When the fourth generation of Apple TV was launched last year, ‘gaming’ was the word on everyone’s mind as it was the first generation that allowed users to install apps themselves. The news that it would have access to third party apps and act as a miniature console was enough to energize the gaming industry.
The combination of the Siri Remote, which uses voice recognition and swipes for navigation, with the A9X processor, was expected to give Apple a strong dominance in the market. However the buzz was short lived as it was discovered that the Siri Remote was sub-optimal for such gaming activities.
Gaming was fundamental to Apple’s pitch regarding the functions of the latest generation of Apple TV. Until recently, Apple required game developers to fully support the Siri Remote for all games – a decision that restricted the uptake of developers embracing the platform.
At Apple’s Developer Conference in June 2016, the restriction was lifted, and developers will now have the option to utilise a MFi controller for games. Although Apple does also state: “where possible you [developers] should also support the Siri Remote”.
All eyes are now on how the next generation of Apple TV will impact the gaming industry. Rumours suggest that the fifth generation will be released in the last few months of 2016, however, looking at the lengths of time between the previous Apple TV launches, it is possible that we will have to wait until early next year, or potentially even later.
Below are the previous launch dates for Apple TV:
- 1st-gen Apple TV: January 2007
- 2nd-gen Apple TV: September 2010
- 3rd-gen Apple TV: March 2012
- 4th-gen Apple TV: September 2015
