It's Time for Another Controller for the Apple TV

December 10, 2015 17:22 EST • Alexandre Vallières-Lagacé • 2 minute read

More and more games are landing on the Apple TV and some of them are better with a dedicated controller. We now have two types of remotes, the included Siri Remote and the SteelSeries Nimbus controller. But we need another type of controller, yes a third one.

Just Dance Now is now available on the Apple TV and it made me think that even if the platform can be a great match, we do not have the type of controller this game and other simple games need.

This game has always been a great multiplayer experience but the present tvOS ecosystem allows only a single Siri Remote to be paired at once with an Apple TV. Sure you can pair an iPhone or iPod touch, but that starts to get expansive quickly. Also, that 80$ replacement Apple TV Remote is also a lot more expensive then most of the living room console controllers, so even if Apple allowed multiple TV remotes, it would still not work.

Time for a third-party to make a simplified gaming controller for the Apple TV? Yes, indeed! I think a candybar shaped remote with a clickty touchpad could be a good contender. Or even better, take all of the buttons from the SteelSeries Nimbus and place them on it. The Wii U Remote keeps coming up in my mind as a great starting point because so many games would benefit from a D-pad, dedicated buttons and a gyroscope. And all that for less than the price of the Siri Remote. Am I dreaming?

No I’m sure Griffin, SteelSeries or another manufacturer can take this up and make it work. It will be compatible with all the motion, D-pad, swipe based games so there is a growing market for this.

When can I have one?