When it come to gadgets , Apple and Amazon lean to have very different audience . Consider tablets , for example : Amazon ’s entry - level Fire tablet is price at a stunning $ 50 , while Apple ’s chinchy dynamic iPad ( 2013 ’s iPad Mini 2 ) betray for $ 269 . There ’s a noticeable gap in quality between the two in many wish , but Amazon ’s focus on cheap , available technical school contrasts sharply against Apple ’s higher - final stage culture and performance .
The divergence is less obvious when it comes to localise - top boxes , however . Last declension ’s overhauledApple TVwas a big leap for the twist , supply apps and games along with the touchpad remote control , but Amazon had already mine that territorial dominion with the first Fire telly . Right after the Apple TV was release , Amazon refreshed theFire TVwith added processing top executive , 4 K result sustenance , and other enhancement . And the price conflict is n’t quite so dramatic .
biz on ? Game on ! We ’ve already put the Apple telly through its gaming yard , sharingour early impressionsand highlighting some ofthe best gamesandgamepads alike . But after drop the last twosome weeks with the late Fire TV , we think there ’s healthy contention here . If you ’re an Apple fan , should you really take hold of an Amazon box ? Maybe , and maybe not — here ’s our take .
The basics
As you may know from reading this very publication , the current - gen Apple TV trade for $ 149 with 32 GB store or $ 199 with 64 GB , and comes with the unit itself , the touchpad - equipped Siri Remote , a power corduroy , and a Lightning - to - USB charging cable television for the remote . It ’s power by the same duple - core , 64 - bit A8 cow dung from the iPhone 6 and iPad miniskirt 4 , along with 2 GB RAM at heart , and run at a maximal resolution of 1080p on your TV .
Meanwhile , the new Fire TV sell for $ 100 in one configuration with 8 GB of internal computer storage , although you could increase that tally importantly with a microSD posting . Otherwise , you get the social unit , a non - touch remote mastery , and the magnate adapter . It run off of a MediaTek quad - essence C.P.U. with 2 GB RAM , and can play 4 honey oil resolution medium ( picture show and telly shows ) on a compatible goggle box .
It ’s not as elegant an interface as Apple ’s , but then again , it ’s not super sluttish to find the apps and game you want on either corner .
In both cases , you get a heavyset , HDMI - connected black box and a svelte remote control to control it . With the Fire TV , you save $ 50 off the launching - level Apple TV but get a less - adequate to remote and much less computer memory — so much so that you ’ll probably want to spring for a microSD bill of fare to salt away more apps and games . Otherwise , both do a lot of the same things : They feed Netflix and Hulu , tap into each company ’s respective media offerings , and can play their own games and apps .
Game selection
When it comes to gaming on the Apple TV and Fire TV , there are more differences than similarities , astonishingly . Some common game exist between platforms ( more on that curtly ) , but the overall shape of each subroutine library reveals sodding dispute in approach so far .
Look at the Apple TV App Store and you ’re likely to find a whole lot of iOS ports . There ’s some really great clobber in the admixture , includingAlto ’s Adventure , Badland , andOceanhorn , but many of the release are already usable on your iPhone or iPad — and if you ’re read Macworld , we have a feeling an Apple video in all likelihood is n’t ( or wo n’t be ) your first Apple gimmick .
Many Apple TV biz are ports of ideal iPhone experiences , like Alto ’s Adventure here — fortunately , many of them ( Alto included ) defend up well .
There are also games that begin on PC and/or consoles and then attain iOS en route to Apple TV , such asTransistor , Geometry Wars 3 : Dimensions Evolved , andOctodad : Dadliest Catch , and those are all well enjoyed on the big screenland with a gamepad . And there are a fistful of noteworthy original Apple TV experiences , as well , such asGalaxy on Fire : Manticore RisingandBeat Sports , along with peripheral - based console biz ports likeGuitar Hero Live , Disney Infinity 3.0 , andSkylanders Supercharged .
Disney Infinity 3.0 , which is played with smart figurines and a Bluetooth - get in touch base , is one of the uncommon boastful , cabinet - expressive style biz on Apple TV . And it’sStar Wars !
The Fire TV also has Mobile River - to - television port , likePac - Man 256,Crossy Road , Badland , andRiptide GP2 , but more perceptibly , it has larger - musical scale , controller - centrical game that the Apple TV does n’t . Most crucially , it hasMinecraft : Pocket Edition , which is delightful with a gamepad , but it also has Telltale Games ’ excellent episodic adventures , includingThe walk Dead , Tales from the Borderlands , andMinecraft : Story Mode .
This is Minecraft : Pocket Edition on an iPhone , but imagine it on a big concealment without all the extra UI junk — it ’s cracking .
And the list goes on a minute : you could take hold of huge classical console game likeGrand Theft Auto III , Vice City , andSan Andreas , as well asStar Wars : knight of the Old Republicand belovedFinal FantasyandSonic the Hedgehoggames . The Fire TV also hasShovel Knight , a dear recent console homage to quondam - school 2D secret plan , along with great Mac games likeLuftrausers , Read Only Memories , OlliOlli , andTitan Souls .
You wo n’t get Telltale ’s episodic risky venture game , like The Walking Dead , on Apple goggle box — not right now , at least . Surely someday , we expect .
The more I browsed the itemisation , the more I find Fire TV gems that are n’t on Apple TV — yet , at least . And because all Apple television games must offer Siri Remote reenforcement , many of those games may not go far anytime soon . The Fire goggle box lets creators deal games thatrequirethe gamepad , which is another $ 50 , but it open up the possibilities so much . It reserve the Fire TV to efficaciously bridge over the gap between what you’re able to play on your phone and what you could play on a game console or computer .
Performance
When it come up to games that are on both the Apple TV and Fire TV , the difference are lowly but worth note . broadly , if there ’s a conflict , the Fire TV versions carry a little more smoothly . That was very unmistakable withAsphalt 8 : Airborne , which frustrates on Apple TV with frame pace hitches — but on Fire TV , it ’s smooth seafaring . In both case , you ’ll have to treat with waiting around and download magnanimous chunks of extra content before you may play , but the in - game action mechanism is slick on Amazon ’s gimmick .
Same for Crossy Road , which runsfineon Apple TV but has little split - second check here and there — it ’s even seeable during the developer ’s Hipster Whale logo . But on the Fire television set , that ’s not an issue . Not every game has noticeable differences : Twin - stick shooterXenowerkruns about the same on both boxes , as do Pac - Man 256 and Badland . In any type , the performance differences in those earlier games are n’t striking , but they are there .
Remote play
The Siri Remote packs a draw of functionality into a lilliputian space . Amazon ’s remote does a lot less .
When it total to the bundled remote control , there ’s no dubiousness about it : Apple ’s Siri Remote is much , much upright for games . It ’s not an idealistic gimmick for all types of game , as discussed inour initial Apple TV gaming impressions , but it ’s versatile and antiphonal enough to manage a slew of different input between the touchpad , motion control , and strong-arm buttons .
I ca n’t say nearly as much for the Fire television receiver remote control , which is a more traditional button - based option . It does n’t have any touch or tilt effort whatsoever , and it ’s not configure to be any more useful for biz when held obliquely like a gamepad . The elemental input is a large release beleaguer by a directing launching pad , much like the last - gen Apple TV remote — and that ’s ok for something like Crossy Road or Pac - Man 256 . Not great , but usable .
Switch to Asphalt 8 : Airborne , however , and the default control scheme isterrible , seek to win over you that it ’s potential to accommodate the button to accelerate and then also direct with the surrounding directions . plough on auto - acceleration and it ’s playable , but still not very well-heeled . Jet ski racer Riptide GP2 is too playable with the remote , but there ’s no refinement to the aerodynamic steering , and you ’ll bump up against the sides a lot more .
Many Fire tv set games require the gamepad , while most others are just means , right smart better with it . In other words , if you ’re not uncoerced to pay additional for the gamepad , do n’t get a Fire tv set to playact games . It ’s clear that games are a very humble fringe benefit out of the box , but only a genuine benefit if you blast out for the comptroller . At least Amazon trade a Gaming Edition bundle with the box , a gamepad , and two games ( Shovel Knight andDuckTales Remastered ) for $ 140 — a nice saving .
Gamepads
Apple does n’t make its own functionary Apple TV gamepad , but there are several licensed MFi ( Made for Io ) controllers that work well with it — and the recentSteelSeries NimbusandHori Horipad Ultimatealso have the Apple TV Home button clearly marked . My pick is the Nimbus ( $ 50 ) , which feel groovy in the handwriting , is nicely inflexible and antiphonal , and has a battery clique that you charge with a Lightning cable . It ’s a nigh - console table quality machine , although again , you ’ve got options ( andwe’ve covered most of them ) .
Amazon ’s Fire TV Controller is pretty equally match with our favorite Apple TV MFi gamepad , the SteelSeries Nimbus .
Meanwhile , Amazon has its ownFire TV Game Controller($50 ) , which was revised for the latest Fire TV model , and it ’s also very good . The gamepad is nicely contour and the push are very reactive , plus it has perk like a earpiece knave for pumping in audio from the box , as well as a microphone for voice command . The downside is that it takes Associate in Arts batteries , but Amazon says that two of them last for upwards of 90 minute .
Some other controllers — which you might have lay around — also work with the Fire TV , include Xbox 360 comptroller ( connected via USB ) or an OnLive gamepad — although you might have to fuss with the in - game options to get them properly configured . Reddit has a whole threadabout substitute options and troubleshooting , if you care to try .
Really , it ’s pretty much a wash between the SteelSeries Nimbus and official Fire TV Controller : Both feel pretty good , work well , and be the same Leontyne Price , so there ’s not much of a careen here in either direction . The Fire telecasting Controller is a fate more required for its corner , given the wealth of restrainer - only games on Amazon ’s storefront , but the Apple TV needs a gamepad for serious gaming too . It ’s a worthwhile expense in both cases .
The verdict
If you ’re already deep into the Apple machine and app ecosystem , the Apple TV is an well-off steal : An ever - increasing number of your existing games and apps transplant over with ease and you may tip into Apple ’s own media services on top of all that . Furthermore , the Siri Remote has more flexibility as an input gadget , and the Apple TV user interface and shopfront are leaps and bounds well than Amazon ’s .
However , if you ’re look to wreak larger , more complex , and particularly console - similar games on your TV rather than a earpiece or tab , I have to give the slight nod to the Fire television receiver at this time . With the selection for gamepad - only game , the Fire TV ’s library has big , engross plot you just ca n’t obtain on Apple TV right now , including Minecraft , The Walking Dead , andGame of Thrones , plus Hellenic Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto entries .
On the other hand , the Apple TV has Transistor , Lumino City , Oceanhorn , Guitar Hero Live , and Disney Infinity 3.0 — not to bring up a very strong array of little but still great experiences . Both platforms have excellent secret plan that are n’t found on the other ( as of this committal to writing ) , but I find both qualityandquantity in the Fire television receiver listing when it comes to big - scale game . And when there ’s a performance difference between the same plot on both platforms , it ’s in favour of the Fire television set version in my experience .
Keep in mind that the gaming economic value of the Fire TV is almost entirely hooked on buying a gamepad . Without it , the Fire idiot box has a little collection of decent games , but sure not enough to buy a coiffe - top loge for . And I do n’t think that ’s go to alter — the Fire TV ’s primary remote is n’t designed for even lightly complex biz .
But the position could change for the Apple TV . It has only been on the market place a few months now , and the game library will keep expanding and evolve — and I ’m sure Telltale ’s games will be adapted for the Siri Remote , and perhaps other noteworthy Fire TV game will follow too . At some point , I await that Apple will cave on the Siri Remote requirement for games , allowing more complex menu like Minecraft to make a smooth transition over . Until then , the Fire video has redundant play allurement that the Apple TV ca n’t fully match .
