Tag: Siri

‘Beat Sports’, ‘Guitar Hero’, ‘Skylanders’, More All Revealed For New Apple TV!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Apple announced a new, App-focussed Apple TV earlier today, and while every Apple event always garners an unsurmountable level of hate (wake up sheeple), I’m damned excited for the thing.

First, it looks like an inexpensive and phenomenal way to get content to your TV. I’m not a cable subscriber, and as an everyday user (and fan) of the 3rd-generation Apple TV, it has been far and away the best device for getting content to my television, be it Netflix, iTunes rentals, photos, YouTube, or countless other services.

This new Apple TV does all that too, and by the looks of it, it does it even better.

But there’s something I’m looking forward to even more than that, and that’s apps and gaming. Sure, I own multiple consoles and handhelds, but there are no devices on the market that bring more approachable gaming to the masses than Apple’s. I had never seen anyone’s grandmother play a video game of any sort until the iPad, and that’s a trend that I think will continue with this new Apple TV.

No, Apple didn’t make a gaming console, and no, they’re not targeting Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. This is going to be a gaming device for people who are not gamers, and Apple and developers are going to make a killing off of it.

Oh, and it’s going to get full featured games too.

Following Apple’s ‘Hey Siri’ event this morning, Activision revealed that Guitar Hero, Skylanders, and Geometry Wars are headed to the new Apple TV.

Skylanders: Superchargers is a full port of the console game, and “The Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack for Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch will include everything fans with those devices need to play, including a Bluetooth-enabled portal, an embedded Bluetooth controller, and even a built-in stand. What’s more, if you have multiple Apple devices, your progress can be seamlessly synced across Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch with cloud save support under the same Game Center account.”

GHero

That sounds freaking awesome. You can play on your TV, and then actually take the same game on the go with you, it kind of sounds like what Sony wanted to do with the Playstation Vita, except it will actually work.

Here’s what the company had to say about Guitar Hero Live:

Guitar Hero Live is also coming to a wide array of devices, including consoles, mobile devices and Apple TV. Guitar Hero Live’s GH Live mode brings you closer to the live stage experience with live-action, first-person gameplay with crowds and bands that react dynamically to how you play. There’s also GHTV, the world’s first playable music video network, which lets you play along with a continually updated collection of official music videos spanning a variety of genres. Guitar Hero Live for Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch devices will come with the redesigned six-button guitar controller, which connects through Bluetooth so it be used across all supported Apple devices.

“We jumped at the opportunity to bring back Guitar Hero in a cool new way with Guitar Hero Live and have been energized by the response from fans who have had a chance to play it so far,” said Jamie Jackson, co-studio head and creative director at FreeStyleGames. “We can’t wait for the game to launch next month and think people are going to get a kick out of living their rock star fantasy on consoles, mobile devices and Apple TV this fall. It’s going to be rad!”

Geometry Wars 3: Retro Evolved is also headed to the Apple TV this Fall.

Rock Band creator Harmonix has also developed an entirely new IP for the Apple TV called Beat Sports, which looks like a mixture of Wii Sports and an extremely approachable rhythm title. The title offers “a collection of music-infused mini-games based loosely on familiar sports like tennis, volleyball, and golf. Designed and developed exclusively for the new Apple TV, Beat Sports is controlled using the brand-new remote.”

It looks simple, and it looks like a blast.

Another thing that I’m excited about? App store games are generally far more affordable than their console counterparts, and with my ailing exchange rate, I need to save all the money that I can. Also, my current Apple TV turns on way, way faster than my PS4 does, so if I have just a few minutes to jump into a game, guess which controller I’m more likely to grab?

Bring on the hate.

https://youtu.be/5R5cD094oWA

 

The New Apple TV Includes The App Store, And It’s Going To Be Huge

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: After five long years, Apple has finally revealed a powerful new Apple TV, and it’s going to be freaking huge.

Now, the event is still ongoing, so there’s still a ton of news coming through, but it’s pretty clear (and I’m not just saying that because I’m an Apple fan) that this is going to turn the Apple TV from a well designed hobby product, into a central hub for all of your media, be that television, movies, games, apps, comic books, and more.

In introducing the product, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that “Our vision for TV is simple and perhaps a little provocative. We believe the future of television is apps.”

Disney

The new tvOS features a gorgeous new design (and I absolutely love that Siri support), but the biggest game-changer that the new Apple TV brings to your living room is the App Store. Yep, that same App Store that has brought hundreds of thousands of apps to millions of phones, including console quality games, incredible sports apps, and other amazing experiences, is coming to your TV.

Apple showed off some pretty cool applications, but the thing that I’m most excited for? Local multiplayer games. Many of the games showed off on stage had multiple people playing at the same time, on the same screen, which is almost unheard of these days unless you’re playing on a Wii U.

One of the best gaming experiences that I’ve had with friends as of late has been playing Jackbox Games’ Xbox One titles, a series of party games that utilize your smart phones as controllers, and have a large amount of players playing at the same time in the same room. It’s a freaking blast, and I can see a myriad of titles with similar mechanics making their way to the new Apple TV.

I own multiple consoles, and have so many games, but have never found a need to buy another controller. With the new Apple TV, all of my friends have a controller in their pocket, all of the time, and that’s the thing that I’m most excited for.

APPLETV

It’s got a brand new remote, with a gyroscope and an accelerometer for motion gaming, and I’m sure that a lot of games will use your iPhone as a controller as well.

Developers can begin working on apps starting today, and Apple showed images from console ports like Transistor and Disney Infinity, and even noted that developers will have the opportunity to have one purchase cover the app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Pretty freaking cool.

The new Apple TV will cost $149 for a 32Gb model, and $199 for a 64Gb Model, and will launch in October.

Cook said that “When you consume this way, you realize just how much better it can be,” and I cannot wait to try it out for myself.

Photos via TheVerge.

Watch The First Trailer For Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s weird, sure, but it’s also very intriguing.

Yep, it’s the very first trailer for Spike Jonze’s upcoming sci-fi romance, Her. The film tells the story of Theodore Twombly, a heartbroken writer who gets a second chance at love after getting a new, intelligent computer.

The film is very much a Spike Jonze project. The cinematography is gorgeous, performances look down to Earth and believable, and the plot is extremely odd, yet remarkably cute. I’d never heard of Her before today, but after seeing this first trailer, it’s most definitely a film on my watch list.

Her stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara, and Olivia Wilde, and hits theatres (in a limited release) on November 20th.

Set in Los Angeles, slightly in the future, “her” follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. From the unique perspective of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze comes an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world.