Here’s the thing, in over 20 years of professionally writing about and covering video games Apple has been an outsider; successful in every area of computing, changing how we interact with tech and media, Apple has never managed to get a foothold in games. The excellent Apple Arcade store is worthy but it’s more a home to the best indie games rather than an Apple equivalent Steam.
But this year Apple has sharp-elbowed its way into gaming, and its initial pitch to modern players is actually an interesting one. Not only will the new M3 chips – that can handle ray tracing and intense graphics performance – become a mainstay of Apple’s products, we’ll also see mobile gaming become a major part of Apple’s push, along with VR. It feels like there’s a plan at work.
I feel like Apple’s engagement with VR with the forthcoming Apple Vision Pro has had a wider impact internally than you’d think. To succeed a VR headset needs software, and while Vision Pro’s price and specs suggest its aimed at pros and creators over gamers, I’ve heard first-hand of how Apple is looking for game adaptations and exclusives for its new VR headset. Gaming is pivotal to a successful launch, and Apple already has over 100 at launch, including a VR version of NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition.
There are also rumours of a Vision Pro Lite that could offer a cheaper version of the VR headset with gaming in mind…
How you’ll use and play on Vision Pro is where Apple can find success; you can use the headset with MacBooks, iPhones, and iPad meaning Apple is beginning to join up its mix of hardware so gamers can play the same game on each device in a different way. As I say, it feels like there’s an actual plan here.