HOW TO PLAY YOUR FAVORITE GAMES WITH APPLE TV

Whether you’re feeling nostalgic and are in the mood to (once again) master some of the now-retro games that you used to play on your Sega Genesis or other iconic gaming system, or you’ve never played Super Mario Bros. and want to experience what all the adult-kids at the office and the local watering hole have been raving and reminiscing about for years, your new Apple TV makes it super simple today to bring those classic console arcade games from days gone by back to front and center once again. Here's everything you'll need and step-by-step directions to download your retro games onto your new Apple TV.

Stuff You'll Need

  • a fourth-generation Apple TV,
  • the latest version of tvOS,
  • an active Apple Developer Account (free or otherwise),
  • a copy of XCode for your Mac,
  • a USB-A to USB-C cable, and
  • emulation software to run on your Apple TV (You might consider Provenance; it’s super user-friendly and will run not only on your Apple TV, but also on your iOS devices).

Follow the Yellow Brick Road (a.k.a.: These Steps)

  1. Once you have everything in place, connect your Apple TV to your Mac using the USB-C cable. (By attaching the two devices, they’ll be able to communicate with each other.)
  2. Add the compiled software emulator to your Apple TV.

Set up Xcode

  1. Launch the Xcode on your Mac. You might see a prompt that says to enter your Apple ID. If you do see the prompt, enter your ID and password; if you don’t see the prompt, simply venture over into Preferences in Xcode and enter them there. Your Apple ID will be verified.
  2. Now, head to the Provenance code repository at GitHub and copy the source URL from the top of the file list.
  3. Choose Check Out from the Source Control menu in Xcode.
  4. Paste the source URL into the repository location field that shows up.
  5. Click the Next icon in the lower right corner of the Xcode screen.
  6. Choose the Master Branch and click on the blue-colored Next button.
  7. Save the Provenance folder some place where you can easily find it (like in your download files or in a newly-created folder on your computer’s desktop).
  8. The source code will download. When that is done, new Provenance window will show. If you have your brand new Apple TV connected correctly to your Mac with a USB, turn it on.
  9. You'll get a prompt from Provenance that will direct you to add the device to your Xcode install. Choose it, click Next, and let Xcode do its thang.
  10. Click on the Provenance in the left-hand pane. Change the Bundle Identifier to something different than what’s in there. In addition, select your Developer ID from the Team Menu in the Identity Section while you’re there.
  11. If you get an “ERROR” message, don’t panic. Just click on Fix It until you don’t see the message anymore.
  12. To the left of the top level Provenance item, click on the little triangle. When you do this, a folder labeled ProvenanceTV will pop up. Click on that ProvenanceTV button.
  13. After you've done that, then click on the Scheme button (this button is located at the top of the window; it's to the right of the Play/Stop buttons). First, go ahead and click on the ProvenanceTV-Release. The next thing you'll need to select is your Apple TV device. Once selected, click on the Play button. This will build the app for you. If you find that you have to enable the Developer Mode on your Mac, no big deal. Simply click through any dialogs here and fix any code signing issues that might occur either before, during, and/or after the build process.
  14. At the end of the build process, Provenance should be installed on your Apple TV (you can swipe to it with the Siri Remote and launch it on your Apple TV home screen).

Add Your Games

Provenance supports lots of iconic gaming systems and all their popular (and your favorite) games, including:

  • the 1988-released Sega Genesis System (Gunstar Heroes 1993, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, Shining Force II, Streets of Rage 2, Contra: Hard Cops, and more)
  • the 1990-released Sega Game Gear/Master System (Sonic the Hedgehog, Shinobi, Space Harrier, Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, and more)
  • the 1991-released Sega CD System (Sewer Shark, Fahrenheit, Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Lunar: Eternal Blue, the controversial Night Trap ~ the video game that led to Congressional hearings on video game violence, and more)
  • the 1990-released SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart, and more)
  • the 1985-released NES: Nintendo Entertainment System (Ninja Garden 2, Kirby's Adventure, Super Mario Bros 3, Bucky O'Hare, the most underrated awesome game of all time ~ Zen: The Intergalactic Ninja, and more).
  • the 1998-released GB/GBC: Game Boy Color Games (Pokemon Pinball, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages, Dragon Warrior III, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario Bros Deluxe, and more).
  • the 2001-released GBA ROM: Game Boy Advance (Pokemon Sapphire Version, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - Duel Academy, Dragon Ball Z - Supersonic Warriors, Rayman - Hoodlum's Revenge, and more)

(Be sure to get the games from your own cartridges or legally download them if you own them.)

  1. Once you’ve (legally) gotten your ROMs onto your Mac, and you’ve launched Provenance on your Apple TV, you’ll see a blank screen. Click on the Import button.
  2. A web address will appear that you can type into your Mac’s web browser. Via your favorite web browser, navigate to the address on your Mac’s Import screen.
  3. Click on the little folder to the left of the /roms folder.
  4. Click on the Upload button.
  5. Choose the ROMs from your Mac; hit Open in the file dialog box. Your older games on NES and SNES will transfer pretty quickly.
  6. When you click the Stop button on your Apple TV, you’ll be taken back to the Provenance games screen.
  7. Swipe over to a game you’ve uploaded and click it to start. Use the Menu button to start any games. If you want to connect a MFi controller (like the Steel Series Nimbus) to your Apple TV, just be aware that it might not work with your games; if this happens, consider the Siri Remote. It’s compatible with many games and, if you hold the remote sideways, you’ll get comfortable with it in no time!

Voila! Now you can enjoy your weekend playing all your old favorite games on your Apple TV! (Just be sure to call the office and let ‘em know you won’t be in on Monday! ;)