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Hands-on: Real Racing 3 with split-screen multiplayer lands on the new Apple TV [Video]

Real Racing 3 Apple TV

Real Racing 3 has been around for several years on iOS, but yesterday’s update marked its debut appearance on tvOS and the fourth generation Apple TV. This isn’t the first time that the Real Racing franchise has been associated with Apple’s set top box, as previous versions allowed you to use AirPlay to stream races to the Apple TV while using an iOS device as a controller. Check out our hands-on video with the new racer below.

That was a nice nod to the future, but of course, nothing beats the experience of native code running directly on the Apple TV. Yesterday’s update of Real Racing 3 marked the beginning of a new journey and, as you might imagine given the game’s history, the graphics are impressive. Take a look at our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.

As you can see from the video, Real Racing 3 features some of the best graphics available on the Apple TV thus far. True, Apple’s fourth-gen box packs much more of a punch than previous iterations, but it’s still impressive to see such graphical prowess made possible by a small fanless puck that you can grasp in one hand.

Sadly, since EA has taken over the reigns, Real Racing 3 remains inundated with in-app purchases that look to impede progress whenever possible. It’s playable, but the artificial barriers employed can be off-putting to say the least.

More concerning, though, is the presence of frequent frame rate dips, especially when more than a few cars are on screen at once. At first, I thought that might be the result of resources downloading in the background, but the frame rate problems persisted throughout my entire test drive.

Real Racing 3 Siri Remote Control

Still, Real Racing 3 can be fun to play, and it even features the ability to enjoy true local split-screen multiplayer with up to four participants. The nice thing about the multiplayer is that you can use spare iPhones and iPads as controllers, in addition to the Siri Remote and third-party controllers. I found that I preferred the motion controls made possible by the Siri Remote, but it’s nice to have the option of going the traditional route as well.

Real Racing 3 Daytona

Gamers can also save progress to the cloud, and pick up where they left off on an iOS device. That’s pretty handy, especially if you plan on venturing through the title’s new Daytona 500 features, which includes the Daytona International Speedway and racing legends like Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick.

You can download Real Racing 3 for free and begin playing on your Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad today.

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Comments

  1. Alex Smithson - 8 years ago

    Welcome to 9to5Mac Jeff 😉💯👍!!!!!

    Alex Smithson

  2. Samuel Maas - 8 years ago

    Jeff!!!!! Welcome to 9to5 buddy. :)

  3. Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 8 years ago

    I was kind of waiting to see how RR3 works with AppleTV as that would be a primary use for me. I would personally prefer to use an iPad as the controller. Has anyone tried one of those fancy controllers that includes the steering wheel, brake and acceleration pedal with AppleTV/RR3? That would be the ultimate if it worked well.

  4. dcj001 - 8 years ago

    Jeff.

    When referring to the website, you should use its name – 9to5Mac. You can leave the .com (suffix of the URL) off the website name.

    Also, if you prefer to not be ridiculed, you might want to consider making sure that your Game Center name – JeffyPoo2k2 – is not shown in your videos.

    • Jeff Benjamin - 8 years ago

      You don’t like JeffyPoo? :) But yeah, I waffled on the decision on how to sign off. The first few posts will be me feeling my way through things in the process. Thanks for your input.

  5. I’ve been a long-time Real Racing 3 player and was excited for the Apple TV 4 version, but I’ve found very significant delay between steering input and the car turning, enough so it was unplayable. Not sure if I have something set wrong.

    • Jeff Benjamin - 8 years ago

      There was no discernible lag for me. That said, the frame rate issues may lend the perception of lag in some cases.

  6. Matt Fowers (@Jeep02) - 8 years ago

    EA Sports single handedly ruined the experience of playing Real Racing 3. 1 and 2 were a dream come true and I was addicted. 3 came along and I played for about 3 or 4 hours the first week it came out and haven’t touched it since. Thanks EA!!!!

    • SKR Imaging - 8 years ago

      EA have become real pains in the gaming world.. Firemint should have associated with another dev studio instead.. but money talks (nay) screams.. I still play ocasionaly RR3 though as it is the best racing experience on iOS… just hate EA and will never give money to in app purchase gimmicks ever..

  7. jamessmooth - 8 years ago

    YAY JEFF! Can’t wait to see more articles from you!

  8. taterload - 8 years ago

    We are creatures of habit and I’ve been following you (Jeff) since you announced being full time with idownloadblog. I’m sure it will never make a post but I’m sure you will make a few mistakes at the end of your videos saying “This is Jeff with idownloadblog” Hahahaha! Nice first post and congrats on your move!

  9. alethomas - 8 years ago

    Welcome to the 9to5Mac crew!

    Not sure why you couldn’t give more details when leaving… but glad to see you found a good space.

  10. Bernd Keuning - 8 years ago

    Real Racing 3 is perfectly playable without ever spending anything on it. Just the first day or two you might be bugged of the waiting times, but after that you’ve got enough cars to keep on playing. It is a common pitfall to start spending gold right away and be annoyed by the servicing times. Right now I don’t have an Apple TV, but it seems like that on the Siri Remote the game can only be played with automatic throttle, which would absolutely kill the gameplay for me.

    • Bréna Thoms - 8 years ago

      but it seems like that on the Siri Remote the game can only be played with automatic throttle.
      No! Where did you get that anyway? Pauze button is the throtlle.

  11. Yea Jeff! Looking forward to your videos on here!

  12. Dan Beck (@DanielLBeck) - 8 years ago

    Woah!!! Great to see you here! Dom’s quite the poacher… You’ll be a huge asset to 9to5.

  13. SKR Imaging - 8 years ago

    frame rate drops in a racing game is really annoying.. feel it all the time when playing this on my older iPAd 3.. in the TVOS game, does it sync your progress.. let’s say you unlocked cars and parts on iPAd RR3, will that be reflected in the TVos version? aswell as career progression.?..

    • staraffinity - 8 years ago

      Frame rate drops here, and in Asphalt there’s occasional pauses. :(

      Shall Apple be blamed for not providing enough power hardware and/or software wise? I guess the game uses Metal? I remember thinking it was a bit sad that the new Apple TV didn’t get an A9 chip. Or is it the developers that can’t manage the situation with their software? Either way I think it’s sad.

      • ideally there should be graphics options. 1080p seems overkill for a game with such flat visuals, lowering the resolution to 720p shouldnt affect playability much and will should just about double the frame rate. why mobile devs dont bother to implement graphics settings is beyond me, its been a standard in pc gaming since DOS and some console games even implement them

  14. Pro Adam - 8 years ago

    Welcome to 9to5mac Jeff. It was a great time enjoying your posts and videos on iDownloadBlog.

  15. Seenox - 8 years ago

    I can’t say how happy I am to find Jeff again! It’s like a mom seeing his child for the first time!
    I was following you everyday on iDB and now I’m going to check you at 9to5Mac.

  16. Welcome to 9to5Mac Jeff!! Will defiantly be following you!

  17. Welcome to 9to5Mac Jeff!! Will defiantly be following you on here!

  18. mikaelhonkala - 8 years ago

    Late to this thread, would appreciate hints on how to enable Party Play or where to find it in the UI.

    My understanding is that you can play with iPhones as the extra controllers. I have Real Racing 3 installed on the iPhone, but do not know where to find the Party Play option.

    Unfortunately Jeff’s video seemed to skip this part.

    Any help would be very welcome, thanks.

  19. mikaelhonkala - 8 years ago

    Answering my own question – must complete the driver school first.

Author

Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Jeff Benjamin

Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He initially joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.