Jo said:
The future of iOS gaming depends on folks buying games from the App Store.
Mobile ports are rare because mobile players want free or cheap games. They’re not willing to pay $15 - $70 up front for games without ads.
Steam makes more sense financially; people buy games there, so that is where most games launch.
If you want to see more indie, AA, or even AAA games on mobile, consider paying for your next game. Look at the sales for current AAA mobile games. Publishers won’t spend millions developing games no one buys.
It’s impossible to run these games without overheating your device. I tried playing Assassin’s Creed Mirage on M4, but it overheated and lagged.
Counterpoint, it’s Ubisoft and it’s likely going to be buggy and not well optimized.
It hasn’t been a specs issue for a while; it’s really a lack of quality games.
Xan said: Jo said:
The future of iOS gaming depends on folks buying games from the App Store.
Mobile ports are rare because mobile players want free or cheap games. They’re not willing to pay $15 - $70 up front for games without ads.
Steam makes more sense financially; people buy games there, so that is where most games launch.
If you want to see more indie, AA, or even AAA games on mobile, consider paying for your next game. Look at the sales for current AAA mobile games. Publishers won’t spend millions developing games no one buys.
It’s impossible to run these games without overheating your device. I tried playing Assassin’s Creed Mirage on M4, but it overheated and lagged.
Counterpoint, it’s Ubisoft and it’s likely going to be buggy and not well optimized.
It hasn’t been a specs issue for a while; it’s really a lack of quality games.
Didn’t Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes run at like 720p 30 fps max and still burned out last year’s iPhone Pro? Without proper cooling or better chip efficiency, real AAA gaming on iOS may take time.
Jo said:
The future of iOS gaming depends on folks buying games from the App Store.
Mobile ports are rare because mobile players want free or cheap games. They’re not willing to pay $15 - $70 up front for games without ads.
Steam makes more sense financially; people buy games there, so that is where most games launch.
If you want to see more indie, AA, or even AAA games on mobile, consider paying for your next game. Look at the sales for current AAA mobile games. Publishers won’t spend millions developing games no one buys.
They need to create a dedicated section for full video games in the App Store to change people’s habits. They should make it clear there’s a difference between cheap mobile games and full-price video games. It’s not impossible.
One issue is Apple still calls games ‘apps’ instead of just games. Of course it is technically an app, but dedicated game consoles call their games ‘games’ without using the word app.
Jo said:
The future of iOS gaming depends on folks buying games from the App Store.
Mobile ports are rare because mobile players want free or cheap games. They’re not willing to pay $15 - $70 up front for games without ads.
Steam makes more sense financially; people buy games there, so that is where most games launch.
If you want to see more indie, AA, or even AAA games on mobile, consider paying for your next game. Look at the sales for current AAA mobile games. Publishers won’t spend millions developing games no one buys.
I would gladly pay for some of my old games again just to play them on iOS.
Jo said:
The future of iOS gaming depends on folks buying games from the App Store.
Mobile ports are rare because mobile players want free or cheap games. They’re not willing to pay $15 - $70 up front for games without ads.
Steam makes more sense financially; people buy games there, so that is where most games launch.
If you want to see more indie, AA, or even AAA games on mobile, consider paying for your next game. Look at the sales for current AAA mobile games. Publishers won’t spend millions developing games no one buys.
Mobile ports aren’t even necessary. We need immersive games made specifically for mobile that utilize the phone’s features, like Device 6. Why would I want to play a bad console port on a small phone without proper cooling and therefore, unsustainable performance when I can play on my big OLED TV with my console or PC which run quietly and maintain performance?
I fully agree.
I’ve been a gamer my whole life but now I’m older, busy with work and family. I also do sim racing so that takes up my spare time.
I can’t get into big AAA games on any platform like I used to. But I play more on my iPad than I ever have before. These ports don’t excite me, but I’m interested in good experiences built for the platform — games like Brawl Stars, Diablo Immortal, and Wild Rift are great examples.
Jo said:
The future of iOS gaming depends on folks buying games from the App Store.
Mobile ports are rare because mobile players want free or cheap games. They’re not willing to pay $15 - $70 up front for games without ads.
Steam makes more sense financially; people buy games there, so that is where most games launch.
If you want to see more indie, AA, or even AAA games on mobile, consider paying for your next game. Look at the sales for current AAA mobile games. Publishers won’t spend millions developing games no one buys.
Mobile ports aren’t even necessary. We need immersive games made specifically for mobile that utilize the phone’s features, like Device 6. Why would I want to play a bad console port on a small phone without proper cooling and therefore, unsustainable performance when I can play on my big OLED TV with my console or PC which run quietly and maintain performance?
You don’t have to. If people want to, they will.
Plus, there are millions out there without setups like yours. Look at the cash mobile gaming generates.
Zephyr said:
I hate to be a downer but I don’t think this will improve AAA gaming on iOS.
I just don’t think the main reason they didn’t sell well is device restrictions.
Nothing about AAA games excites me — it’s the technology that does. If Apple keeps going this way, it will really give mobile developers a chance to improve visuals and performance. Ray tracing is now available on their lower-end flagship, and that’s quite significant.
Zephyr said:
I hate to be a downer but I don’t think this will improve AAA gaming on iOS.
I just don’t think the main reason they didn’t sell well is device restrictions.
Nothing about AAA games excites me — it’s the technology that does. If Apple keeps going this way, it will really give mobile developers a chance to improve visuals and performance. Ray tracing is now available on their lower-end flagship, and that’s quite significant.
Nobody is interested in ray tracing on a phone. AAA games on the iPhone have failed because why would I play a cinematic game like AC on a phone with bad controls and a small screen when I can get a much better experience elsewhere? Apple should market these games for the Mac or Apple TV, not phones. They also need to focus on other game types, like strategy or turn-based games that fit better on mobile/tablet.
Haru said: Zephyr said:
I hate to be a downer but I don’t think this will improve AAA gaming on iOS.
I just don’t think the main reason they didn’t sell well is device restrictions.
Nothing about AAA games excites me — it’s the technology that does. If Apple keeps going this way, it will really give mobile developers a chance to improve visuals and performance. Ray tracing is now available on their lower-end flagship, and that’s quite significant.
Nobody is interested in ray tracing on a phone. AAA games on the iPhone have failed because why would I play a cinematic game like AC on a phone with bad controls and a small screen when I can get a much better experience elsewhere? Apple should market these games for the Mac or Apple TV, not phones. They also need to focus on other game types, like strategy or turn-based games that fit better on mobile/tablet.
I’m currently playing Ex Astris and one of my favorite iOS games is Oceanhorn 2, both of which are beautiful, touch-friendly games made for mobile with great worlds and graphics. They don’t drain the battery too much, but they do get my iPhone 14 Pro Max hot after long sessions.
These are the kinds of games that this technology will help developers create. There’s nothing wrong with high-quality action games on iOS; it just requires good development, not poor ports.
Zephyr said:
I hate to be a downer but I don’t think this will improve AAA gaming on iOS.
I just don’t think the main reason they didn’t sell well is device restrictions.
Nothing about AAA games excites me — it’s the technology that does. If Apple keeps going this way, it will really give mobile developers a chance to improve visuals and performance. Ray tracing is now available on their lower-end flagship, and that’s quite significant.
Much of this is nonsense, my friend.
The real truth about AAA gaming on mobile?
No one cares … the much-anticipated Assassin’s Creed sales were terrible …
Check this out … straight from Google:
“Appfigures estimates suggest that about 7,000 iOS users have paid for Resident Evil 4, about 5,750 paid for Resident Evil Village, and around 10,600 paid for Death Stranding.”
AAA on mobile makes your phone so hot it’s uncomfortable to hold, and the battery drains super fast.
Haru said: Zephyr said:
I hate to be a downer but I don’t think this will improve AAA gaming on iOS.
I just don’t think the main reason they didn’t sell well is device restrictions.
Nothing about AAA games excites me — it’s the technology that does. If Apple keeps going this way, it will really give mobile developers a chance to improve visuals and performance. Ray tracing is now available on their lower-end flagship, and that’s quite significant.
Much of this is nonsense, my friend.
The real truth about AAA gaming on mobile?
No one cares … the much-anticipated Assassin’s Creed sales were terrible …
Check this out … straight from Google:
“Appfigures estimates suggest that about 7,000 iOS users have paid for Resident Evil 4, about 5,750 paid for Resident Evil Village, and around 10,600 paid for Death Stranding.”
AAA on mobile makes your phone so hot it’s uncomfortable to hold, and the battery drains super fast.
Moreover, the enhancements OP is talking about aren’t possible on a phone with passive cooling. You’d have to run the phone much worse to achieve decent long-term performance with reasonable power use.
>”12 months on and the iPhone 16 is here, offering what Apple claims to be a 30 percent CPU and 40 percent GPU boost over last year’s model, courtesy of the new A18 chipset - built to handle the company’s demanding on-device AI features, due later this year. And that extra power (which includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing on the iPhone 16) means big games are no longer exclusive to the iPhone Pro.”
I wasn’t planning on upgrading from my 14 Pro Max, but this is encouraging for the future of iOS gaming.
Honestly, if Nintendo wasn’t so strict with exclusives, I could see mainline Pokémon doing really well on the iPhone.
>”12 months on and the iPhone 16 is here, offering what Apple claims to be a 30 percent CPU and 40 percent GPU boost over last year’s model, courtesy of the new A18 chipset - built to handle the company’s demanding on-device AI features, due later this year. And that extra power (which includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing on the iPhone 16) means big games are no longer exclusive to the iPhone Pro.”
I wasn’t planning on upgrading from my 14 Pro Max, but this is encouraging for the future of iOS gaming.
Personally, I can’t get into AAA on my iPhone. I bought all the games mentioned out of excitement but barely play them on my 15 Pro Max. The screen is too small, the performance is alright (though still impressive), and I’m not carrying around a separate controller all the time. It seems smarter to invest in a latest gen console and a cheaper phone. Unless you really need portable AAA gaming on your phone at all costs.
>”12 months on and the iPhone 16 is here, offering what Apple claims to be a 30 percent CPU and 40 percent GPU boost over last year’s model, courtesy of the new A18 chipset - built to handle the company’s demanding on-device AI features, due later this year. And that extra power (which includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing on the iPhone 16) means big games are no longer exclusive to the iPhone Pro.”
I wasn’t planning on upgrading from my 14 Pro Max, but this is encouraging for the future of iOS gaming.
Personally, I can’t get into AAA on my iPhone. I bought all the games mentioned out of excitement but barely play them on my 15 Pro Max. The screen is too small, the performance is alright (though still impressive), and I’m not carrying around a separate controller all the time. It seems smarter to invest in a latest gen console and a cheaper phone. Unless you really need portable AAA gaming on your phone at all costs.
You won’t carry a separate controller but you’ll carry a separate console.
>”12 months on and the iPhone 16 is here, offering what Apple claims to be a 30 percent CPU and 40 percent GPU boost over last year’s model, courtesy of the new A18 chipset - built to handle the company’s demanding on-device AI features, due later this year. And that extra power (which includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing on the iPhone 16) means big games are no longer exclusive to the iPhone Pro.”
I wasn’t planning on upgrading from my 14 Pro Max, but this is encouraging for the future of iOS gaming.
I’d like to see them push this on MacOS and Apple TV. They should focus on games that suit mobile rather than trying to adapt console games. It is nice to AirPlay or link your iPhone to a display with a controller, but as many have said, there are limitations after extended play. There are plenty of great games on iOS that were designed for PC and have done well. Older strategy games are definitely a guilty pleasure, and they should invest in bringing games like that to iOS. FF Tactics is probably my favorite on the iPhone. If they could get something like Tactics Ogre, I’d buy it immediately. XCOM is another favorite. Stardew. Even games like Civ and Northgard. Story-driven games like Monkey Island work really well too. I don’t want to play Call of Duty on my phone with touch controls.