Apps for the newly announced Apple TV are limited to 200MB it has transpired.
Apple unveiled the latest addition to its Apple TV family last night and although it might have been a snazzy new UI, it did disappoint in some ways – especially for gamers.
And that is going to get worse too. According to the app programming guide for the new tvOS, Apple’s new operating system for the set-top box, apps and games are limited to 200MB.
“There is no persistent local storage for apps on the Apple TV,” reads the guide.
That means every app developed for the Apple TV must be able to store data in iCloud, and also “retrieve it in a way that provides a great customer experience”.
Apparently Apple has a system in place that will help developers master the streaming requirements for tVOS, and that includes a list of the “main ways app can benefit” from being streamed from the iCloud.
That includes remote storage of rarely-used resources, such as in-app tutorials and “remote storage of in-app purchases”.
Related: Why Apple TV isn’t the console you’ve been waiting for
We’re still scratching our heads over that 200MB limit though, especially as the new Apple TV comes with storage options of 32GB or 64GB.
It seems that storage space is for use exclusively for other services, the most obvious of which being video and music files.
Such a restriction was an issue for Xbox Live Arcade back in the day, when there was a limit of 150MB for games. But that was lifted in 2008. Before the launch of the 60GB Xbox 360.
It seems a tiny file size too, especially when you look at some of the top games on iOS. Hearthstone is 868MB for example, Her Story 1.7GB, Infinity Blade 3 is 1.93GB and even Don’t Starve won’t make the cut at 288MB or Fallout Shelter at 205MB.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
