The new Apple TV is here, and that means we can finally start using third-party apps on our fancy little streaming entertainment boxes. The Mac Observer poked around and found several apps to get you started, but there are plenty more for you to try out. Read on to find some cool games, utilities, and more for your Apple TV.
Apple TV supports third-party apps. Finally.
Games
Alto's Adventure This endless side scrolling snowboarder game has beautiful graphics, and has been wildly popular on the iPhone and iPad. It syncs your game play across devices via iCloud, which is great because for US$2.99 you can play on your iPhone, iPad, ,iPod touch, and Apple TV.
Alto's Adventure
Crossy Road Playing Crossy Road is a lot like playing Frogger and if you don't know what that means, get off my lawn. It's a 2015 Apple Design Award winner that lets you guide chickens, goats, and other animals across busy highway traffic lanes. Crossy Road is free and available for the iPhone, iPad, and soon Apple TV.
Mr Jump This platform jumper is making the leap from the small screen to the big screen with its Apple TV debut. Your TV screen doesn't make it easier to play, but you do have farther to fall. Mr Jump is a free download at Apple's App Store.
Nanosaur 2 Time traveling pterodactyls are cool on the iPhone, and they're even cooler on your TV. Pangea updated the popular game for Apple TV, and it supports 3DTV, too. The company also updated its other game titles for Apple TV. Nanosaur 2 is priced at $3.99 on Apple's iTunes-based App Store.
Rayman Adventures Rayman needs to save the incrediballs, and he needs your Apple TV to do it. Ubisoft is releasing its latest Rayman game for Apple's streaming entertainment box first, and on the iPhone and iPad soon. It's available now on the App Store.
Rayman's Adventures
SketchParty TV Test your drawing skills with SketchParty TV. It's a multiplayer game where you try to guess what other players are drawing. It works with the iPhone and iPad versions of the game over Wi-Fi, so be sure to keep your iOS devices handy. It'll be available soon for $6.99.
Sing! Karaoke Now you don't have to go out to show off your mad karaoke skillz because Smule's Sing! Karaoke lets you sing along with your Apple TV. Over 100,000 songs are available, you can record your masterpieces, add audio effects, and use your iPhone as a microphone. The app is free and includes in-app purchases.
Next up: Utilities and more
Utilities
Ookla Just how fast is your Internet connection? Ookla lets you test that from your Apple TV with a redesigned interface that's coming to its companion iPhone and iPad apps in 2016. It's free and should be available shortly.
Pcalc Calculators mean big math, and big math means big numbers, so it follows that a big screen would be better. Pcalc is one of the most popular calculator apps for the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, and now it's available for Apple TV. Pcalc costs $9.99 and is available on the App Store.
Plex Apple TV makes for a great home entertainment system on its own, but with a native Plex app it's just plain awesome. Plex is a movie, TV show, music and photo playback app that people have been hacking onto older Apple TV models for years. Now you'll be able to install it without hacks for free, and if you pay for a Plex Pass subscription you get access to extra content like music videos and movie extras. Plex is a free download for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Plex
Withings Home If you have a Withings Home video monitor, then you're already familiar with their companion iPhone and Apple Watch apps. With the new Apple TV app you can watch up to four cameras at the same time on your television. The universal app for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV is free on the App Store.
Grab Bag
Airbnb If you want to look for places to stay when you travel, but aren't interested in hotels, you probably know all about Airbnb. You can find and book your lodging in 190 countries from the iPhone and iPad app, and now you can do it from the comfort of your couch on your big screen TV. Airbnb is free and available on the App Store.
Soundr Relaxing in front of the TV is standard fare for many people, but what if you want to make the experience even more relaxing? Enter Soundr. The app includes relaxing nature scenes like rainy afternoons or ocean waves crashing on the shore, and even a campfire.
Soundr for Apple TV
Ticker Staying on top of your news feeds goes big screen with Ticker. The app lets you subscribe to various news feeds that display in a scrolling list with customizable interface features. It isn't available yet, but should be on the App Store in a couple weeks. Zillow If you're looking for a new home, or just want to see how your neighbor's property value compares to yours, Zillow brought their real estate app to Apple TV. You can tag properties for viewing on your iPhone and Apple Watch, too. Zillow is free on the App Store.