Apple’s new Siri Remote doesn’t come outfitted with an accelerometer or gyrator, which implies it will not function as a motion controller in certain Apple TV games. The exclusion was at first spotted by Digital Trends, and can be seen on the remotes’ product pages.
The old Siri Remote lists an “Accelerometer” and “Three-axis gyro” in the tech specs, yet they’re absent from the new listing (we’ve connected to a Google Cache in light of the fact that as of this writing Apple’s store is down in front of AirTags pre-orders going live).
The change implies that the new Siri Remote will not work with certain Apple TV games that depend on motion controls. As per code in tvOS 14.5 seen by MacRumors, attempting to play an incompatible game will prompt the following error message: “To play this game on your Apple TV, you need to connect the Apple TV Remote (1st generation) or a compatible PlayStation, Xbox or MFi controller.” If you have one, you should keep an old Siri Remote around for events like this.
The absence of motion controls may sound astounding given the new Apple TV box was required to have a greater gaming focus, and shows up as Apple Arcade is developing into a beautiful compelling games subscription service.
However, in recent years Apple has moved its consideration towards more traditional gaming controllers, away from motion controls. It dropped its prerequisite for games to help the Siri Remote’s motion controls in June 2016 only months after the remote launched close by the 2015 Apple TV.
At that point, in June 2019, it declared Apple TV support for Xbox One and PS4 controllers. Backing for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S controllers is required to show up with tvOS 14.5.
