One of my biggest gripes with mobile gaming is the lack of physical controls — virtual joysticks simply don’t have the tactility that most gamers are used to, and feel like a weak substitute for an actual controller.
And while some companies have tried to circumvent that limitation, Apple is offering a much simpler solution in the form of Playstation 4 and Xbox controller support for the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
This is one of the many new features that’ll come with the recently-announced iOS 13 and iPadOS, which is currently in public beta and expected to be fully released sometime in September.
Pairing a controller to your device will be no different from any other Bluetooth device — all you have to do is open your bluetooth settings, connect your controller, and you should be good to go.
While this update is no doubt in preparation for the upcoming Apple Arcade, it also makes current games like Fortnite, Stardew Valley and GTA: San Andreas (to name a few) infinitely more playable as well.
Even if mobile gaming isn’t your thing, Sony’s recent addition of Remote Play support for iOS means that all you need is a DualShock 4 controller to turn your iPad (or iPhone, even!) into portable Playstation 4. Xbox Users don’t have a similar solution though.
2019 is shaping up to be a very promising year for mobile gaming, and meaningful updates like these just might win over an entirely new audience too.
Header Image Credit: Vulcan Post
