If you listened very closely on the 22nd September 2023, you would have heard the sound of a million Android fans gasping in shock.
This was, of course, the day that the iPhone 15 appeared on our shelves. Although it was similar in appearance to its predecessor, one of the biggest upgrades to the iPhone 15 model was the software upgrade. Specifically, the A17 Pro chip’s gaming capabilities.
For the first time ever, this Apple smartphone would be capable of running AAA games, with Resident Evil 4 arriving on iOS and made available to play on the iPhone 15 Pro.
The Stigma of Apple Gaming
For iPhone users, this was almost too good to be true. For years now, iOS has been touted as inferior to Android when it comes to both offline and online gaming. Even in the iGaming scene, plenty of Android fans were claiming that the demanding Apple interface required too much power to run the software, taking resources away from the phone to lead to a less smooth and accessible gaming experience.
And this may have been true. But in 2024, if you look at the software-related demand for a game like Resident Evil 4, compared to the demand for the best online casinos here on Techopedia, it’s easy to see how big a leap Apple has actually made. Whether it’s an online slot or a fully-blown AAA gaming experience, iOS now offers the best software to play them all.
The New Superiority of Apple Gaming
We’re not saying that Android now offers a worse experience, of course. Both phones have their own merits, and in the online scene, they both offer terrific protections for secure, accessible gameplay. But while Android has steadily been climbing to gaming superiority, Apple has just taken a huge leap.
They are now not only rivalling Androids, or handhold, portable devices like Nintendo Switch, they are rivalling gaming consoles themselves. With a bright, high pixel density OLED display, 120hz refresh rates, six-core CPU, six-core GPU, and 8GB RAM, the iPhone 15 Pro’s iOS software has demonstrated how phones can essentially be mini consoles. After all, why spend premium prices on a house-bound gaming console if you could play the same games on a phone that you keep in your pocket?
The Road Ahead for Apple
Even outside of the new Apple Vision Pro, it seems like this is where the future is. And the road ahead looks exciting, too. In 2024, it is not just Resident Evil 4 that will be available for gamers to play on their iPhones, but several other games too. According to reports, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, Death Stranding, and Resident Evil Village are all set to go live this year. As well as this, companies like Sony and Microsoft are taking note.
At a recent convention, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced that the mobile market was going to play ‘an important role’ in the company’s strategy over the next few years, and they’re in the middle of talks with partners about how to further monetise the phone as a gaming device.
With this in mind, it’s likely we’ll see the iPhone holding plenty of new AAA releases before 2030, with its gaming capabilities only set to improve. Whether you’re an offline or online gamer, this is undoubtedly good news. And it’s even better news if you’re an iOS user!