Apple would like to see its new set-top box become the next Nintendo Wii. But it’s questionable whether the company really understands gaming

With the launch of the new Apple TV, Apple has positioned its set-top box as the heir to the Nintendo Wii, bringing accessible casual gaming into the living room with the device’s app store and motion-sensitive remote control.

The company’s all-singing, all-dancing press conferences regularly involve a quick play-through of a video game, but usually under the guise of a graphics demonstration. Hence the introduction of Vainglory, the mobile-first multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) that debuted alongside the iPhone 6, which was explicitly characterised as an example of what the company’s new Metal API could do for game developers; and Infinity Blade, announced as “Project Sword” by Epic Games alongside the introduction of Game Centre, again with the emphasis on its graphical fidelity. “Everything you see is in realtime”, Epic’s Mike Capps emphasised.