Hello.

Hello?

Is anybody there? It’s okay, you can come out.

I know you’re there somewhere, I see you sometimes in iOS forums across the internet, outing yourselves with comments such as “Oh Man, I wish this game was on Apple TV.”

This blog – The Apple TV Gaming Blog (ATVG for short) – is for you. I’ve started it because I couldn’t find one to read for myself, so I figured surely I’m not alone.

 

Who?

Garry Balogh is my name, and for the last handful of years I’ve been having a blast as a staff writer at Grab It Magazine (grabitmagazine.com), writing for Chris Stead, owner of Old Mate Media, and  previously editor of Game Informer. Apart from my editorials, previews, reviews, and interviews for Grab It, I’ve also sold pieces to the current editor of Game Informer, as well as finder.com.au.

While I’ll continue to dabble in my freelance work, I’ve decided now is the perfect time to start documenting the evolution of Apple TV gaming in a blog dedicated wholly and solely to the fledgling platform.

 

Why?

Unlike the Ouya and Playstation TV devices, the gaming capable fourth generation Apple TV isn’t going anywhere. Apple TV is an established media streaming device and has been a quietly successful hobby for the consumer tech giant for years. Many knew it was only a matter of time until Apple released a new version with gaming capability and controller compatibility, and in October 2015 it finally happened.

Over the course of year one, we’ve seen ports of excellent indie games from Xbox One and PS4 (Transistor, Broken Age, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved), hit iOS games getting Apple TV love (Real Racing 3, AG Drive, Oceanhorn, Framed), and some restrictions relaxed which were hampering the device’s potential (such as doing away with the requirement of Siri Remote compatibility with all games – as exemplified in Halfbrick’s Dan The Man).

It’s not perfect – and really, what is? – but with announcements such as Minecraft coming to Apple TV it seems the platform is only forging onwards and upwards, and I’m still amazed at the lack of reportage in the general gaming media. Apart from the occasional story on iOS-dedicated sites, there really isn’t anywhere gamers who’ve just arrived home armed with an Apple TV and an MFi controller can find news about the platform.

And so that will be the role of this blog: to share news, reviews, and chart the evolution of this new gaming platform from its infancy onwards, as it happens, rather than playing catch-up in years to come.

I think The ATVG Blog will be a fun adventure, but where to start? Let’s jump straight in with the blog’s first review, and a game that really captures the Goldilocks sweet spot of Apple TV gaming, which is to say not too big and not too small: Halfbrick’s 2D action-platformer – Dan The Man.

Enjoy the ride!