Apple TV to Gain Game Support With Bluetooth Controllers By March

The Apple TV could be getting long-awaited game support in an upcoming software update, according to a report from iLounge. It could include Bluetooth controller support and an Apple TV-based App Store.

apple_tv_2012_interface

iLounge has heard from reliable industry sources that Apple TV will soon be getting proper game support in an update, likely to come in March or earlier. We’ve heard that developers are currently working on Bluetooth controller options, and it’s expected that games could be downloaded directly to the Apple TV rather than relying on another iOS device as an intermediary.

Turning the Apple TV into a game console-type device with an App Store has long been expected, with rumors dating back years suggesting that such a feature was in the works. MG Siegler wrote last year that Apple appeared to be moving closer to leveraging the Apple TV for television gaming.

Steve Jobs himself said an App Store for the Apple TV was a possibility "when the time is right" in an interview in 2010. Apple and third-party hardware makers recently began shipping iOS 7 game controllers for iPhones, but they have been poorly received because of build quality issues and high price tags.

iLounge has shared fairly accurate information on Apple's product plans several times in the past, suggesting it does indeed have reliable sources with access to Apple's supply chain.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2 Redux

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more. We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
142 months ago
Personally, I'm excited for the dozen new incarnations of Angry Birds we'll see. :p
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J InTech82 Avatar
142 months ago
This would call for an Apple Media event no doubt. With new information available for developers at WWDC.

Genius move. Make the hardware developers create the controllers and the app developers create the games while Apple reaps the benefits. It's actually a win win for everyone; consumers, developers and Apple!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KylePowers Avatar
142 months ago
Doesn't the current AppleTV only have like 8GB of storage?

I'd first like to see a 4th gen with 16GB+ of storage with access to an expansive App Store before being concerned with bluetooth controller support.

And, uh, native Plex app of course. I need that in my life.

//yes I know about PlexConnect
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
outphase Avatar
142 months ago
Hopefully, 3rd-party apps will come with it (e.g., Plex).
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mistafro Avatar
142 months ago
New hardware for this for sure but are they really going to break the $99 price model to have models with different storage options? hmmm...

Game streaming idea sounds like a promising alternative.

No storage issues to worry about, just purchase and play from the cloud, the game could be loaded into the internal memory on the fly while you play as the Xbox One does.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sky Blue Avatar
142 months ago
I only really buy the rumor if there's a new Apple TV model. Can't see it happening on the current version, not enough space, A5 processor.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)