Earlier this month, it was revealed that Apple was hiring an external consulting agency to study the feasibility of entering the game console market.
This shows that after Apple Pippin was unfavorable that year, Apple was once again interested in the game console market.
However, so far, Apple officials still have not given a "real hammer".
But Apple wants to do the gamepad thing, the possibility is not only there, but also very large.
Recently, it was revealed that Apple is creating its own gamepad for iPhone and iPad.
According to foreign media reports, Apple applied for a related patent in Europe, which was published on March 31, 2022, number WO2022067344.
The handle contains three styles, and Guo students take everyone to see it.
The first design reminded Guo of the Switch's Joy-Con handle, which is separate and applied to the iPhone or iPad.
When we install the handle on our iPhone or iPad, it immediately becomes the handheld we are familiar with.
Half of them can connect to the lightning interface, but how the other half will connect is unclear, and it is possible to use a wireless connection.
The second design, which looks a bit like Nintendo's 3DS, has a secondary screen in the middle that can display the virtual keyboard and other gaming features.
The third is the most conventional gamepad, which looks like a PS5 wireless controller.
Guo students speculated that it should be wireless pairing through Bluetooth or similar AirPods, and it is possible to use it with Apple TV.
There were rumors that Apple wanted to make Apple TV its own "game console", which seemed not impossible!
In fact, Apple's official website already has "Made for iPhone" gamepads for sale.
For example, Xbox Elite, SteelSeries Nimbus+, Sony PlayStation DualSense and so on.
And Apple's launch of its own gamepad seems to be a natural thing, and the reason is self-evident.
First of all, Apple's interest in gaming has never stopped, and the layout has been long.
As early as 2019, Apple launched a new game subscription service in more than 150 countries and regions - Apple Arcade.
For $4.99 per month, users can experience more than 100 high-quality games without ads and in-app purchases.
Also in 2019, Apple added support for the Xbox One / PS4 gamepad in iOS 13 / iPadOS 13.
Nowadays, software is not a problem for Apple, because Apple Arcade is quite mature.
At present, their own game peripherals are from other manufacturers, if they can be matched with their own gamepads, it is very good.
Moreover, today's "Glory of Kings", "Peace Elite", "Original God" and so on, the characteristics of this large number of popular games emphasize control and confrontation.
Because such games need to calculate the amount of advance, positioning and casting, etc., and the touch operation accuracy is not high, there is no feedback defect, so that many players have a poor experience.
Nowadays, the shopping platform has a lot of gamepads designed for mobile phones, and a considerable number of game phone manufacturers have also made gamepads.
In any case, Apple's gamepad is good news for players.
However, Guo found that the appearance of these three public handles and Nintendo's handles are very similar, and Nintendo should not sit idly by.
The final shape may not necessarily be exactly the same as the patent drawing, so let's wait and see.
For more information about the use of Apple devices and tips and warranty inquiries, you can pay attention to my WeChat public account: qiguojiang001 (odd jam).