Opinion: Time for Apple and Google to unlock smart TV gaming's potential

James Andrew | 11:50 - 13 March 2013

"I can't help but think that if you're that bothered about playing Android games on a big screen, you'll hook up your existing device to a TV and maybe grab a third party controller."

That involves buying all the pieces separately and probably installing some extra software/app on your phone/tablet to boot. OUYA and Gamestick package it all together in a single, easy to understand product

Wii U has dual screen but has really failed to capture the public's imagination. If consumers only "get it" when they actually try it, that's marketing fail

Kristan Reed | 11:13 - 13 March 2013

In response to Keith: Take up will be piss poor. For it to really fly it needs to be a part of the existing iOS ecosystem, but yes, the challenge is then to make them work well (or at all) on a TV - but developers are savvy enough to figure that out. It's chicken and egg, which is precisely why the take up has been so poor all along. I really can't see people bothering until they can use their existing purchases somehow. It's partly why iPad has done so well - people rarely have to worry about buying apps multiple times (bar the odd HD version here and there).

Keith Andrew | 10:59 - 13 March 2013

I still think the biggest issue is, while people will be drawn to whatever platform lets them use their existing apps, smartphone apps will not work well on TV - and I think Apple knows this.

I'll be very surprised if Apple TV doesn't have its own App Store, rather than tapping into the one for iPhone and iPad - this will be good for the quality of the device, but bad for initial take up.

Fraser Ross MacInnes | 10:55 - 13 March 2013

Great piece - agree thoroughly. There are so many layers of complexity to overcome. Currently, Airplay games are delivered via the App Store to iPads and iPhones. What happens if all of that goes native to different box, i.e. the Apple TV?

Does the existing 8GB flash memory of the gen 2 and 3 boxes become writeable for games? How does that affect how the box functions as a media server in its current guise? Does Apple mandate that the phone or tablet is the default controller? Will some games be native to the box and some to the tablet/phone? How will this be communicated to the consumer?

I'm not sure these are problems Apple is committed to spending time on - if there is a way developers can take up the slack with a more open box, then great. Either way - I'd love to see it happen.