Nick Wingfield, writing for the New York Times:

Apple stumbled into the games business almost by accident not long after it released the iPhone in 2007, igniting a new multibillion-dollar mobile games industry in the process.

That’s sort of true, though this ignores Apple’s original foray into the console business, with the 1995 release of the Apple Bandai Pippin console. But I digress.

It’s tough to know how compelling the games on Apple TV will be until the company reveals the system this week. Yet many of the components necessary for a satisfying game experience will come with the device, the people say — including more power for better graphics, a new remote that could double as a controller and, perhaps most important, an app store to buy and download games.

The controller is critical. If the Apple TV nails this design, makes a controller that truly enables a powerful gaming experience, that might be just the ticket to bring both gamers and game designers to the table.

The problem is, how can you design a true gaming controller that also serves as an unobtrusive remote? A solid gaming controller needs to fit in both hands comfortably, with easy access to buttons, trackballs, joysticks, or some other form of highly responsive controls.

The existing Apple TV remote is a minimalist’s dream, about as far from a gaming remote as you can get. Will Apple ship a Bejeweled-capable remote with an option to purchase a Call of Duty-capable gaming controller as an add on?

Or will Apple pull a real rabbit out of its hat, with a magical device that somehow serves TV, Bejeweled, and Call of Duty? Will the new remote take advantage of Force Touch in a way that’s not been done before?

Guess we’ll find out Wednesday.