iOS4.3 Code Hints at Apple TV Gaming
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The iPad has been a great device for gaming. There are tons of games in the App Store to choose from, and the inventory will continue to grow.
One topic many of us have been kicking around is whether or not Apple will ever show any signs of running third party applications and games on the Apple TV. Perhaps, the new code unearthed in iOS 4.3 beta 3 may have shown the first signs.
Engadget has uncovered several references to “ATVGames” and “ATVThunder”. These terms could be an indication of some sort of interactive playing experience or real-time events (on-demand content). Engadget also mentioned that all of this information could possibly be related to Game Center type features such as scheduling games, sorting by date and standings, a Game Center style leaderboard and possibly a game store front.
The iOS 4.3 beta 3 code also revealed two other codenames, Sedona and Flagstaff. Both have references to video. Sedona makes references to video metadata (like video episodes), and Flagstaff showed some details about iTunes purchasing. It’s hard to tell, if these are purely associated with streaming TV or some sort of new on-demand content.
One thing is for sure, the existing Apple TV does not offer the ideal capabilities for gaming. The existing remote is nice to help you browse around the user interface, but it will certainly be very limited for attractive games. The existing Apple TV could only support basic games, which makes it a bit challenging to get to a point where it could legitimately compete with game consoles.
However, we know Apple very well. They are extremely healthy on their “cash reserves”, and could certainly decide to come out with a new version of the Apple TV down the road. Or, they could entertain the idea of buying someone like OnLive.
To buy OnLive will certainly require Apple to adapt the OnLive platform to the Apple TV, and integrate it to the iTunes storefront. Considering some of the recent gamepads and controllers that have come out for iOS devices, you could argue there is a healthy iOS gaming crowd out there ready to play more online games.
What do you think?
[iOS 4.3 Code Photo credit: Engadget]
