The New Siri Remote Doesn't Work As a Motion Controller

The new Siri Remote lacks an accelerometer and three-axis gyroscope, meaning it doesn't work as a motion controller for playing games with tilt controls on the Apple TV.

The New Siri Remote Lacks Motion Controls

A cursory glance at the technical specifications for the Apple TV 4K on Apple's website reveals no mention of the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. By contrast, these sensors were listed on Apple's tech specs for the old Siri Remote, according to Wayback Machine.

As a result, owners of the new Siri Remote are unable to play Apple TV games based on tilt and motion-based controls unless they have the old Siri Remote lying around somewhere.

This doesn't seem to be much of a problem, though.

Why You Don’t Need Motion Controls

For starters, the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors in the old Siri Remote were used strictly for gaming. Therefore, you're not losing anything in terms of your ability to navigate the entirety of the Apple TV interface or use apps.

The refreshed Apple TV 4K with its A12 Bionic chip provides much better graphics than the previous model, which was equipped with Apple's older A10X Fusion chip.Plus, the device has twice the storage. Apple's obvious goal here is to make the Apple TV 4K a much better system for playing Apple Arcade titles and other games on the App Store.

People who want to play games on the Apple TV should have no issues whatsoever---the Apple TV software now features expanded support for the PlayStation and Xbox controllers, in addition to all the MFi-based controllers supported from before.

Apple is also believed to be working on its own gaming controller, according to the rumor mill, but nothing has materialized on that front thus far.

How Much Does the New Siri Remote Cost?

The new Siri Remote ships in the box with both the updated Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD at no additional charge, like the previous model. You can also order the new Siri Remote separately from Apple.com for $59 starting Friday, April 30. Retail availability is expected in the second half of May in the US and 30 other countries and regions.

The aluminum accessory is thicker and taller. It does away with the confusing touch surface that used to take up the entire upper half, replacing it with a circular touchpad that features navigational buttons. You also now get dedicated power and mute buttons, while the Siri button has been relocated to the right side.

The new Siri Remote works on the previous-generation Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD. The older model with motion controls works on the updated Apple TV 4K without a hiccup.

What’s New With the Apple TV 4K?

The Apple TV 4K was updated on April 20, 2021, after nearly four years.

Aside from the Apple A12 Bionic chip, the device brings several quality-of-life improvements such as support for high-frame-rate HDR, faster Wi-Fi 6 networking, and HDMI 2.1. Contrary to some previous rumors, the updated Apple TV does not support the 120Hz refresh rate.

The previous Apple TV 4K model was discontinued immediately following the announcement. Apple still sells the older Apple TV HD model that wasn't refreshed alongside the Apple TV 4K. However, the Apple TV HD now ships with the new Siri Remote in the box.

source https://www.makeuseof.com/apple-tv-new-siri-remote-no-accelerometer-gyroscope/