New Apple TV to woo casual gamers

Casual gamers, watch out! Apple might be coming for you when it announces its updated Apple TV in San Francisco on Wednesday.

According to a report in The New York Times, the next generation of the Apple TV will see Tim Cook & Co. using games as a primary selling point for the device, offering a lighter experience than those coming from behemoths like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The device was previously rumoured to come with a smarter remote, fitted with motion sensors that would allow compatibility out-of-the-box with tilt-heavy gaming, as well as Siri support, an interface overhaul, and its own App Store.

Don't hate the player...

The NYT report states that the new device will have a starting price of around US$150, which is a significant jump from the US$69 asking price for the current generation.

But US$150 is still nowhere near the outlay required to indulge in the more hardcore gaming experiences offered by Sony and Microsoft, so they probably don't need to be concerned about gamers heading to Apple for their next Call of Duty fix.

Even if it sticks to more casual titles, embracing console gaming could see Cupertino rake it in.

With the global games business currently worth US$75 billion – US$27 billion of which comes from console gaming – and a third of Apple's revenue already coming from sales of games and other software purchased in its app stores, the new Apple TV could pave the way for Apple to become a major player in yet another tech arena.