Motion Tennis brings Wii-style motion gaming to iOS, Apple TV
Rolocule Games has released Motion Tennis, a new iOS title that turns your mobile device into a Nintendo Wii-like motion controller for gaming on an Apple TV-connected display.
The game studio, based in India, has previously released a series of touch-based tennis, badminton and squash games. Motion Tennis is new in that it brings gameplay to the television using motion gestures.
Rolocule uses a gaming engine it calls RoloMotion which "converts your iPhone to a portable Motion Gaming Console using Apple TV. This breakthrough technology realises the potential of the Apple TV as a complete home entertainment system also optimising the lags experienced in airplay gaming by using our patented algorithms," the company states on its web site.
While optimized for iPhone 5, the game also works on iPhone 4/4S, 4th/5th generation iPod touch, 3rd generation or later iPads and the iPad mini, although playing with a full size iPad is rather cumbersome.
The game works with both the second and third generation Apple TV (the compact, iOS based versions), and in fact requires one as it only plays back on a connected TV using AirPlay Mirroring.
Multiple users can play together in multiplayer mode, and the game tracks calories burnt in each match. Users can also log into Game Center and track achievements and top scores.
Apple's interest in motion-based, Apple TV gaming was first revealed in patents from 2006.
The new game follows Firemint's RealRacing 2, one of the first titles to exploit new AirPlay features in iOS 5.
Apple's potential to take over console gaming the living room has been noted by various industry luminaries, including Mike Capps president of Epic Games and Nat Brown, a founder of Microsoft's original Xbox.
Source: Apple
The company's increasing interest in gaming exploded with the iOS App Store, where 60 percent of mobile apps have been games. This summer, Apple debuted new efforts to support iOS gaming, including the new Sprite Kit and a program to standardize gaming controllers as part of the "Made For iPhone" initiative.
The game studio, based in India, has previously released a series of touch-based tennis, badminton and squash games. Motion Tennis is new in that it brings gameplay to the television using motion gestures.
Rolocule uses a gaming engine it calls RoloMotion which "converts your iPhone to a portable Motion Gaming Console using Apple TV. This breakthrough technology realises the potential of the Apple TV as a complete home entertainment system also optimising the lags experienced in airplay gaming by using our patented algorithms," the company states on its web site.
While optimized for iPhone 5, the game also works on iPhone 4/4S, 4th/5th generation iPod touch, 3rd generation or later iPads and the iPad mini, although playing with a full size iPad is rather cumbersome.
The game works with both the second and third generation Apple TV (the compact, iOS based versions), and in fact requires one as it only plays back on a connected TV using AirPlay Mirroring.
Multiple users can play together in multiplayer mode, and the game tracks calories burnt in each match. Users can also log into Game Center and track achievements and top scores.
Apple's interest in motion-based, Apple TV gaming was first revealed in patents from 2006.
The new game follows Firemint's RealRacing 2, one of the first titles to exploit new AirPlay features in iOS 5.
Apple's potential to take over console gaming the living room has been noted by various industry luminaries, including Mike Capps president of Epic Games and Nat Brown, a founder of Microsoft's original Xbox.
Source: Apple
The company's increasing interest in gaming exploded with the iOS App Store, where 60 percent of mobile apps have been games. This summer, Apple debuted new efforts to support iOS gaming, including the new Sprite Kit and a program to standardize gaming controllers as part of the "Made For iPhone" initiative.
Comments
That won't happen any time soon.
So the killer app for Apple TV is eliminating the airplay lag. Interesting.
But the motion control is not that accurate right now I felt. Hopefully they can improve it, or it may be limited by the accuracy of the phone's sensors. After all it was not designed for using it like a Wii controller...
A way to solve it, would be to send the video through a proprietary codec over a proprietary protocol and not via a router, but straight to the Apple TV. I guess kinda like the way WiiU is doing it.
Form factor, attached wristband and cost of Wii Controller are all things to keep in mind.
Do you really want to pass around your $600 phone so people can swing it like a tennis racket towards your television? With a wii controller, the shape is designed to be used this way, there's a wristband to keep it from flying off your hand, and if some idiot doesn't use the wristband it's $30-50 to replace it.
Nevermind the fact that airplay will always involve too much lag to properly emulate the wii or playstation move...
So far it has taken them over a decade, so I imagine it'll be happening 'round the 5th of Never.
Insurance doesn't cover you being a worthless idiot.
I laugh every time I see it suggested that XboxOne and PS4 need to lookout for Apple TV.
Consoles are all about experiences, just like Apple. Controllers and smooth graphics are key reasons people buy consoles. Apple is working on controllers and that's a big step, but until they do something about Airplay lag, forget it.
Apple has created their own market for games and controllers will make that even better. Console gamers will probably pick up a controller accessory and few games to take with them on their iPhone. I think Apple is content improving the gaming experience on Apple devices. Eventually they may improve it to a point they are a major competitor in console gaming. That may even happen sooner than later, but it is definitely not now.
People can and will own both iPhone and PS4 or iPhone and XboxOne or all three. Apple probably has no intention of taking on Sony and Microsoft directly until they can do something exciting and different. I'd love to see them buy Nintendo and go for it. An Apple console running Nintendo games sounds just about like gamer nirvana.
What I do think is a problem for gaming is that Macs and PCs are getting extremely powerful and cheaper by the day. The new consoles will barely have an edge on the graphics, if at all. It is just hard for consoles to keep up with the PC/Mac anymore. If the new consoles sell poorly (and I really don't think they will), it will be due to PC/Mac more than iPhone/iPad, but that's just an opinion based on comments I am hearing a seeing online.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
So far it has taken them over a decade, so I imagine it'll be happening 'round the 5th of Never.
Apple has only had the cash to do it without blinking for half that time. "Never" is a very definite word, but I would consider it highly unlikely. I honestly think Nintendo is not interested in selling to anyone. Nintendo is a VERY proud company, and they have every right to be. Short of bankruptcy, I don't think Nintendo will ever sell out.
You're right. For Nintendo, "never" is the only word. They have stated they will never allow their properties to be developed by anyone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rednival
What I do think is a problem for gaming is that Macs and PCs are getting extremely powerful and cheaper by the day. The new consoles will barely have an edge on the graphics, if at all. It is just hard for consoles to keep up with the PC/Mac anymore. If the new consoles sell poorly (and I really don't think they will), it will be due to PC/Mac more than iPhone/iPad, but that's just an opinion based on comments I am hearing a seeing online.
Consoles have never had an advantage over PCs when it comes to graphics so I don't really understand this comment. About the only thing I can think of is the graphical power of a new console is greater than the average graphical power of a PC. But that's only because the PC market ranges from cheap $300 models up to multi thousand dollar setups.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caliminius
Consoles have never had an advantage over PCs when it comes to graphics so I don't really understand this comment. About the only thing I can think of is the graphical power of a new console is greater than the average graphical power of a PC. But that's only because the PC market ranges from cheap $300 models up to multi thousand dollar setups.
The average PC is what I am comparing it to. Every console generation there has been a way to buy a PC that beats the latest console, but you would have to spend a small fortune to do it and very few people are going to do that. There comes a point though that an affordable PC can outperform console graphics and the price of the console is less of an advantage.
The key difference this generation is that Sony and Microsoft didn't push things very far, and it is going to be far more affordable to get a gaming rig that can push graphics equal to or better than what either console can do.
That all said, I really don't want to argue about this too much because ultimately I think people buy consoles for more than just graphics, which I think neither the iPhone or the PC will be that much of a threat to consoles. I was trying to say that I see the narrow gap between consoles and moderately priced PCs as a bigger potential problem than the iPhone/Apple TV integration.
is this actually an app for Apple TV? When is apple going to make the app store available for Apple TV?
No, for iOS, via Apple TV.
Two to three years ago. Whenever AirPlay was introduced. That's it. That's your App Store. Get used to it.