Apple TV Dev Tidbits: First Emulator Available, Old Remotes Work With New TV, Siri Remote Limited for Gaming

As developers get their hands on Apple TV, they’ve started experimenting with its new operating system tvOS, testing new kinds of apps and finding tidbits that haven’t been discovered yet. Developer James Addyman, for instance, has created an emulator for the new Apple TV called Provenance.

Image via James Addyman
Provenance is an iOS front end that allows support for multiple emulators. Currently, it supports emulators for Sega’s Genesis, Master System, Mega CD and Game Gear and Nintendo’s NES, SNES, Gameboy and Gameboy Advance.

If you’re lucky enough to have an TV Dev Kit, go checkout Provenance for tvOS! http://t.co/Snd3jejzEU http://t.co/3i0bbTMQUf

— James Addyman (@jasarien) September 18, 2015

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While Provenance is still being developed and it’s unlikely the app will make it into the Apple TV’s App Store, other developers can test Provenance as Addyman continues work on it. Addyman says certain issues still need to be corrected, including determining when the Apple TV will erase its local content and how to properly map old Sega and Nintendo gamepad functions to the Siri Remote. Addyman began developing Provenance last week within the tvOS simulator.

Mirroring Addyman’s concerns about mapping old Nintendo and Sega gamepad functions to the Siri Remote, developer Steve Troughton-Smith points out how many inputs can actually be used for playing games.

So the gamepad situation is even more dire: you have dpad, accelerometer, and one button. They *really* need to revert that gamepad decision

— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) September 18, 2015

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While the touchpad can be clicked, acting as a “second button”, it can’t be clicked easily while being used to control movement. This could make game development difficult, as games have to be able to be played on the Siri Remote.

Troughton-Smith has also been revealing Apple TV tidbits as he explores the dev kit. For instance, when a user picks up the new Siri Remote it senses it’s being held and automatically wakes up the screen before a button is pressed. IR is used to control a TV’s volume with the Siri Remote and your TV remote can be used to control the Apple TV.

Additionally, the existing Apple TV IR remotes also work with the new Apple TV. This includes the silver aluminum remote that ships with current Apple TVs and the original white plastic Apple TV remote. While they don’t allow you to access Siri, they do allow you to navigate around the Apple TV’s interface.

The new Apple TV will be available in October and come in two variations: a 32 GB version for $149 and a 64 GB version for $199.

Apple win in appeals court ruling may force Samsung to change one of its products

In May 2014, a jury decided that monetary damages were ample compensation for Samsung’s infringement of three Apple patents. However, this Thursday a US appeals court ruled that monetary compensation wasn’t enough, and that Apple should be able to “exclude competitors from using one’s property rights.”

Originally, the lower courts required Apple to show that these infringing features in question were the main reason why consumers purchased these devices in the first place. Two of the three judges in the appeals said that it should have only been necessary to prove that Apple lost sales because Samsung’s products contained the California company’s patented features.

The court explains:

Apple does not need to establish that these features are the reason customers bought Samsung phones instead of Apple phones — it is enough that Apple has shown that these features were related to infringement and were important to customers when they were examining their phone choices.

After vacating the district court’s original decision, the appeals court returned the case to the lower court for reconsideration. This ruling may mean that Samsung will have to change some infringing aspects of their tablets and smartphones. However, Samsung says that only one of its current devices is using one of the patented features discussed by this case, so overall, Samsung may not be taking a big loss after all.

In response to this ruling, Samsung released a statement that reads:

We want to reassure our millions of loyal customers that all of our flagship smartphones, which are wanted and loved by American consumers, will remain for sale and available for customer service support in the US. For decades, we have invested heavily in developing revolutionary innovations in the mobile industry. We look forward to continue to provide American consumers with a wide choice of groundbreaking products that they have come to expect from the Samsung brand.

Some major tech companies like Google, Facebook, eBay, and Hewlett-Packard expressed concern in July that a ruling in favor of Apple might have “significant detrimental consequences for the continued development of useful modern technologies,” and would give Apple unfair leverage for its own gain.

The patented technologies Apple claims were stolen by Samsung include swipe-to-unlock capabilities, automatic spelling correction, and the ability to tap phone numbers in emails to dial them.