VLC Is Bringing Its Video Magic To The Apple TV

The Siri remote and a third-party controller from Nimbus.

Apple and Android TV operate on very similar user interface principles, so Apple doesn’t really give much up to Android TV in that regard. He believes that the new set top box could possibly be the top platform for their service. The new Apple TV will only start disrupting people’s living rooms in late October, so there’s still time to get the VLC magic working fully before then. That may sound paltry, but it has a massive ripple effect on what can and can’t be sold on the new Apple TV as a game. The mobile market, which supports external controllers but largely appeals to players who use touchscreens, could be worth $30 billion in 2015, according to market research firm Newzoo.

For the Apple TV, the boys and girls at Cupertino are removing both features.

That will not work as a stand-in for touchscreen controls of games like “Grand Theft Auto 3”. It wouldn’t be possible. But as it stands, most serious gamers will likely keep playing games on PCs or dedicated consoles, while casual games will probably stick to smartphones or tablets instead.

Only once that revenue is flowing will the Apple need to consider upgrading the capability of the device so that it is closer to the Xbox One and PS4.

Among all other major announcements for this year, Apple during the September 9 event also introduced an all new Apple TV featuring tvOS and Siri.

The odd thing about Apple TV’s tvOS is that apps will be limited to 200MB. But equally, it’s limiting if every game has to be controllable with a touchpad. When gameplay is active, pressing the pause button should pause gameplay.

Apple could solve this by allowing games to be labeled as “gamepad required”. As the launch of Apple TV draws nearer, users can simply continue AirPlaying media content using other devices or a separate media server. As I’ve discussed many a time, the convergence between touch and desktop operating systems is continuing whether Apple likes it or not. This is actually a fair requirement as it would make little sense to create a game that couldn’t be played right out of the Apple TV box.