How to play IOS games on a Smart TV

Smart TV is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features which allows users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart TV is a technological convergence of computers, television sets and set-top boxes. Besides the traditional functions of television sets and set-top boxes provided through traditional broadcasting media, these devices can also provide Internet TV, online interactive media, over-the-top content (OTT), as well as on-demand streaming media, and home networking access.

In smart TVs, the operating system is preloaded or is available through the set-top box. The software applications or “apps” can be preloaded into the device, or updated or installed on demand via an app store or marketplace, in a similar manner to how the apps are integrated in modern smartphones.

The technology that enables smart TVs is also incorporated in external devices such as set-top boxes and some Blu-ray players, game consoles, digital media players, hotel television systems, smartphones, and other network-connected interactive devices that utilize television-type display outputs. These devices allow viewers to find and play videos, movies, TV shows, photos and other content from the Web, cable or satellite TV channel, or from a local storage device.

How to play IOS games on a Smart TV?

If you are one of the players who is ardent fan of iOS games and love big screens then obviously you may want to experience your iPhone games on a more larger screen like a smart TV. Bigger screens means more loud sounds and more zooming of your fantastic gaming characters. There are many ways you can play iOS games on smart TV.  Find here some of the ways as how to play iOS games on smart tv and choose the one you feel more comfortable with.

AirPlay

For this you need an Apple smart tv to stream your game via Airplay

So you’ll need an Apple TV that’s connected to your TV via a spare HDMI port and then connect the Apple TV to your wireless network. Choose the appropriate input on your TV and make sure the Apple TV’s home screen appears. Make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to the same Wi-Fi network that your Apple TV is on.

• Start playing a video or game (via the casino or game app, Videos app, YouTube, Safari etc).
• Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal Control Centre (you may need to swipe up twice).
• Swipe to the left to access the second page and select Apple TV.
• Tap outside of Control Centre to remove it and tap Play to continue watching the movie.
• Look for the AirPlay icon in apps.
• Some apps, feature their own AirPlay icon. While playing a video, tap the AirPlay icon and choose Apple TV to start streaming your video.

You can use Apple’s Airplay Mirroring technology which is available for the iPhone 4 and later compatible devices. Without any wires you can send your games, video or audio files directly from your iPhone to your smart tv.

Mirroring

Sometimes you can’t stream video from an app, or the web, on the television. Support for AirPlay is determined by developers, and not all choose to support it as an example you cannot stream ITV Player.

In this instance, you can work around the problem using Mirroring. With Mirroring selected you can stream the whole of your iPhone screen, including the Home screen and whatever is appearing in apps, on the television. Simply swipe up to reveal Control Centre and select the AirPlay option to bring up the AirPlay menu, and select Apple TV.

To view games and videos on your iPhone on your TV, open the games app, then select the Share button. Choose the games you want to show by tapping each one until a blue circle with a white arrow appears.

Now select AirPlay from the pop-up menu that appears and choose Apple TV. Your games will now appear individually on your TV. To change the games that appears, simply swipe left or right.

You can also set your chosen games to appear automatically as a slideshow. To do that, bring up the Sharing menu again, choose the games you want to display as in the step above and this time tap Slideshow.

The Slideshow options menu will now appear. Choose Apple TV again. Tap on Transitions to customise the look of your slideshow.

Lightning Digital AV Adapter

Also to play  iPhone games on a TV you can buy a Lightning Digital AV Adapter from the Apple Store. At AU$75 it’s not exactly cheap, and you will also need to supply an HDMI cable. Apple sells an HDMI cable for $29, or you can pick up an HDMI cable from Amazon.

This will contais an HDMI port to plug into the TV, a Lightning connector (output) for plugging into your iPhone, and a bonus Lightning port (input) which gives you the option of charging your iPhone at the same time.

• What you need to do is to plug one end of an HDMI cable into the adapter’s HDMI port, and the other into a spare HDMI port on the back of your TV.
• Connect the adapter to the Lightning port on your iPhone.
• Connect your charger cable to the Lightning port on the Lightning Digital AV Adapter.
• Turn on the TV and ensure it’s set to display the video input from the HDMI socket. You generally use the remote to pick from multiple HDMI inputs on your television and you will see the iPhone’s home screen appear on the television.

Now start playing a game on your iPhone. Soon the Home screen will vanish from the TV, and the game will play in full definition.

Now bring up the Control Centre, swipe left and choose Video Output to enable specific content from your iPhone to be sent to your TV just as with the AirPlay TV option.

Apple’s Composite AV Cable

If you own an older iPhone with a 30-pin connector then the Apple Composite AV Cable ($59) is your best option. It works in a similar way to the Lightning Digital AV Adapter above, except that you’ll need to use the composite video input on your TV instead of HDMI, and make sure any videos you want to watch are SD rather than HD.

Apple heavily promotes Apple TV and has planted Bluetooth connectivity into iOS 7 for those who use Apple TV.  Remember that Apple allows you to connect your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch to Smart TVs by other manufacturers like Sony, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Vizio and Sharp TV if they have an app. If the manufacturers doesn’t have an app on the appstore, you can try TV Assist a free app and download from iTunes

Best games for Apple TV to play now

Here are few of the best Apple TV games you can play. There are a ton of great games that you can play alone or with family and friends. Some even work with a Bluetooth gamepad for that real console feel! Some games actually require an MFi-certified controller, so be sure to read the game requirements before you opt to buy these games for your Smart TV.

Crossy Road

Crossy Road is available for iPhone and iPad, but it’s a lot more fun on the big screen! The graphics are simplistic but absolutely gorgeous and the gameplay on the Siri remote is surprisingly great. You can also play in multiplayer mode, using an iPhone or iPad as the second controller! Multiplayer is hilariously fun because you’re basically just trying to screw the other person over and leave them in the dust.

You can also unlock all sorts of fun characters, like robots, barnyard animals, and more — all in the pursuit of getting as far as possible without getting nailed by a tractor-trailer.

Rayman Adventures

The craziest part of Rayman Adventures is that it’s free. Sure, there are in-app purchases to help you progress more quickly, but if you don’t want to pay, you don’t have to. Also there are over 1,000 adventures to be had in this charming and ridiculously fun platformer. You play as Rayman, of course, making your way through countless levels, defeating enemies and collecting Incrediballs, while facing fearsome boss battles along the way.

If you love a good platformer with some gorgeous visuals, then don’t think twice and just download Rayman Adventures. It’s free, but there are some interesting in-app purchases. You don’t need a game controller for this one, but it makes it a lot easier to play.

Dungeon Hunter 5

Dungeon Hunter is gorgeous. Play in solo RPG campaign mode and hunt down monsters through 69 missions, or play in co-op mode with up to three other players, and hack and slash your way through dungeon after dungeon. You can even hire friends as Allies to help you out. You also have to play defense, creating trap rooms and building stronger defenders so no one takes your precious gold.

There are hundreds of character customizations, so if you’re into RPGs at all, this should definitely be on your Apple TV. There are daily and weekly events, so gameplay never gets stale and you’re always trying for different goals instead in this free game.

AG Drive

In this Apple Editor’s Choice app, you race futuristic anti-gravity vehicles around beautiful cityscapes on tracks made of steel beams. It’s very atmospheric, and if you’re into science fiction, you’ll be rather enthralled. You only have to buy it once and you can play on all of your devices (though your progress isn’t synced from Apple TV to iPhone or iPad, or vice versa). There are a bunch of different race modes so things don’t get stale. But there’s no multiplayer mode, so you’ll have to take turns on the Apple TV.

Alto’s Adventure

Alto’s Adventure is an incredible game. So much more than an endless runner, you play as Alto, snowboarding down slopes, catching llamas, collecting coins, and doing tricks. The soundtrack is lovely and though everything is do-or-die, you don’t really feel that pressure like you do with Temple Run or even Super Mario Run.

Time passes as you go, and the landscape changes, as you snowboard through mountain villages at sunset, grinding bunting lines and rooftops. This is the most relaxing time you’ll ever spend playing an endless runner, and you won’t even be that choked when you inevitably land on your head trying to do a backflip.

SongPop Party

SongPop Party lets you play with up to five other people using the iOS remote app, making this the perfect party or family game. All you have to do is swipe to answer questions about music. The faster you are, the more points you get. It’s free to play, though you can make in-app purchases to speed up the unlocking process if you so desire.

There are a bunch of genres to choose from, so there’s something for everyone, and there’s a cast of cute characters to choose from. Some songs do have explicit lyrics and there is no way to turn this off, so beware when you’re playing with little ones. The game is rated 12+ on the App Store.

SketchParty TV

This is another great party game where you draw clues on your iPhone or iPad and your teammates have to guess for points. You can have up to eight people, per team playing, so this app is especially ideal for big parties. You’ll need an AirPlay-capable device that can mirror to your Apple TV in order to play.

Oceanhorn

In Oceanhorn, you must grow from boy to man, searching for your father with only his old notebook and a mysterious necklace to guide you. You’ll sail the Uncharted Seas, solving puzzles, battling monsters, learning magic, and collecting treasure, while you play to unlock the secrets of Arcadia and the sea monster, Oceanhorn.

You don’t have to use a game controller to play this on one Apple TV, but it definitely makes the whole experience more enjoyable. So much so that my colleague, Luke, even included it in his roundup of the best Apple TV games to play with controllers.

If you like adventurous fun, presented in gorgeous fashion, and gameplay just like Zelda, then check out Oceanhorn. It’s an Apple TV must-have.

Lumino City

Lumino City might just be the coolest mobile game ever. The premise is relatively simple; your grandfather, the caretaker of Lumino City has been kidnapped, and it’s up to you, as Lumi, to explore the city and figure out the mechanisms that make it work, collecting items and bringing them back to where they complete a circuit or mechanism.

The real treat here is the scenery, which is all handmade from cardboard, paper, miniature lights, and motors. The soundtrack is fascinating as well since it stops and starts and sort of pulses in and out, making for a unique gaming experience that really turns the whole platformer/adventure/puzzle game on its head.

There are tons of different kinds of puzzles, so things never get stale and keep you thinking at every turn. It’s overall a very relaxing game, and if you enjoy Little Big Planet at all, then definitely check it out.

Horizon Chase – World Tour

In Horizon Chase, you’ll be racing against other AI opponents in beautiful and rich locations from all over the world. These courses are fairly true-to-life, so you’ll see familiar locations and landscapes, as well as some new places that you may have yet to see in real life, but they exist. You can race in 21 different cars that are all upgradeable, and there are 10 cups spread out in 40 cities, with a total of 92 tracks to race on. While it’s free to download Horizon Chase, it’s basically a demo with five free tracks — if you like it, you can pay to unlock the rest of the game.

Lichtspeer

Lichtspeer is a unique and quirky fast-paced game about lightspear throwing in ancient Germanic future.  This distinctive title brings back some 80’s nostalgia and is quite brutal, stylish, and psychedelic. You’re in a land that is full of Penguin Vikings, Wurst Zombies, Hipster Ice Giants, and many more clever enemies, and your goal is to survive. How With lightspears and some good aim. In Lichtspeer, you’ll have access to 10 upgradeable Lichtpowers to help you get through over 60 challenging levels, and there are six tough bosses to face too. While you may think that throwing spears is easy, you’re going to need to put your skills to the test in this frantic game.

Playdead’s INSIDE

INSIDE is a beautiful 2D puzzle platformer that is immersive, captivating, and downright fun. The puzzles can be quite tricky and devious, but that only means it’s so much more rewarding once you solve them and make progress. The game is also full of dark humor and “WTF” moments as you unravel the engaging story.

Shadowmatic

Shadowmatic is a puzzle game where you have abstract objects that must be rotated around in a spotlight until they begin to form recognizable silhouettes in the shadows. Your clues are the environment that each stage has, as the shadow silhouette will form something that is related to the overall theme. There are over 10 different rooms and themes, and it’s quite relaxing to play. There is also more DLC content if you finish the main game.

Asphalt 8: Airborne

While speed is the name of the game (not literally), it’s not the only exciting and fun thing about Asphalt 8. You’ll also need to focus on some stunts and big jumps and airtime to get ahead in the races with your favorite cars. In Asphalt 8, you’ll be able to take your pick from Ferrari, Ducati, Lamborghini, McLaren, Bugatti, Mercedes, Audi, Ford, Chevrolet, and more. No matter what kind of car you’re into, you’ll find it in Asphalt 8. The game has over 50 tracks, multiplayer action, limited-time special events, and more. There’s a ton of single-player content if multiplayer isn’t your thing, and considering that the game is free to start with, there’s a lot to do.