The next major release in the iPhone franchise, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, are expected to be in stores on Friday, September 22, 2023. Ahead of that launch, Apple announced the release of iOS 17 on September 18 which will drive the next generation of the iPhone franchise.
The announcement comes alongside major upgrades to virtually all other Apple products including new software for the Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, and iPad. The upgrades for Mac will come at a later date.
The bulk of the new updates focus on revamping the communication systems including FaceTime, Phone app, and Messages. However, what excited us was the revelation that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will double as a handheld gaming console. A few years ago, people purchased mobile phones primarily for communication—but the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max may change that.
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Ubisoft hinted at this earlier this month on LinkedIn using a picture of Assassin’s Creed Mirage and a description that said, “We’re excited to announce that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be coming to the newly announced iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
According to Ubisoft, the feat was made possible “by the powerful combination of the new A17 Pro chip and [Ubisoft’s] versatile Anvil engine”.
Make no mistake, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will not be the first gaming smartphones. Asus ROG Phone and ZTE nubia Red Magic are already interesting choices when it comes to smartphones capable of playing AAA games. So, what makes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max special?
How is the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max different in mobile gaming?
The key difference between Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max and other gaming smartphones is that Apple has dedicated developers that will bring the triple-A gaming experience to their phones. This was the same strategy that made Valve’s Steam excel in PC gaming.
Although the other smartphones we mentioned are equally powerful, they don’t have popular triple-A games adapted for them. That makes them less desirable to the target audience. For most other smartphone gaming consoles, the way around the non-existent gaming library has been to stream the games. However, that comes with its own challenges.
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To seamlessly stream games, you need a very fast internet connection—usually above 25 Mbps for most games. Sadly, most mobile networks will likely not deliver that. In most cases, you will only be able to stream games flawlessly when you are connected to the home Wi-Fi and will find it difficult to play when you are on a mobile network. That invalidates the entire goal of the mobile gaming project—since mobile gamers will be restricted to their homes.
If developers are available to adapt triple-A games for the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, that means gamers can install the games and play locally as they would do with any console. That means the large input delay normally experienced with game streaming will be eliminated.
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max’s A17 Pro chip is the game-changer
Apple is banking on its new A17 Pro chip to rival other gaming smartphones—and possibly other handheld gaming devices. On the lower setting, Apple says the A17 Pro chip is comparable to those of high-end gaming PCs.
The A17 Pro chip is a 6-core GPU that is believed to be 20% faster than the current A16 chip. Also interesting to note is that the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will come with ray-tracing hardware capability, a feature that came to Steam Deck earlier this year.
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Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will also make use of a new upscaling technology called MetalFX. The technology allows developers to render application frames “at a lower resolution, reducing rendering time, without compromising rendering quality”.
Think of the MetalFX as Apple’s mobile answer to AMD’s FSR or NVIDIA’s DLSS. What the MetalFX does is take the lower-resolution image and upscale it. That allows gamers to experience higher performance with lower file sizes.
A host of games have already been announced to release with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max including Division, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Resident Evil Village. It will be interesting to see how Apple competes in the mobile gaming field.
If you want to enhance the mobile gaming experience with your iPhone, we highly recommend that you get the Backbone One which is designed like a controller that plugs into the power port of your iPhone and enhances your controls.
By the way, What do you think about the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max’s gaming potential? Let us know in the comment box below.
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