In a surprising twist during recent iPhone announcements, Apple has demonstrated its ambition to take the gaming sector more seriously. Demonstrations of popular game titles like Resident Evil Village and Assassin’s Creed Mirage running on the iPhone 15 Pro have been promising, thanks to the phone's ability to support ray tracing. When tested at Apple's headquarters, Resident Evil Village showed an impressive performance with an estimated frame rate between 30 and 60 fps. However, when connected to an external monitor, the mobile version's lower rendering resolution was noticeable.

Any plans to use the new iPhone like a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck attached to a TV will likely result in lower-quality visuals, especially for demanding games. Installation space is another factor. For example, the Resident Evil Village test version was around 15GB compared to roughly double that amount for the console version. Games will have to share storage with other phone content such as photos, videos, and other apps.

The game is controlled using large, virtual on-screen buttons that mimic those of an Xbox controller. However, external controllers can also be used, making the phone essentially a gaming handheld. The challenge for Apple is to frequently deliver significant and contemporary games to iPhones. Earlier attempts at introducing well-known games to the platform, such as Xcom on the iPad, were not timed well with console releases. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are due to be released later this year, with different models available from September 22nd.