It was a fairly standard-sized Apple event this year, and amid the show-stopper introduction of the USB-C port, Apple also talked up gaming on the iPhone 15 quite a bit. Although, this year, Apple seemed extremely ambitious; Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil Village, and Death Stranding have been announced for the iPhone 15 Pro. Not Mac, not cloud-streamed – the iPhone.
This is massive. The two latest Resident Evil games are extremely impressive graphically, and the new Assassin’s Creed game, while much smaller in scope than the larger, ocean-wide games that Ubisoft has previously released (with a fan-requested return to a small and more condensed experience) will also be hugely impressive running on Apple’s mobile hardware.
“This is the most pro line-up we have ever created, with a state-of-the-art titanium design, the best iPhone camera system yet that enables game-changing new workflows, and the A17 Pro chip, which ushers in a new chapter of performance and games never before seen on iPhone,” Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said.
We’ve linked to the bit of the Apple Event where gaming is touched on below.
And to reiterate – cloud gaming was not said once during the presentation. And thank god, because it’s unbearable in Australia. Instead, the company claims that all three of these games will be playable locally on the iOS device of your choice, though it was only during the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max segment that this was discussed – the iPhone 15/Plus might not have this functionality.
Apple dedicated quite a lot of time to hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing, which is featured on the Pro models for the first time. With this tech, Apple is promising smoother lighting and visuals in games.
“With the fastest chip ever on any smartphone, we are excited for iPhone 15 Pro to change mobile gaming,” Silicon engineering group vice president Sribalan Santhanam added.
“iPhone is the best mobile gaming platform in the world,” Joswiak said. “It’s amazing to think that those games are running on a device that fits in your pocket.”
Alongside these huge console-level games, Apple also dedicated some time to Honkai: Star Rail, Genshin Impact, and The Division: Resurgence, which are all mobile-built games (though Resurgence is built off the bones of a console game, and both Star Rail and Genshin are also built for consoles), but there wasn’t really anything new said about these.
Resident Evil 4 Remake, Death Stranding, and Resident Evil Village are expected to debut on iPhone later this year, while Assassin’s Creed Mirage will arrive in 2024.
At its 2023 iPhone event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, USB-C for the AirPods Pro 2, Roadside Assistance via Satellite, and a bunch of environmental promises.
Image: Apple
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