The potential of the Apple TV
Could It Become a Gaming Machine?
We got our Apple TV shortly after the 4th-generation device was released in October 2015. To be honest, aside from a few apps like Spotify and All 4—which took their sweet time to arrive—it has everything we need.
In my opinion, it is one of the better smart boxes. The design is simple and easy to use, and it links seamlessly with my other Apple devices, allowing me to input usernames and passwords from my phone. It’s also plenty powerful and could easily play any mobile game that is controller-compatible.
The Missing Piece
What bugs me is that even though the Apple TV is capable of playing amazing games from the App Store, many publishers haven’t released their titles for the platform. It wouldn't be difficult for them to map commands to an MFi controller and enable publishing for the Apple TV.
Apple shot itself in the foot at the launch by requiring all games to be compatible with the Siri remote. It was a colossal mistake that has thankfully been fixed, but it was a case of "too little, too late," as many game publishers were put off and will need some convincing to return.
The Hardware is There
Apple has put a decent amount of power in this small box. The Apple TV 4K has an A10X processor, including a 6-core CPU and a 12-core GPU. It’s straight out of the 2017 iPad Pro, so you know it can handle more than most people's iPhones.
I’m not expecting to see AAA games on Apple TV anytime soon, just as we don’t see them on iPhones and iPads. However, it would be amazing to see titles like Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile, Max Payne Mobile, or GTA: Liberty City Stories on the big screen. Now that Apple is getting serious about gaming with their subscription service, I would love for them to release a dedicated gaming console or a "pimped out" Apple TV.
With rumors of Apple releasing ARM-based computers in the near future, it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle for Apple to create a top-notch console based on that ARM architecture that matches the performance of a PlayStation or Xbox.
Most of all, what I really want is Fortnite. It may sound stupid, but as our current multiplayer game of choice, it would be nice not to be relegated to my iPad or having to download the full version on my laptop.
What do you think? Should Apple release a console or "pimp out" the Apple TV? Would you play AAA games on the Apple TV if you could? Let me know in the comments below!