The upcoming Apple Watch software update gives third-party developers access to the hardware’s accelerometer data, and that’s the feature one company is using to add Wii-like motion controls to their Apple TV gaming title. Rolocule Games is already testing a working version of an update for Bowling Central, one of its games designed with AirPlay streaming from an iPad or iPhone to your Apple TV-connected display, that lets you swing your arm (with Apple Watch attached) to provide lifelike bowling experiences.
Rolocule isn’t new to this type of thing; they created a version of their Motion Tennis game that supports motion controls from an Android smartphone back in March, which included Android Wear support. This Apple Watch feature wasn’t possible previously because of the limitations of Apple’s original WatchKit developer tools, but come fall, with the public launch of iOS 9, it’ll be made available to all.
To prepare for that experience, Rolocule is also making Bowling Central free, whereas it originally sold it for a flat rate of $2.99. The company also added local multiplayer, which lets you use multiple Phones when connected to an Apple TV as separate individual controllers.
Apple Watch might not immediately seem like a device set to revolutionize gaming, but the new abilities it gains with watchOS 2 will unlock a number of options that people probably didn’t see coming.