Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Play Games on Apple TV
The Apple TV wasn't intended as a gaming device, but thanks to AirPlay Mirroring, the com-
bination ofaniOSdeviceandanAppleTVcanmakeforasurprisingly compellinggaming ex-
perience.
In this chapter, I describe some iOS games that are optimized for the Apple TV. But first, to
ensure the best possible gaming experience, let me offer some tips on how to reduce AirPlay
latency.
Note:
Not sure how to turn on AirPlay? Flip back to
AirPlay from iOS
.
Reduce AirPlay Latency
What'samazingaboutAirPlayMirroringisthatyoucanseeagamefromyouriPhone,iPad,or
iPodtouchonthebigscreen,whileusingyourmobiledeviceasthecontroller.But,behindthe
magic lies a complicated process that's sensitive to latency. In layman's terms,
latency
is how
long it takes a bit to move from one point to the other. High latency can lead to lags, stutters,
and other problems that render games no fun at all. Consider these latency-inducing factors:
• The iOS device must render the visual appearance of the game, a processor-in-
tensive task.
• Whilerenderingthegame,thedeviceisprojectingtheentireimage,overWi-Fi,to
the Apple TV. This requires significant processing power and is sensitive to net-
work interference.
• Your router, which sits between the Apple TV and your iOS device, must manage
the bandwidth-intensive task of moving the data from your device to the Apple
TV.
• Finally, the Apple TV must process the AirPlay input and display it on the screen.
To avoid game-killing latency between what you input with the controller and what you see
onscreen, try these tips:
• ConnecttheAppleTVtoyourrouterwithanEthernetcableratherthanviaWi-Fi.
Ethernet offers both lower latency and higher bandwidth.
• If you are using Wi-Fi, move the router closer to the Apple TV, if possible.
