Apple has had a rough time with gaming over the years. You don’t need to look far to see the proof, such as underwhelming support for developers, games that come out on iPhone and Mac years after they debut on consoles and PC, and more. However, it’s not for lack of trying.
I’ve been a Mac user since 2006 and an iPhone user since 2007, so I’ve witnessed a bunch of moments when games and storefronts like Steam have arrived on these devices to much fanfare before being left to fester. Then the cycle would repeat. I remember when Half-Life 2, Portal, and others arrived on the Mac in 2010, until support for these games was abandoned in 2021. I’ve witnessed emulators come to the best iPhones and iPads, and plenty of subscription apps offering a bunch of games and then disappearing soon after.
However, one thread that consistently goes through all of these announcements, efforts, and apps is how I’ve played these games over the years. Granted, I’ve used my Mac’s keyboard to play a bunch of games on macOS, but using a controller just feels right, especially when playing games like Fortnite, Tekken, and Portal.
I’ve used plenty of picks from our guide to the best phone controllers with my Apple devices, such as the Backbone One controller, an 8BitDo Pro 2 controller, and the Razer Kishi Ultra. They’re all great; don’t doubt me on that. Yet I can’t help but think Apple is missing out on an opportunity to bring out a controller of its own, and it should look to its failed console effort from the mid-90s as a starting point.
The Pippin launched in 1996 as a dedicated game console that was developed by Apple and manufactured by Bandai. The console was awful, acting as the perfect symbol of the company’s troubles at the time. Running on a fork of macOS System 7 and a PowerPC CPU, the Pippin had a controller that looked like a cross between a SEGA Saturn controller and Sony’s early ‘boomerang’ controller of the PlayStation 3 era. It lasted two years before its discontinuation in 1998, heralded as a failure and a weak competitor to SEGA, Nintendo, and Sony.
Although the console flopped, its controller looked great. Apple is known for innovating with input hardware and how they transfer to the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. Every device has introduced new ways of how humans interact with them, such as the click wheel on the iPod, multi-touch on the iPhone and iPad, and the haptic trackpad on the Mac. But, ironically, every one of these inputs works terribly with gaming. A dedicated controller by Apple would give gamers a great alternative to move away from these inputs and use something that’s familiar when playing all the best iPhone games and Apple Arcade games.
A controller using Apple’s innovations in 2025, like the W2 chip for easy pairing between Apple devices or the trackpad and clicky feel of buttons from the Apple TV Remote, could fit in well with Apple’s product line, both in terms of functionality and design.
When it comes to Apple’s App Stores, there are plenty of games available to buy, as well as other storefronts like Steam and the DRM-free site, GOG. If you’ve owned Apple’s best earbuds, the AirPods, before, you’ll know how seamless they can be when switching between devices. Imagine the same for an Apple gaming controller.
For example, you’re playing Resident Evil 2 on your iPhone on the train with the controller connected, and you make your way home. You switch on your iMac, and after finishing off some extra work, you decide to give Resident Evil 3 another go. A notification appears, asking if you want to connect the Apple controller to your iMac. You accept it, and straightaway, you resume where you left off with your iPhone.
It’s an alluring scenario and something that, while possible with third-party controllers, doesn’t offer the seamlessness that AirPods have provided since 2017. A dedicated controller should be one of Apple’s top priorities. There are so many third-party controllers, and even though some of them are great, such as the Backbone One Pro and 8BitDo controllers, Apple would be wise to sell its own and integrate its innovations from AirPods into its own take.
WWDC, Apple’s yearly developer conference where the company announces the latest software updates for its devices, has just come and gone. Apart from a huge redesign for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, the conference also saw the introduction of a new dedicated gaming app, Apple Games, where users can add their owned games, add friends, and keep track of achievements.
It’s long overdue to see this commitment to gaming from Apple, as it’s still confusing to keep track of what’s coming to its gaming subscription service, Apple Arcade, as well as which games are coming to certain Apple platforms. This dedicated gaming app will hopefully allay this frustration, but surely this is a perfect time for the company to make gaming a main tentpole for users and developers.
Ultimately, it’s long overdue for Apple to take gaming seriously. A new Pippin console in 2025 doesn’t make sense, but a dedicated controller absolutely does. The company has been flirting with the category for over 30 years now. Surely, there’s no better time than now to commit to gaming with a controller?
If, on reading this, you’ve realized you’re overdue for an Apple hardware update, be sure to check out our guide to the best iPads, with plenty of options to suit all budgets. Or, if you’re more of a console gamer, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 review to see what we made of 2025’s most anticipated hardware launch.
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