Apple has not made significant investments in the gaming industry. Apart from the debut of the Apple Arcade in 2019, the tech behemoth has mostly left gaming applications and hardware to third-party developers.
As its devices grow more game-capable, it may be seeking to devote a little more work to deliver a better gaming experience to individuals who use its platforms, such as improved input ways.
Apple Gaming Controller – Leaks and Rumors
Apple may be aiming to release its own gaming controller, based on recent patents filed by the tech giant.
According to Patently Apple, the Cupertino-based tech juggernaut has been granted patents for several types of controllers by the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office, with the latter being the much more recent application. Three types of gaming controllers are addressed in the patent application.
In the first design depicted in the patent, Apple contemplated a controller that can be attached to the two sides of a device such as an iPhone or iPad, both in portrait and landscape mode.
As a result, the controller may be disassembled into two pieces that can then be attached to either side of the iPhone or iPad for gaming sessions.
The second sort of controller shown will be just for the iPhone. It has a folding form with buttons within.
In addition, the foldable cover would include a little built-in display to support a touch-based keyboard or to display crucial information such as your character’s health in the game, text message and/or email alerts, requests from other multiplayer players, and so on.
The third and final form of the game controller described in the patent is a joystick-like design with a slidable switch that may be used to activate the device’s gaming mode, answer a phone call, or respond to text messages and email while gaming.
This style of controller would very probably work with any Bluetooth-enabled Apple device, such as the iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Despite the fact that Apple products have traditionally been non-gaming platforms, the launch of Intel-based Macs began to change that perception. When the iPhone was released, several developers began building basic games that could run on the device.
The available titles got increasingly complicated and demanding as the iPhone and iPad became more capable, necessitating the need for an external input method for some. Apple may be taking gaming extra seriously because it continues to improve its in-house silicon.
It makes sense from a commercial viewpoint. Analysts predict that the video game business will produce $155 billion in 2020, including hardware sales, and that it will expand to $260 billion by 2025. Cupertino has no reason not to invest more in this field, and it appears that it is.