Netflix’s new virtual game controller iOS app hints at TV gaming
By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.
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Netflix has launched a mysterious new gaming controller app for iOS on the App Store, as reported by TechCrunch. The free app, simply called “Netflix Game Controller,” can be downloaded now and says you can “connect to your TV to play” but doesn’t yet have a listed compatible game.
The app’s description says that you’ll be able to use it to play Netflix games on your TV. “Coming soon to Netflix,” the description says. “Play games on your TV with the Netflix Game Controller. This Game Controller app pairs with your TV and allows you to play games on Netflix using your phone or mobile device.”
If you download and launch the app, it asks you to choose a game on your TV and follow directions to connect, which currently does not do anything. The app’s splash screen also points out that “Netflix Games on TV are in beta” and that “some devices may not be supported at this time.”
Netflix has been on a roll in releasing new games its subscribers can play on their phones — in just the past few months, Netflix has launched games like Laya’s Horizon, World of Goo Remastered, and the spooky Oxenfree II: Lost Signals — so it makes sense that it would try and get them working on the same big screen its subscribers use to watch movies and shows.
Netflix hasn’t exactly been shy about hinting in the direction of games on TV. Netflix’s VP of external games, Leanne Loombe, said earlier this year that Netflix wants to make its games “playable on every Netflix device that you
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