It's actually a really great set top box. It's probably the best one on the market, honestly. Putting an Apple powered App Store onto a streaming box was definitely a long time coming, and I'm so glad that it happened.What's great about apps? Well, you know, apps.
No, seriously, developers being able to put their streaming services onto Apple TV without being blessed by Apple, or working out special deals, or sacrificing their first born children like they had to do before is great.
Also games - games are really great on Apple TV. In the week and a half that I've had it, I've played more than my fair share of Crossy Road, Asphalt 8, Oceanhorn, Xenowork, Galaxy on Fire, Breakneck and other games. They're excellent (you should definitely check them all out), and I want more. Game controllers, as well as the Siri remote work really well, and there's something about games being on my TV that makes them feel more serious - more real.
Games were a huge part of the Apple TV launch spiel. And they have a brilliant future. Taking mobile, casual games more seriously is a huge market that everyone has been trying to tap for a while now. Remember Ouya?
There's only one problem, though: there are games that I dreamed about playing since the rumors of an App Store on Apple TV started going around. Games like N.O.V.A, Dead Trigger, Modern Combat, Shadowgun, Lego Star Wars, Midnight Star, FIFA, Afterpulse, Minecraft, and others are excellent on iOS and would be amazing on a big screen with a controller.
Unfortunately, this is not currently possible, even though I'm sure the developers are interested. Apple requires that all apps on the Apple TV App Store be able to work with just the Siri remote. Apps can utilize game controllers, which is a really good choice, but they cannot require (or essentially require through nerfing usability without) a controller.
What this ends up meaning is that apps with more complicated control schemes, such as first person games, shooters, and 3D world based games are simply not possible. This is really unfortunate, because it means that great games on iOS that belong on the TV cannot be on Apple TV.
This would be one thing if nobody else was doing third party games on set top boxes, but Android TV is doing just that. They happen to have Modern Combat 4 in particular featured in their TV store. Apple TV is the best media streamer (unless you are 100% YouTube + Google Play or all Amazon streaming [but now that's Google and Amazon's fault, not Apple's]) but it can't be called the best mobile game on TV box on the market right now.
Yes, I understand that this adds complications to the App Store, and users are generally bad at complications. However, I still think this is something that could be dealt with for the better gaming end. Also, Apple could either pop up warnings before you purchase a game requiring a controller, or could only display controller games if you've connected a controller to the TV before.
Am I the only one bothered by this? Let me know what you think in the comments. And if any of you have connections at Apple, please send this feedback their way.
Update: Checking out Apple's TV App Store again reveals that Guitar Hero Live is actually able to require a "bluetooth accessory," which is of course their guitar controller. This can be shown is this poorly shot photo of my TV because I don't have a USB-C cable to use to take a screenshot.
So, apparently, at least if you are a certain developer, or perhaps only if your controller is not a normal gamepad, you can require it for use of the app. But officially policy is still to not allow MFi controllers to be required to play a game. Hopefully this requirement gets lifted.
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