Many anticipated Apple’s Imaginative and prescient Professional to supply progressive methods to get pleasure from gaming when it debuted in June 2023. Sadly, it has confirmed to be a little bit of a dud within the gaming division. Nevertheless, issues might undoubtedly change subsequent week, when Apple previews its upcoming visionOS 26 working system for the headset.
As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple is working to increase gaming controller assist in visionOS to supply native assist for not solely Xbox and PlayStation controllers but additionally a brand new class of gaming controllers: spatial controllers.
Whereas visionOS has technically supplied gaming controller assist since model 1.0, builders haven’t extensively adopted it, because it was considerably restricted in scope. At the moment, when an Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional recreation requires a controller, the sport receives a “controller required” badge within the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional App Retailer.
As defined by Apple, when you pair a appropriate recreation controller with the Imaginative and prescient Professional headset, you possibly can customise it to be used with supported video games from each the Apple Arcade and the App Retailer.
Nevertheless, Apple is now getting ready to increase this assist, even alerting customers once they set up a title that requires an MFi, PlayStation, or Xbox controller. It should additionally notify customers when a title particularly requires motion-aware Spatial Controllers, that are designed for 3D interplay within the title.
That may undoubtedly present extra data than the “controller required” badge that’s at present displayed alongside video games that require a Bluetooth controller.
As reported earlier by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple met with Sony final 12 months to hunt a partnership to launch assist for the Sony PlayStation VR2’s hand controllers on the Imaginative and prescient Professional. Sony has been working for months on the plan. Apple, for its half, has mentioned the plan with third-party builders, attempting to persuade them to supply assist for the controllers of their video games.
Whereas the 9to5Mac report confirms Apple has been engaged on this behind the scenes, the report couldn’t affirm whether or not Apple will announce the information concerning the controller push, in addition to the assist for spatial controllers, at WWDC25 subsequent week. It could delay the announcement till later within the 12 months.
Apple is getting ready to launch a brand new Video games app later this 12 months as a part of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and probably visionOS 26. The brand new app will act as a central hub to launch gaming titles from the App Retailer, Apple Arcade, and even Mac titles that had been put in from sources outdoors of the App Retailer.
The Video games app may even observe in-game achievements and leaderboards whereas providing communications options and editorial content material. The app will change Apple’s Recreation Heart, which has lengthy provided the power for customers to ask pals to play cellular video games and observe their achievements.
Apple has additionally reportedly been exploring tighter gaming integration with iMessage and FaceTime, engaged on assist for mini-games and in-app communication.
The brand new gaming app will roll out to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs in September when the system’s new working methods are launched to the general public. We’ll doubtless hear extra about it subsequent week at WWDC25 as Apple continues to push builders for extra gaming assist on its gadgets.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]