During Apple’s Spring Loaded Event, a new Siri remote was unveiled along with the new Apple TV 4K. While this new remote is sporting a fresh new design, it’s actually had some gaming features removed.
Both the accelerometer and gyroscope function, which were included in the previous Siri remote, have been removed from this 2021 refresh. This now means the remote will not function with some games that are available on Apple TV.
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Of course, Apple’s tvOS now offers support for Xbox and PlayStation controllers so this may be an attempt to nudge those who like playing games on Apple TV towards pick up one of those gamepads instead — however it’s still a disappointing downgrade.
The first-generation Siri remote will still work on the new Apple TV. So if you already have one and enjoy gaming on your Apple TV then we suggest holding off on upgrading. Apple will no longer be selling the older version of the remote, so get one now if you want accelerometer or gyroscope features before they come much harder to find.
These aren't the only technologies that the new Siri remote shedding either. The new remote won’t include a U1 chip or any support for Apple’s Find My app range. So you best be careful you don’t lose your new remote; maybe you could stick an AirTag to it just in case.
Softening the blow somewhat is that the new Siri remote does look rather impressive from a design perspective. It features an aluminum shell with a clickpad replacing the trackpad on the previous remote — plus there’s also the inclusion of power and mute buttons.
Apple is wasting no time getting this second-generation remote into living rooms, it’s available to pre-order from the Apple store for $59 and set to ship in the second half of May. The remote is backwards compatible as well, so will work with previous iterations of Apple TV as well, if you don’t fancy upgrading to the new Apple TV 4K.
Apple’s latest showcase didn’t just focus on Apple TV and television-related accessories, the lid was finally lifted on the iPad Pro 2021 as well as the new iMac 2021 (both of which sport an M1 chip), plus the iPhone 12 was given a purple makeover which has gone down a storm in the Tom’s Guide offices.
