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New Apple TV will focus heavily on gaming

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With Apple’s big Special Event just around the corner, it’s generally accepted that we’ll see the next iteration of the iPhone and a big refresh of Apple TV. According to a report from the New York Times, the first new Apple TV box in three years will finally shift its focus to gaming.

Previously the Apple TV has been used chiefly for media streaming – but with the additional power of the new hardware, Apple is set to make the gaming capabilities of the set top box a “primary selling point” of the product.

The new Apple TV is expected to include the same A8 processing chip used in the iPhone 6, an innovative new remote with a touch-based interface, and most importantly – a dedicated App Store. These improvements combined could certainly launch the device into the big screen gaming market.

Gaming on iPhone and iPad has become increasingly popular, and although the majority of games are still intended for casual play, more and more studios are embracing the medium to create premium games. Though the Apple TV wouldn’t come close to providing the sort of gaming experience available on high-end games consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, it could fill a potentially huge gap in the market for a more casual audience.

Analyst Jack Dawson says the Apple TV has the potential to “bring casual gaming to the living room and make it a much more social activity,” while Matt Wuebbling from Nvidia notes that Apple are going after a “different, more mainstream market” than conventional games consoles.

We’ll get the full details of the Apple TV – and see what kind of spin or focus it’s given – at the keynote later this week. Stay tuned.

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