iOS Gaming On iPhone, iPad Catching Up To Console Gaming, Apple Says

Apple’s gaming platform for iPhones and iPads may have already surpassed mobile gaming. For one thing, iOS gaming is on its way to becoming on par with console gaming, and this opens an opportunity for Apple to catch up with console makers.

In a recent interview with TechCrunch, Apple’s vice president of product marketing Greg Joswiak noted how the Cupertino giant develops its iOS platform to do more thanks to the unique combinations of hardware and software features. “They’re bringing the current generation of console games to iOS,” Joswiak said, referencing the launch of “Fortnite” and “PlayerUnknown’s Battleground” on iOS.

“Every year we are able to amp up the tech that we bring to developers,” Joswiak pointed out while comparing the 4-5 year cycle of gaming consoles. “Before the industry knew it, we were blowing people away [with the tech]. The full gameplay of these titles has woken a lot of people up.”

The launch of “Fortnite” and “PUBG” on iOS marks a new milestone for Apple. The games are not mobile versions but full, complete games like the ones for consoles. What’s more is that they support cross-platform play with console and PC players. So it’s easy to see that iOS has now evolved into a platform capable of supporting full games.

At present, most games for iPhones and iPad tablets are just “casual” titles. This means they are still limited by the processing power and storage space of iOS devices. Mobile versions of games not only lack the complete features of console titles, they also tend to not support cross-platform play. However, Apple is now working on the rapid development of its iOS hardware, so things are expected to change in the near future.

Because console makers typically launch new models every four or five years, it’s quite possible for Apple to catch up or even surpass console hardware, as per Apple Insider. It’s also worth noting how more game developers take time in making games for Apple’s mobile OS over Android due to iOS’s consistent updates.

Joswiak is well aware of gaming’s popularity among Apple fans. According to him, gaming has always been one of the App Store’s most popular categories and iOS 11 has done a good job in sparking more interest in mobile gaming. For instance, the new Today tab in the App Store sheds light on the different features of mobile games. “Traffic to the App Store is up significantly, and with higher traffic, of course, comes higher sales,” Joswiak said.