It’s September and it can only mean one thing; the new iPhones are about to launch. And Apple did just that by proudly unveiling the much-awaited iPhone 15 series last week, bringing its highly anticipated support for USB-C cables. Yes, no more Lightning proprietary cables!
Mobile Gaming Redefined? It Remains to Be Seen.
With new models comes souped up specs, as both the 15 Pro and Pro Max variants are equipped to play the most graphically intensive games without a hitch. Behind the shiny exterior lies Apple’s latest System-on-a-Chip (SoC), the A17 Pro, that boasts high-end graphical capabilities that can even run flagship games such as the latest Resident 4 remake and the soon-to-be released Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
What Lies Under the Hood: Small in Size, Big on Power
With a focus on delivering an unparalleled gaming experience to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models, the A17 Pro chip is not only robustly powerful but it’s also the industry’s first 3-nanometer chip. The A17 6-core CPU is said to provide a performance boost of 10%, with a 20% faster GPU, enabling the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max variants to reach new heights for mobile gaming.
Another key upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models is hardware-accelerated ray tracing. While software-based ray tracing is something that has been prevalent in past models, players can expect a substantial performance enhancement this time around as well. Apple has even touted that the ray tracing improvements are 4x as fast as before!
Mobile Gaming Like Never Before
Not one to shy away from hyping up its devices, Apple has been ever bold in claiming that the iPhone 15 Pro is “Going to be the best game console.”
In an interview with IGN, various Apple engineers have also backed that claim and when asked about how the Pro series would stack up to Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S consoles, Tim Millet, Apple’s VP for platform architecture, said “It’s less on trying to compete with consoles” and more about providing developers with “That same toolbox” to bring AAA console games to the iPhone.
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Jeremy Sandmel, Apple’s senior director of GPU Software went one step ahead by saying “I think they say the best game console is the one you have with you.”
“Yeah. That’s the new catch,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing, in agreement.
“It’s going to be the best game console,” Sandmel concluded.
The Future of Mobile Gaming?
While it’s certainly incredible that new games such as Resident Evil 4 and Assassin’s Creed are able to run natively on iPhone, it remains to be seen whether they can run as well as their console counterparts. As things stand, most big-budget games like Bethesda’s Starfield are only playable on mobile devices through streaming services such as the Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Our take? While we are not denying the graphical and technical prowess of the iPhone 15, to claim it as the “Best console” is certainly a stretch. Put simply, gaming on a small screen just doesn’t capture the feeling of being absolutely immersed on your sofa with the sights and sounds of console gaming.
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Price and Release Date: What Can You Expect to Pay?
As is to be expected of Apple’s annual iPhone releases, expect to pay a premium for the new features of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 with a base storage amount of 128 GB, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 with 256 GB of storage. Pre-order will begin for the new phones on September 15th and is scheduled to be launched on 22nd September.
What Could Likely Happen?
While the increased graphical prowess of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models are certainly no lightweights, we expect the ports of games such as Resident Evil 4 and Assassin’s Creed to just fall short of their console counterparts. With possible issues such as frame rate dips, 4k support and others, mobile gaming is mobile gaming after all and we expect this to ring through as the latest console ports come their way.
Having said that, we are more interested in what indie developers can do, to harness the untapped power of iPhone 15 Pro models and deliver unique experiences that truly push the experience of gaming on-the-go. The future looks bright, and we widely anticipate our daily gaming on mobile to capture just that and more. Are you excited for what the future holds? Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This the Future of Mobile Gaming?
While it’s certainly incredible that new games such as Resident Evil 4 and Assassin’s Creed are able to run natively on iPhone, it remains to be seen whether they can run as well as their console counterparts.
Price and Release Details: How Soon Can You Get One?
As is to be expected of Apple’s annual iPhone releases, expect to pay a premium for the new features of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 with a base storage amount of 128 GB, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 with 256 GB of storage. Pre-order will begin for the new phones on September 15th and is scheduled to be launched on 22nd September.