One of Scott Forstall’s big iOS 5 announcements at the WWDC ‘11 keynote on Monday was the possibility for iPad 2 owners to wirelessly mirror the entire device’s screen to an Apple TV on a local network. Thanks to the AirPlay technology previously used for videos and photos and following the concept of mirroring via HD cable introduced with the iPad 2, iOS 5 will allow users to see exactly what they’re seeing on the tablet’s multitouch display on the TV’s bigger screen. An Apple TV will be required for this (meaning the HDMI cable will still be sold for all other televisions and users who don’t want to buy an Apple TV), and since we heard about the feature one obvious possibility came to our minds: games. Think about it: with nothing more than a wireless network and the $99 little black box, you’ll be able to play iPad games on a TV.
Yet Firemint, as usual, wants to deliver more than simple mirroring to the screen and upscaled content. Just like the development studio (to be acquired by EA) was first to the market to support 1080p TV-out with the iPad being used for additional functionalities, Firemint has announced that Real Racing 2 HD will support full AirPlay wireless gaming – with the TV displaying the game without black borders, and the iPad visualizing additional information and graphics. Whilst standard AirPlay mirroring allows users to see content both on the iPad and TV screen, Firemint’s solution will let iPad 2 owners “split” content between the TV and the tablet using AirPlay.
With Apple’s announcement of iOS 5 and AirPlay mirroring at WWDC 2011, Firemint is thrilled to report that, come the new OS, Real Racing 2 HD will be the first title to support full screen wireless gaming over AirPlay!
This isn’t just mirroring – you’ll be able to play Real Racing 2 HD on your big screen without a cable, while your iPad 2 displays racing telemetry in real-time. No black borders, no wires – just iOS racing at its finest.
We think the concept is great and we can’t wait to see how developers will take advantage of the Apple TV and AirPlay to provide alternative views of their apps for when users are at home, checking out content on their TVs. Real Racing 2 HD won’t officially support this new feature until iOS 5 comes out publicly this fall, but in the meantime you can download the app here.
