device when you play a game... definitely doing something it wasn't designed for.

I've pretty much given up playing games on my Apple TV because of the stupid app size limit, and requirement to download levels separately.

Most times when I want to have a go of a game, I'm greeted with a "downloading..." screen and have to wait for the level to download.

An example is Asphalt.
My internet connection isn't good, so some levels on Asphalt say they'll take 30+ minutes to download, but I've seen some suggest an hour to go, very rarely I'll see a sub-30 minute download time if my connection is having a good day.
So I end up switching the apple tv off and not bothering, or trying a different game less involved game for a few minute before getting bored.

If all levels downloaded with the app up front so I'm just waiting the once, like the iOS version of asphalt, then I'd play it a lot more.

 

[Gasu E.]

Apple doesn't provide sales figures specifically for the Apple TV. Anyway, I bet it's selling terribly. And I never, ever hear any buzz about it. People are not buying it in droves.

Kind of like how I rarely see Apple Watches in the wild, or hear any buzz about them. You can tell when a product lands with a thud.

Very scientific, unbiased observation.

 

[adbe]

Wait... I thought Disney Infinity on iOS was a small portion of what can be had on the console? If it's the full version, I wouldn't mind playing it on the iPad instead.

Yes and no. The ToyBox portion of the iOS game is identical to tvOS, and (in a nice touch) sparks are earnt at the same rate. Some of the ToyBox expansion packs (ToyBox takeover etc) are available as pay extras. The Play Sets are not available at all.

Many of the bugs present on the tvOS version also exist on the iOS version. Development has ended for both platforms.

 

[Scarpad]

I sold my ATV4 not because of lack of games, but lack of app support for the items i use a video streamer for, where was the VUDU app ? , Starz, Encore, nope I was tired of hearing it was up to developers to provide these, if you want a platform to sell you make damn sure it has the basic apps. I picked up a Roku 4 and it has the streaming apps i need.

 

[macduke]

That is extremely disheartening. Like I and many others said when it launched last autumn, Apple just doesn't really get gaming. They were lucky that casual games work great with touch on iOS and that took off organically. By not having an official first-party controller, along with forcing developers to support their simple remote for full gameplay, they really shot themselves in the foot on this becoming a successful gaming platform. And as I've said many times, they need a premium gaming section on the App Store for AA or AAA titles and a minimum price floor—something in the $20-30 range, but could have occasional sales like Steam sales. It would curate the best of the best and developers could submit application to have their game included.

Another thing question is why they don't just release a gaming edition? Bundle a controller, maybe give it some more storage and beefier graphics chipset. Charge $250. Keep the other models around. I enjoy playing simple games on the Apple TV, and some racing games, but I don't spend much time on the device and most of my games were ports of games I already owned. I've only bought a few, probably have spent less than $10 total. I even got the 64GB model thinking I would easily fill it up. As a parent, I'd be more willing to invest in something like that then a Nintendo Wii. First of all, the games are cheaper. Second, it's a great living room media entertainment device. Third, it's priced affordably considering the value of everything you get. Fourth, many games are compatible with iOS versions and therefore bring more value to the purchase (if my kid wanted a game on the Wii U and 3DS I'd have to buy two versions), and it includes games I can play right out of the box that are in my iCloud purchase history.

 

[iMember]

I'm not surprised. Apple TV apps aren't selling because Apple TVs aren't selling. It's another huge product misfire, along with the Apple Watch. The track record for new products post-Jobs is not looking very good.

Track-pad remote its likely what Steve would've done..instead of PS3 controller, would've been awkward to use one controller for watching movies and one for gaming
Fact is! This product is underpriced even if wasn't an Apple product, but funny that this is an Apple product and it's a lot cheaper than the confusing NVidea box, yes it does have 4K but the rest is garbage

 

[JoeShades]

I sold my ATV4 not because of lack of games, but lack of app support for the items i use a video streamer for, where was the VUDU app ? , Starz, Encore, nope I was tired of hearing it was up to developers to provide these, if you want a platform to sell you make damn sure it has the basic apps. I picked up a Roku 4 and it has the streaming apps i need.

Big news flash for you, most people don't give a crap about those apps. The world does not revolve around you and what you think is basic

 

[unobtainium]

Very scientific, unbiased observation.

Oops, didn't realize Macrumors was a peer-reviewed, scientific journal rather than an internet discussion board.

 

[JoeShades]

Oops, didn't realize Macrumors was a peer-reviewed, scientific journal rather than an internet discussion board.

Yeah umm that is his point sort of. You are the one acting like the person with scientific analysis

 

[unobtainium]

Yeah umm that is his point sort of. You are the one acting like the person with scientific analysis

In your head maybe?

I said ATV4 isn't flying off the shelves (in my opinion, obviously). I also said that I never hear buzz about it. I never hear people talking about it irl. Much like the Watch. These are anecdotal observations.

 

[BornAgainMac]

The slow loading times for Apple TV for this game turned me off and the controls are also unplayable without the remote.

 

[developer13245]

The linked article is from December 7th or so, one month into the Apple TV release. That type of lazy reporting is for ****** with the common sense of a tire. No really only one month after being released sales of games are not that great. Wow shocking.

Where is any reporting that points to a resounding success for an app on Apple TV? Do you even get that this whole thread is about what Disney is NOT planning to do on the platform? Disney's retreat just reinforces the situation described by the 12/7 toucharcade article. Apps have bombed on Apple TV since day 1 and will continue to do so until Apple rethinks their failed apps strategy of removing discoverability features from their captive app stores.

Remember the days when we all would pull our iPhones out of our pockets and launch the app store to see what new crazy/fun/innovative apps appeared? That was the "wow, who would have thought of that" "magic" of the app store in the early days. Apple has killed that "fair shot" magic with their idiotic featuring system - and will eventually kill the iPhone because it's precisely that "magic" that made the iPhone a success.

That magic was mainly created by small developers like myself, because that's the only way new crazy/fun/innovative apps happen.

Apps are over on all Apple platforms - period.

 

[peterdevries]

In your head maybe?

I said ATV4 isn't flying off the shelves (in my opinion, obviously). I also said that I never hear buzz about it. I never hear people talking about it irl. Much like the Watch. These are anecdotal observations.

Which makes them useless in determining the succes of a product that is sold globally...

 

[unobtainium]

Which makes them useless in determining the succes of a product that is sold globally...

You're just saying a bunch of ridiculously obvious things that my original post never contradicted. Do I need to insert a signature line after all my posts saying "in my opinion only, and I'm one person, not 10 million people"? It's obvious.

Anyway, my perception is that there isn't a whole lot of buzz about Apple Watch or the new Apple TV. I perceive the reaction to be pretty tepid. I would say it's very different from iPod/iPhone/iPad in that regard. People couldn't stop talking about those products and you soon began seeing them everywhere.

 

[peterdevries]

You're just saying a bunch of ridiculously obvious things that my original post never contradicted. Do I need to insert a signature line after all my posts saying "in my opinion only, and I'm one person, not 10 million people"? It's obvious.

Anyway, my perception is that there isn't a whole lot of buzz about Apple Watch or the new Apple TV. I perceive the reaction to be pretty tepid. I would say it's very different from iPod/iPhone/iPad in that regard. People couldn't stop talking about those products and you soon began seeing them everywhere.

You do realize that Apple TVs are not carried around like iPods / iPads etc. right? They sit in closets at people's homes. Of course you see them less than iPads etc.

You said specifically "Apple TVs aren't selling". A statement of fact. Don't be offended when people challenge you on something that you have no way of backing up.