This press release just dropped into my inbox:
PlayTeeVee Announces Launch of Free Casual Gaming Service on TiVo
San Francisco, CA, September 8, 2007 – PlayTeeVee, a new service dedicated to providing big fun on the small screen, announces the launch of its games server that offers free casual games exclusively to TiVo users. Subscribing to the service is simple. The only requirements are a TiVo (series 2) and a broadband internet connection. A comfortable couch is optional but recommended. To get started, users simply add the PlayTeeVee game server’s IP-address to their TiVo. Games are then brought directly to the unit and played with the familiar TiVo remote control.
PlayTeeVee was created by two game industry veterans with a combined experience of over 30 years. The service evolved out of a desire to create a fun casual gaming experience suitable for the whole family. Currently on offer are four games and one read-along story: Star Strikers (a skill based soccer game), Puzzle Invaders (a puzzle / action game), Balloon Rally (an action game), and TeeVee Pool (a pool simulator). An intuitive interface lets the user navigate through the available titles on their TiVo with ease and gives information on updates and new games.
Staying in touch with the TiVo community is one of PlayTeeVee’s most important goals, which is why the service is free, although donations and advertisers are welcome. Users are encouraged to actively participate and offer suggestions for future games using the forum on www.playteevee.com.
Contact information:
For more information, please visit www.playteevee.com or email contact@playteevee.com
Looks like an interesting little service – and nice to see a site actively working with HME. It works similar to Apps.tv in that you simply add the server’s IP to your TiVo and then you can access content from their site.
Go to Music, Photos, Products & More, then Manually add a server (near the bottom of the list), and then enter 74.95.198.129 as the IP address. The ‘PlayTeeVee’ item will appear on your MPP&M menu. Simply select it and you’re in. While the site says it works from any Series2 unit – it actually works form any Series2, Series2DT, Series3, or TiVo HD unit connected via broadband. They also have forums for support as well as simply discussing the games.
I just tried some of the games – they’re very simple, but I’m impressed by what they’ve managed to do within the HME framework. It shows that quite a lot would be possible if TiVo continued to support and expand the HME platform. Hopefully their effort will be successful and we’ll see more content being offered. Ever since TiVo introduced HME I’ve said that what would really help push it, aside from continuing to enhance the platform, would be if TiVo put some kind of framework in place so that 3rd party developers could offer pay-for-use services via HME, to make a business out of it. I still believe that.
