Just as you can get a wrist band for the Nintendo Wii controller, we need one for the Siri Remote that comes with the fourth generation Apple TV. I was hoping that Griffin Technology’s Survivor Play would be the answer. But it’s only half an answer.
The Survivor Play is the company’s first third-party accessory for Apple TV’s new remote. It slips on the Siri Remote to create an easier, more comfortable way to hold the remote. That’s fine, but it should have come with a wrist attachment.
The Siri Remote has a glass touch surface that supports touch and gestures. An internal accelerometer and gyroscope allow it to control games (yep, like the Nintendo Wii controller). This means you’ll be swinging it around a lot. If it slips from your hand, the Siri Remote could break — or, worse yet, crack your HDTV.
The Survivor Play for Siri Remote sports a no-slip, impact absorbing silicone that surrounds the remote’s back and edges. It adds extra cushioning on the edges and corners of the Siri Remote and protects the places most likely to be damaged if the remote is dropped. Even if the Siri Remote goes flying across the room from rowdy gaming, Survivor Play is designed to keep it safe when it lands. Unfortunately, that’s not going to help if the remote smacks into your TV screen.
As for enhancing gameplay, its textured silicone and extra thick grips on the back of Survivor Play make it easy and comfortable to use as a game controller. Thankfully, even with it installed, you still have easy access to the Siri Remote’s buttons, touchscreen, mic and Lightning charge port.
If you don’t play games on the Apple TV, the Survivor Remote isn’t for you. If do you play games, it’s a nice accessory. And if it had a wristband, it would be a must-have accessory.
