Apple may be working on a specialised gaming system based on new patent filings.
Despite the fact that there are a plethora of gaming peripherals for iPhones, including controllers, it now seems that Apple is working on its own controller. If you haven’t seen it yet, the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons look a lot like two new patents that have surfaced.
There were patents filed in both the USPTO and the EPO (European Patent Office) (via Patently Apple). It seems from these two patents that Apple still hasn’t decided exactly how the prospective Apple Controller would look like.
In one concept, an iPhone or iPad seems to have two ‘halves’ of a complete controller resting on each side, akin to Nintendo’s Joy-Cons.
However, the patents explain a mechanism that would allow gamers to play either portrait or landscape mode, with additional designs indicating MagSafe may play a role.
Another concept is a magic keyboard that attaches to the bottom of a device, creating a configuration similar to that of a Nintendo DS. This controller could even have a second screen, making the comparison even more relevant.
One of the designs shows a Bluetooth-enabled controller with a more conventional layout. With this controller, you may activate a specific game mode, answer phone calls or send messages to your friends.
According to rumours, this isn’t the first time Apple has supposedly been working on a gaming controller. Apple’s desire for its own gaming gear is understandable, given the iPhone’s enormous gaming potential, both now and in the future. Not depending on third parties like Razer or Sony, instead
It’s a lot more realistic than the reports that Apple is working on its own video gaming consoles.
In contrast, Apple has spent years honing methods to get new iPhones into the hands of users as fast and easily as possible—including large groups of individuals who don’t fit the conventional gaming profile.
So much so that my mother, who has never shown any interest in games with motion controls such as Wii Sports, now plays Apple Arcade regularly. There are so many games to choose from on her iPhone that she doesn’t have to be bored. That is to say, an Apple-made controller has a lot of potential in the hands of gamers and non-gamers everywhere.
However, this is only a patent, and there is no certainty that Apple will really release a controller of its own. When the iPhone is already compatible with a wide range of controllers, such as the Xbox Series X controller and the DualSense controller for the PlayStation 5, it makes little sense to add more.