New Apple TV Only Supports Two Bluetooth Controllers at Once

[robbyx]

I get the distinct feeling that Apple doesn't WANT the Apple TV to be primarily a gaming platform. Why else would they be hobbling it this way ON PURPOSE?

I can't think of any reason they would want this; successful games are bound to make Apple money and spur more sales of the Apple TV. Maybe they are afraid this will be another Pippin? I don't know; that was many years ago. Perhaps they want to stay on the good sides of companies like Sony, Nintendo, etc. and not compete with them?

It boggles the mind a bit; the hardware is certainly capable and at a really good price point. You'd think they'd be pushing gaming full tilt and even sell controllers themselves.

I agree. I really don't understand what they're doing with Apple TV. I have been eagerly awaiting an App Store enabled Apple TV for years...and now that it has finally landed, I'm underwhelmed. And then I read stupid posts from people blindly defending Apple's dumb choices by saying things like "everyone who wants to play party games already has a console." Ugh.

Two controllers is stupid. They completely shot themselves in the foot. There are only so many types of apps one could, and would want to, use on a TV. And games is TOP OF THE LIST. So why cripple the product? This is a far worse move than not supporting 4K. They don't need to match PS or Xbox on the hardware/graphics front to become a viable console. But they do need to offer a great experience. And two controllers is mediocre. They could print money with games. But I don't see that happening this time around.

At this point I'm not going to upgrade unless I see some really compelling TV apps. I'm happy with Netflix, commercial-free Hulu (yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), HBO, and the occasional iTunes purchase. I had hoped for decent gaming on the new Apple TV but I don't see it, so I'll stick with my current Apple TV and (more than two controller capable, many years old) Wii for casual gaming.

Kind of a boring update after all.

 

[goobot]

Can you use IR controllers?

 

[bluespark]

Hmm. Wasn't the last time I checked.

I'm not at home to fire it up and check at the moment, but do you happen to know what menu has BT audio output as an option?

EDIT: Or, are you talking about the new ATV?

The new one, which is the subject of this thread.

 

[ParisNK]

Only 2 controllers its fine, lat Apple make a start, its a postive thing there final coming AppStore to AppleTV i don't buy it becomes its a mini game console, i will buy it becomes i can use PLEX server on it, i have a Synology NAS right now home, and DS Video its not so stabile so i hope on PLEX its a more stabil!

 

[0098386]

The only multiplayer I play is Smash Bros. for Wii U, anyway.

No Mario Kart 8? Those two games are the closest to multiplayer perfection I've ever seen.

 

[Exhale]

Enough people pay for games that the iOS App Store brings in over $2B/month.

Uh no. App Store revenue is closer to half of that. There are Seasonal spikes certainly where monthly revenue reaches 2B - but they're offset by large blocks of much lower sales.

PC gaming monthly revenue is a good bit higher than 2B monthly - and thats without the 'unknowns' of private companies such as Valve.

 

[iamPro]

Many sports games are played by more than 3 people. And me and my friends often get together to play tournaments.

What's mind boggling is that it would have been so easy for apple to support more than just two controllers (playing with the remote with only a few buttons would be a joke for many games). And whats even more frustrating is becoming to know of this not so long after learning about apple's stupid limitation on the game requiring the remote (although I'd wait till what "requiring" actually means).

Also, those who are considering using the iphone as a controller most likely never even tried playing games with the apple tv. Its a disaster playing any game that requires virtual buttons. Good luck hitting the correct buttons on a touch screen while looking at the tv.


Finally, to those who refer to the iphone as being the biggest gaming platform and keeps telling people to stop complaining. How well do you think the iphone would have sold if it only had gaming capabilities? It sold more than any gaming console because its a smartphone. Of course more people buy phones than a PS4. My mom, dad, grandparents all need phones. But only I need a gaming console.
Heck, if the PS4 sold wih only 3player support and required a remote with 1button and an accelerometer how well do u think it would have faired against other consoles or even to its current sales numbers?

People are complaining because apple had all the cards to come out with a decent gaming platform (again please stop saying its already the best gaming platform just cuz it sold more than any other console) but one by one we're learning about these stupid limitations that easily could have not been there.

By no means are these complaints predicitng a doomed apple tv future. It will prob sell well because its an apple "TV" for its TV functions (watching shows, movie, etc). And again we'll hear people say "I told ya apple tv is the best gaming console" once the sales number passes that of other gaming consoles. But seriously if it was just a gaming system with the same current limitations I guarantee it would have been a flop.

 

[Alenore]

I wouldn't say Apple TV is a console.....just a streaming device with an App store attached, that can play games.

Not sure u can call ATV 4 a console just based on specs that it doesn't have as much horse power as an xbox one to say "console" though.

I think of a console like the xbox one or something with the power to play demanding games and marketed as such.

Well if that was what people were thinking too, they wouldn't call the iphone a gaming platform either.

And yet...

 

[ENduro]

I got my XBOX ONE new for $350 with a $50 gift card and one game. True gamers are not going to move to this Apple TV and a good percentage of casual gamers will not either. A good percentage of casual gamers, only game to kill time while traveling and they tend to do that on mobile devices.

The Apple TV may be beneficial for parents with toddlers! I think it could be a good way to keep the little ones busy while doubling as a video/music device...

I will stick to my PC and my XBOX ONE and when I want to plays some light-weight games on the go, I will use my tablet or phone...

I disagree. I'm an aging gamer. I don't have time for marathon 12 hour games anymore but I still want to play GTA, platformers and FP shooters. The iPhone graphics satisfy my needs there but I hate playing them on a tablet (especially hate the controls). I also care about how much energy my machine is using, especially in standby mode and at $350 the Xbox One, which I have an enjoy, is overkill for me. 150-200 (with decent controller) is a sweet spot.

 

[MacAddict1978]

Not surprised... Actually I didn't think it would allow as many as it does. This isn't a console...

You never likely considered nor pondered such a thing at all. I game and I sure didn't.

Most people don't play together on the same box regardless. They usually do it online in two different places, which makes the whole notion a bit of a moot point. I also don't think anyone ever goes out and buys 8 controllers for any system.

The idea of a party game with support for 8 people could be fun, but how often is that even going to happen?

2 controllers are more than sufficient for what the box is.

The stupidity of the new ATV is forcing developers to support the Siri remote for anything they want to publish in the app store. I can see concerns that people would buy games that aren't supported without 3rd party controller (look at the larger number of idiots who buy software in the Mac App store and don't read the system requirements that clearly state their 7 year old iMac can't run something and bitch that apple screwed them), but it stifles the prospects of the new app store and gives an edge to google and amazon.

Actually, this is making people revisit competing systems. I hope they change this.

 

[PrimeMatrix]

It's not just that, though. REQUIRING that all games be playable with the (very hobbled) remote as a controller? Also, the tiny appbundle size limit, and the "non-permanent nature" of local storage.

All of these severely hobble the ATV as a serious gaming platform.

Do you think that the "non-permanent nature" of the local storage could be like the apple watch from watch os 1.0-2.0, where the apps were not natively able to be stored on the watch until 2.0? Maybe this will be soemthing to hope for.

 

[PrimeMatrix]

Ignoring the fact that the iPhone is the largest gaining platform on the planet?

Touche!

 

[Exhale]

Most people don't play together on the same box regardless. They usually do it online in two different places, which makes the whole notion a bit of a moot point.

Generally different types of games. Casual/Party multiplayer games are oft played on the same TV. Keep in mind Nintendo scored biggest on just that market with the Wii - with games that were famed for outright missing or poor online support.

Online multiplayer is typically the hallmark of the 'regular' and 'hardcore' sectors. Problem is, that market has been very unsuccessful with Apple so far. And the ATV4 is doing nothing really to make it anymore attractive.

Large development houses are already regularly skipping out on the Wii U because it doesn't have enough power; the ATV4 is even less attractive.

 

[PrimeMatrix]

You never likely considered nor pondered such a thing at all. I game and I sure didn't.

Most people don't play together on the same box regardless. They usually do it online in two different places, which makes the whole notion a bit of a moot point. I also don't think anyone ever goes out and buys 8 controllers for any system.

The idea of a party game with support for 8 people could be fun, but how often is that even going to happen?

2 controllers are more than sufficient for what the box is.

The stupidity of the new ATV is forcing developers to support the Siri remote for anything they want to publish in the app store. I can see concerns that people would buy games that aren't supported without 3rd party controller (look at the larger number of idiots who buy software in the Mac App store and don't read the system requirements that clearly state their 7 year old iMac can't run something and bitch that apple screwed them), but it stifles the prospects of the new app store and gives an edge to google and amazon.

Actually, this is making people revisit competing systems. I hope they change this.

Very well said. I too like to game, and most games that I play, I play with family and friends over networks, with multiple consoles, and multiple tvs. I have not bought more than 2 controllers for a console since the N64. (Albeit borrowed many times up to 4 for the Wii).

 

[TallManNY]

Doesn't forcing Siri Remote support basically mean that it forces the games to be compatible with your iPhone? Isn't the simpler way to multiplayer game going to be everyone gets on the home's wifi with their iPhone and they use their iPhone as the controller? Who is going to buy 8 $50 mifi controllers for a $150 console? While nearly every guest that comes to your house is going to have an iPhone in their pocket and that can work as a controller.
Seems like we could get some Mario Cart action with just touch screen controls on our iPhones. (Though as a side note, if it did support more controllers, your guests could bring their own controller from home.)

I'm seeing this as a disruptive gaming platform, not because it stops the gamers from buying a next gen console, but because it slows down the rate at which they buy next gen games. If I download a $10 game from the App store and I play it for a few weeks, that could result in me buying one less $50 next gen game. I think that is going to be a problem for the gaming industry as those AAA titles are super expensive to develop.

As a side note, I do game. But between Witcher 3 and Destiny I suspect my purchases are done for the rest of the year! Sorry industry.

 

[Michael CM1]

Not into games but Like FIFA 16 and Forza. I wish they can come to ATV at some point. Since I am a very casual gamer, I don't want to buy a dedicate box for that.

I bought FIFA 15 or 14 for Xbox 360 as a digitial download. It was about 7GB. With Apple's 200MB limit, don't expect anything like that. What you might get is condensed versions of games like that for maybe $10 or $20. Don't forget that they are required to support control with the remote, so I doubt controls will be super involved.

Hopefully that rule changes later. I get Apple's stance. They need to just require a WARNING: REQUIRES MFI CONTROLLER SOLD SEPARATELY on those games.

 

[shyam09]

why are people complaining? Apple has once again revolutionized the gaming industry!!

 

[Bubba Satori]

why are people complaining? Apple has once again revolutionized the gaming industry!!

It's the epicenter of gaming magic!!

 

[gkarris]

Games and Apps on an AppleTV?

No way Apple will allow this...

 

[cmaier]

History will show that people who say that Apple TV will fail if it only supports two controllers are no different than those who said iPhone would fail since it didn't have a hard keyboard or replaceable battery.

And by the way, I bet it will support more controllers eventually. I mean, the developer kits don't even ship with an OS. This is early beta stuff. But if not, it will still do fine. Most people will use zero controllers.

 

[MikhailT]

It's not just that, though. REQUIRING that all games be playable with the (very hobbled) remote as a controller? Also, the tiny appbundle size limit, and the "non-permanent nature" of local storage.

All of these severely hobble the ATV as a serious gaming platform.

1. If you are going to treat a TV box as a serious gaming platform, you will be disappointed and Apple TV will never meet your needs. It is a TV box that happens to support "casual" gaming as a bonus feature. I do not game on my iPhone but yet, it is one of the most popular gaming platforms on the planet, does it make it a serious gaming platform? No, it's a good smartphone that happens to support gaming well. In addition, almost all casual gamers I know including myself do not play with people in the same room, they play with others across the Internet, thus it is not a problem for them or me. Serious gamers buy dedicated PCs or consoles, not Apple TV.
2. We haven't seen what it is like to play with the remote, it might turn out to be just fine for most games. Frankly, I don't see the problem as a casual gamer. I've used Wii Remote in the past that was just as bad.
3. The app bundle size limit is at 2GB (the 200mb is for the initial download only, additional 2GB can be downloaded after the initial load), which is not a problem for most people. In fact, gamers download their digital purchases on their console, that downloads 20-30% first and then let them game as it downloads more. This is exactly the same thing, only Apple is enforcing on all tvOS apps to make it consistent.
4. Non-permanent local storage is fine for people who are buying a TV box to mostly stream high-quality media, they'll need fast internet to make Apple TV a good purchase anyway, which means downloading 200mb games initially and storing game-related data in the user's iCloud data is not a problem. They delete the game and download it later while pulling their saved game data from iCloud. Not unlike what happens with your digital purchases with PS4/X1.

 

[Risco]

I don't see why this is a big deal? Two people is more than enough for casual gaming.

 

[Cartoonkid]

The new one, which is the subject of this thread.

Yes, I realize that is the subject of this thread. Your previous comment was a little ambiguous (or perhaps I just overthought it), which is why I added the edit.

Apple's own website says nothing about it in the specs, however, I found an article on 9to5mac saying that the new ATV does have BT audio.

While this may not be a big deal for the masses, anybody who is (or knows someone who is) hearing-impaired, it's huge.

Guess I will happily be plunking down my $150 after all.

 

[reevans]

Apple doesn't understand gaming,

You don't understand a single thing about Apple Inc. if you think that they don't understand gaming. Apple will only go into a market if they can make a significant impact there and can make decent margins. The gaming industry sells lots of software and hardware but doesn't make much profit. Gamers are a fickle bunch who think that they have more knowledge about hardware than the manufacturers and are continually tinkering and upgrading any little component they can without any clue as to if it will actually improve their gaming experience. Apple can't control that kind of movable target platform with software and make a profit. Gamers are known to steal software and break the software to cheat the games. Apple can't give everyone a consistent experience or level playing field.

 

[Motawa]

There is aalways some stupid restriction with apple.. Always!