On paper, the iPhone is way ahead of the Switch.
The screen is nicer, the processor is better, and the battery lasts longer.
So whats keeping it from being the ultimate pocket game machine?
SCREEN POST / Unsplash
There are a few reasons.
One is that it cant play the same kinds of games, because it doesnt have any buttons.
Another is that you cant get games likeZelda: Breath of the Wildon the iPhone.
Sara Kurfeß / Unsplash
But the main reason may be that Apple just doesnt care.
“Its that most of the big console games arent available on mobile.
The ones that are, are filled with in-app purchases.
Backbone
Price is another big thingeven the new PS5 is half the price of an iPhone 12 Pro.”
Control
On iOS, the controller is the touch screen.
This works well for some kinds of games and is terrible for others.
Games that need a lot of fine, fast, and simultaneous action require buttons and joysticks.
The fact that they are optional means that game developers cannot be sure the player will have them.
For a game to reach the largest audience, it has to be touch-first.
Any game controller support has to be optional, not required.
Not all developers want to reach the widest audience, though.
Finding a large niche might be enough.
For folks who do want a controller, the new BackBone One controller is certainly tempting.
It connects via Lightning and even adds a headphone jack.
The controller, itself, is apparently excellent, easily as good as the Nintendo Switchs Joy-Con controllers.
If you love gaming on your iPhone, then this turns it into a handheld console.
And now its dead.
Why even bother chasing PC and console gamers?
This arrangement suits Apple.
In short, the iPhone will never rival the big consoles because Apple doesnt need it to.
“And now its dead.”
