Nimbus Game Controllers

[GizmoDVD]

I see there are several of them and apple.com seems to only list the standard one.

Has anyone tried the Steelseries XL? it looks better built and they appear to be cheaper via eBay compared to the "new" Nimbus model that Apple directly sells.

 

[martinm0]

Good timing. 9to5mac just posted some details on the controller and compared it to the XL version.

I think the main things you'll find that are different at the updated bluetooth, rechargeable battery and lightning port (plus jus the physical changes).

 

[striders]

I have the XL version. Works well, but I think it's the game that need updates to support the controller function, like pressure sensitive joystick.

For example, even though the Modern Combat game support the controller, moving the joypad left and right moved the in-game character too fast. If you play on XBOX or PS4, you'll know what I mean.

 

[d21mike]

I know you can only pair 1 SIRI Remote. I read for multi-player games you have to use a iPhone or a controller. I can not find if you can pair 2 controllers for multi-player games. Anybody know?

 

[martinm0]

I know you can only pair 1 SIRI Remote. I read for multi-player games you have to use a iPhone or a controller. I can not find if you can pair 2 controllers for multi-player games. Anybody know?

I recall reading that you could pair only 2 controllers with the ATV4. Feel like maybe I saw that in the comments on the 9to5 article. Not sure how the Siri remote comes into play in that total count.

 

[matrix07]

I know you can only pair 1 SIRI Remote. I read for multi-player games you have to use a iPhone or a controller. I can not find if you can pair 2 controllers for multi-player games. Anybody know?

You can play 4 simultaneous persons so I would guess you could pair at least 3 controllers at the same time.

 

[hollersoft]

You can play 4 simultaneous persons so I would guess you could pair at least 3 controllers at the same time.

You can pair only 2 game controllers plus the bundled Siri remote for a total of 3. Any other extra controllers would have to be something done custom in the app (iPhone as controller via multipeer connectivity or something).

 

[d21mike]

You can pair only 2 game controllers plus the bundled Siri remote for a total of 3. Any other extra controllers would have to be something done custom in the app (iPhone as controller via multipeer connectivity or something).

Would that include the iPhone that they demo on stage. I.E. 3 + iPhone. Or are you saying maybe 1 SIRI Remote, 1 Game Controller and 1 iPhone for a total of 3. i.e. MAX is 3? I am not asking about some special iPhone type of connection. Just what the showed on stage.

To be clear. I am mainly interested in the 2 Game Controllers. So thanks.

 

[nasa25]

well I have the nimbus in front of me right now and it has 4 led's that denote both player number and % of charging. So I'm assuming you can use up to 4 controllers at the same time.

Actually, from the 'hands on with nimbus' article:

One would guess that the four-bar red light indicator on Nimbus’s face was there to show how much power is remaining, but it’s labeled “1, 2, 3, 4,” for reasons SteelSeries’ manual doesn’t explain. The numbers don’t indicate which of four controller positions a given Nimbus is using; the new Apple TV supports only two game controllers at once, and even when two Bluetooth controllers were connected, both had only their first light on. According to the manual, this light will flash for 10 seconds when the power reaches the “20 minutes remaining” stage.


So I wonder what the '1,2,3,4' is for. Also how would you distinguish between player 1 and 2 if light #1 is the only one lit regardless of player number?

 

[hollersoft]

Also how would you distinguish between player 1 and 2 if light #1 is the only one lit regardless of player number?

Which LED is lit up is under control of the app / game that is accessing the controllers. If they're not setting it correctly with multiple controllers connected, then it's a bug in the app

 

[nasa25]

Well the article said that the first LED was lit for both players, so it must be a bug. It'd make no sense otherwise. The numbers have to mean player #

The LED's also indicate battery status. If 3 bars are lit, 75% power is remaining, etc.

 

[Apollonian]

They may have simply been anticipating the need for it in the future and may be able to activate it with an update to indicate player #.