Handheld gaming is experiencing a resurgence thanks to new devices like Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Legion Go. Modern triple-A titles can therefore be played easily on the go. Now Apple apparently wants to revolutionize the market with the iPhone 15 Pro.
Apple has traditionally given Windows the lead when it comes to gaming. However, at the WWDC developer conference in June 2023, the company made a 180-degree turn. In addition to a game porting tool that easily converts Windows games into Mac games, a game mode was even introduced. This prioritizes gaming performance in macOS Sonoma. Gaming on the iPhone was already an issue before – Apple even has its own game subscription, Arcade. However, the focus here is on simple mobile games. That could now change: The iPhone 15 Pro is the first smartphone ever to get modern triple-A games and is even competing with gaming consoles.
Four console games are coming to the iPhone
According to Apple, the new graphics unit of the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max should be able to play console video games natively – i.e. without software tricks. As part of the launch of the new iPhone models, the company announced a number of games that will be released by the end of 2023 and early 2024.
Capcom executive Tsuyoshi Kanda has two Resident Evil games at the event announced for the iPhone 15 Pro, which were previously only available on consoles and PC: “Resident Evil Village” and the remake of “Resident Evil 4”. Also a port of the running simulator “Death Stranding” from Konami luminary Hideo Kojima.
The biggest announcement is without a doubt Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed Mirage”. The next installation in the traditional series is probably the most impressive title for the iPhone 15 Pro. Many gaming PCs and laptops are likely to have problems getting the game to work. The fact that the iPhone 15 should be able to do this without active cooling would be groundbreaking.
Also read: Is the big boom in mobile games already over?
iPhone 15 Pro has what it takes to be a portable gaming console
How well the announced full-format games actually run on the smartphone hardware remains to be seen. It is possible that Apple will use upscaling technologies to upscale lower resolution images to higher resolution. This would lower the performance requirement and still provide a comparatively high level of detail.
However, iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max offer a number of advantages for gaming apart from the necessary performance. The built-in ProMotion displays support refresh rates of up to 120 Hertz. This high value can hardly be achieved in complex games, but casual games in particular can benefit from the smoother gameplay.
Apple also announced at the iPhone event that the iPhone 15 Pro will support ray tracing. The rendering technique can realistically simulate lighting of a scene and its objects. Graphics card manufacturers have been installing special ray tracing hardware for a few years now, but the technology is still considered extremely resource-intensive. Newer Android smartphones also theoretically support ray tracing – but compatible games are either still in beta or still in development.
Another advantage of the iPhone 15 Pro over older iPhones is the new USB-C port. This means that the smartphone is theoretically compatible with a range of gaming equipment that was actually developed for Android devices. Company Backbone has already confirmed that its controller will have a USB-C port is compatible.
It’s a good time to be a gamer
“We’re still raving about the fact that handheld consoles like Steam Deck and ROG Ally are capable of playing triple-A titles in a small form factor, when Apple comes around the corner with such a “bombshell”. Assassin’s Creed Mirage on a 6.1 inch screen in a smartphone without cooling – how is that supposed to work? On the other hand, Apple has proven how good its hardware is by switching from Intel processors to its own chips. If the iPhone 15 Pro is truly capable of handling modern console games, other manufacturers will have to be careful.” – Adrian Mühlroth, editor