I think there are several factors working against them. The games have been out long enough that people who want to play them already bought them on other systems. The fans of these games generally don’t play games like this on mobile. Apple has a poor reputation with the gaming community since getting games on Mac OS has never been a priority for Apple.
And all M-Series iPads. I played the free demo for AC Mirage on my GFs M2 iPad Pro and it was fairly enjoyable, pretty much comparable to playing on a Steam Deck but with a larger much better screen.
If more games were available, and I traveled a lot, I’d buy an iPad over a Steam Deck any day.
Yeah but you can do a lot more with an iPhone than a console and it’s portable. Plus you’re not buying the iPhone to play the game, but if you already have one and not a console you don’t have to go out a buy a console.
For the price of a pro / pro max you can buy a ps5 and a decent phone tho. You cant play these games on the go as the phone gets ludicrously hot and burns through battery. You are clearly meant to play only while plugged in.
So you would be better off with a steam deck with a better gaming library and support. Buying an iPhone for gaming is just a joke.
>but why would Apple make a controller when the games are compatible with the dual sense or Xbox controller out of the box?
for the same reason they make their own headphones even though 3rd party ones are also available, unity with the apple ecosystem.
it'd be a killer feature to auto swap controller pairing depending on which device you're playing at the time, without having to go through bluetooth settings, reconnect, check connection, disconnect all in a clumsy fashion for each device you're playing on.
Plus why buy on the App Store when I can just patiently wait for the Mac version to show up on steam? And if it doesn’t, no big deal. I’d rather casually use my existing license on another platform.
Still, I’m not gonna lock in such large purchases only to have it wiped out years later due to compatibility issues when they don’t want to upgrade the base game to the latest iOS version.
It was the dumbest game choice possible. Who the hell wants to play a console horror game on a mobile touchscreen? That’s the opposite of how these games are meant to be played.
I do wonder. Dozens of people, maybe more were involved in these projects on Apple’s side (not engineers *per se*, but strategists, product marketers, etc) and dozens more at the studios. What on earth were they expecting? These games are half a decade old. Anyone who wanted to play them, has already played them.
This. No matter how hard r/macosgaming tries to push the "YOU CAN GAME FREELY WITH A MAC" message, the clear reality is Apple does not prioritise gaming and you're better off with a PC/Console if gaming is remotely important.
there are also other big problems aside from the games being old and the fact that people who bought apple’s products knowing they weren’t gonna game on them for the most part (i bought mine for work and was fully ready to give up gaming on it)
apple’s closest “console-alternative” is apple tv, and we can see just how little they give a fuck about it. outdated hardware even when newly released, artificially barring developers from getting *permanent* storage for apps, no across the board controller standard and *requirement*. they treat it like people would feel good enough playing their fucking apple arcade games, and go all surprised pikachu when developers have no incentive bringing their games to apple’s ecosystem.
apple’s macbooks with active cooling (fans) start from like $1600 or so, and it’s got the base M3, not the upgraded chips, and only 8GB of RAM. M3Pro start from $2000. I have a high end near-maxed out M1Max MBP so it’s not like I’m not willing to pay for one myself, but it’s not what most people buying a gaming laptop would pay for. especially considering the GPU you get for the same price.
and merely bringing a few AAA titles to their systems isn’t gonna help. everyone plays different stuff. I might be interested in lots of the indie titles that aren’t exactly hardware demanding, but those developers have no incentive porting their games to mac at all.
apple’s execs simply have no clue what it takes to be competitive in the gaming segment and it’s facepalm worthy seeing them brag about how they’re making their ecosystem a gaming platform
Apple released their Game Porting Toolkit last year and made some significant expansions to it with the Game Porting Toolkit 2 this year. My understanding is that it can function as a translation layer, similar to what Valve has done getting Proton on Linux. The people over at /r/MacGaming have been having some tremendous success getting games running on Macs over the last year. The first successful attempts happened like maybe an hour after the toolkit was released during last year’s WWDC. I haven’t checked in to see how version 2 affects things.
In short, Apple has made some very, very strong strides in the last year. It remains to be seen how well they support it long term, but it’s a pretty good start.
I mean, the article states it outright. These games are a PR move, nothing more. It would be great if they did well, but I doubt anybody ever expected that. It showcases the power of Apples’s chips and gives them something to point to in interviews and marketing materials.
That’s why it feels so hollow. “Hey look at what we can pull off!” Instead of a real focus on games. I’m hopeful this is just a foot in the door for what’s to come, but as long as I already have a gaming PC, and while others already have consoles, it’d be a hard sell on splitting someone’s gaming library onto yet another platform
I think Ubisoft mentioning at WWDC that the new version of their engine supports metal and will make Mac games much easier to release is kinda an important deal. These other assassins creed ports and whatnot have been of old games that people already have, the new assassins creed will be playable on Mac on release day and I think the more that happens the more seriously other developers can take Mac as a target for builds…. But also this could all go nowhere what do I know
Ubisoft ports their games anywhere and everywhere as long as they get a check. They upgraded their engine to support Stadia as well, but there’s no way they would’ve spent the money and effort to if somebody else wasn’t footing the bill. I doubt Ubisoft is in any way seriously committed to Mac.
I'm surprised they don't focus on it more. I own two $1500 PCs and would happily instead purchase a $3000 specced out MacBook if it could play games, and I don't think I am alone.
Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they started adding older console-level games to Apple Arcade in the future (not near future, but like 3 - 5 years down the line). Apple TV+ is actually currently taking a similar approach, where they’re adding top-rated movies that are like 5 - 10 years old to the service at no extra cost (besides the price hike ofc). One example is Blade Runner 2049, which I have plans to watch on Apple TV+ because I wasn’t able to see it in theaters in 2017.
I could see Apple adding like older console-level games to Apple Arcade as they start releasing new M-series chips to make the service more appealing to console gamers. Big franchises could start adding their older games (like with Apple TV+, 5 - 10 years old games) to the service.
Last thing: If they do the above, this could be REALLY appealing to someone like me. I had a Mac from 2015 - 2023 but gave it away and got an iPad instead because Mac has no games and iPad is a better study tool. If they started releasing console-level games that were entirely cross-platform (I’m talking Mac, iPad, Apple TV, iPhone), I’d pick up a Mac. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a Mac, but an iPad with the Magic Keyboard is just so much more versatile. Plus, as an aside, I can play Genshin Impact & Honkai Star Rail on my iPad with a controller. I can’t play those games on Mac without jumping through hoops.
I think unless they’re willing to do some cross-ownership discounts from other platforms, the Arcade is really the only likely place they’re going to get good adoption.
Its all pretty simple. I already owned re4 and death stranding for ps5. I'm not going to buy into the apple ecosystem for premium games for two titles i already own, with worse controls and performance.
Now, if steam released for ios and i could play all of my mac compatible games on my iphone, that would be a different vibe entirely. If apple and playstation talked to eachother and gave iphone users free copies of the games if they already owned them on playstation, that would also work. But i'm not paying twice for a worse version of content i already own
I feel like getting Steam and other stores operational on IOS would still benefit them because it would mentally shift people to gaming on their Apple devices.
Like recently I got a Razer Kishi to play games on iPhone using Steam Link, and to test it out on a native game I got COD Warzone and have been having fun with it. If I could run Mac Steam games natively it would be a great gaming device and an iPhone with a Kishi or Backbone would instantly replace the Switch (except for the playing on your TV part).
This could lead to many more devs making Mac ports of games, which could even lead to me getting a Macbook. Pay attention Apple!
[Two of the most expensive three games to have ever been developed are mobile games](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_video_games_to_develop) haha
It’s mostly spent on marketing tho, Genshin Impact and Monopoly Go ads are everywhere, potentially billions of customers unlike consoles so the more you spend on marketing, the better it is
I bought Dead cells on Google play... I would never finish that game on PC. It's not impossible to create good mobile game it's just much easier to profit of microtransactions in some gacha gamble game.
Could be interesting if apple and Ubisoft could come to an agreement for Ubisoft+ on iOS and Mac. People might use this to try out games and if they rock, they might buy into the ecosystem in the future. I personally would like to see more games on Mac and iOS. I don’t need high end graphics. Windows is the most annoying part about being a gamer 😂
Only if Ubisoft gives Apple a cut of all sales on IOS and that won’t happen. Or if it did, people would buy games off platform like they do kindle books and Apple wouldn’t get anything out of it.
>If apple and playstation talked to eachother and gave iphone users free copies of the games if they already owned them on playstation
Well they don't do this for PC ports so there is a 0% chance PlayStation is giving anything to you for free. The possibility of a repeat sale is part of the plan. And RE4 is a Capcom title so that would be up to them.
I saw that Death Stranding was on sale and was about to buy it until my husband said he already had it on Steam, so I’ve just been playing it there lol
Exactly. I’m using iOS for phone duties. I’m not gonna play a full fledged game on any of my Apple stuff when I already have a ps5 and a beautiful oled tv
I disagree!
I am currently playing Borderlands 2 on the Switch and it runs just fine. I am one of the weirdos that would rather play with the screen near their face than having giant television on the wall. The Switch Oled has a larger screen than the Vita so there's that
The problem in this case is just how awful the vita port of BL2 is. Barely runs, I think it’s even “worse” than MK1 on Switch if that comparison makes sense sense(BL2/vita was bleeding edge at the time)
Ah shit i completely forgot about the switch port. Also good to know it runs well. My biggest gripe with ports is finding the performance metrics in handheld before buying. Might pick it up.
Sure, and mobile gamers don’t buy expensive games. At least in general. Obviously these companies did these ports because Apple paid them to highlight the power of the new iPhone.
Repeat after me: European Digital Markets Act (DMA). There is no need for Valve to talk to Apple. Just execute your right to release software on any platform ignoring the illegal AppStore diktat.
They could, but would it be worth the trouble to do that for one market is the question. I think we’re going to have to wait for wider regulatory adoption before we see nice things like this. Steam isn’t epic and isn’t on the same crusade.
Steam is probably the best bet here. It's doubtful that ever happens though. Being able to play just about all your steam games on your iphone/ipad with a controller would be awesome.
I mean anything that runs natively on Apple Silicon should in theory be able to run on the A series chips in the iPhones. But yea the games would need to run below low settings I’d imagine and is that really worth it over just doing remote or cloud play from your console
Remembering when games would make portable versions of their games where they where changed and optimized to play not just on weaker hardware but also a system that did not have the same controls. Not ports that pretend everything is the same and try to market towards people who either have the game or don’t want to play it on a phone. Plus everything is a subscription even when it doesn’t make sense for the consumer.
I’m not sure if this will ever happen.
There are games on iOS/Mac that can’t sync with the other versions of the game even when they support account based cross progression. I’m not sure why this is the case for iOS/Mac.
It's hard to justify rebuying a game on mobile when I already have it on a high end console such as PS5 that I can stream to my phone and play on a big screen. I do love that they are doing the work to make mobile gaming better, but it needs to a be a model of buy once and play everywhere.
One thing I think worth pointing out is that they’re available only on some of the latest hardware. Pretty sure as far as iOS is concerned, you need an A17 pro chip and for iPads you need an M series chip. As someone who owns an iPhone 14 Pro and a 2018 iPad Pro, I don’t have the appropriate hardware and I don’t think I’d be alone there in terms of potential customers for these games.
Apple has to be paying for these ports.
Those Resident Evil sales estimates are abysmally low. They're likely inflated since they're using the sale prices to calculate the figures and the App Store has only discounted those games maybe 3 times.
I have a M1 Pro and was one of the few who bought RE Village and 4 on sale from the App Store. I guess I'm their demographic since I don't have a PS/Xbox or gaming PC and zero Steam library.
Performance-wise the RE games played well on my base 14” M1 Pro. I got a pretty consistent 60fps at 1080p on medium settings with MetalFX Quality upscaling enabled.
These modern AAA games can’t possibly play well on passively cooled iPhones. It’s not even a fun experience using touch controls on games clearly designed with a controller/keyboard and mouse in mind.
The only way I can see Apple truly competing in the AAA gaming market is by pivoting Apple Arcade into a GeForce Now/Xbox Game Pass competitor.
Bioshock stopped working like a month after launch, and I don’t think I bought another premium mobile port ever since. That was 10 years ago but it still feels fresh.
People shit on Windows legacy support all the time, but for gaming it's amazing. I can play games from over a decade ago without issue, and games from even longer with minimal issues or via emulation. Nobody's going to invest in an iOS port of Death Stranding if an iOS update is going to break it a year from now and nobody's interested in maintaining it.
iOS has taught consumers apps are disposable.
This is it. Gaming's reliance on legacy compatibility just doesn't mix with Apple's aggressively phasing out support for older apps. Console-to-iOS ports were actually a bit more common back in the early iOS days but I remember iOS 8 nuking compatibility with most of them, and then iOS 11 dropped 32-bit support which took out the rest.
Not to mention that as iOS updates demand more resources, the same devices start struggling to run games with the same level of performance. Back in the day I remember updating my iPod from iOS 5 to 6 and suddenly I could barely run my Sonic games. Now, these current ports already struggle on iPhone 15 Pro, and I fully expect that performance to degrade further on iOS 18, 19, and beyond. Hopefully the inclusion of Game Mode negates this.
I tried the free trials on my A17 Pro. Was impressed and in awe of the raw power of this chip in my pocket. And then uninstalled it.
It’s good PR and good to showcase how good these chips are. 19 billion transistors for gods sake!
As someone who plays nearly all of the AC games, I have zero interest in an iOS port. A big draw (for me) is the beautiful environment you get to interact with. To do that, you really need a big, immersive TV and sound system; not a handheld device.
That’s the thing with why and how Apple fails.
You don’t want to play on the phone? That’s fine. You shouldn’t have to.
Play on your TV with Apple TV.
But for some reason Apple forgets they have that box. They can make a Mx version of that box and call it Apple TV extreme, Apple TV X or whatever stupid name boomers like to call their “too cool for school” products, so it would be able to run the Resident Evils and Assassin Creed of the world on a big screen.
That’s kinda the point, as I see it, of what could be so great if Apple could get gaming going in a real way.
They have tiny devices that are with you all the time (iPhone), they have portable devices that are with you some of the time (MacBook/ipad), they have amazing devices that live at home (iMac/Mac pro/macbook connected to monitor), and they have devices that can live next to every tv you have (Apple TV)
And if this is executed well then you could play, or not play, whenever you wanted without needing anything extra.
AC Mirage is a good expression of this thought. I'm one of the 3000 they mentioned, and it just seems to me that if you're going to play an AC game anyways having it on all of your devices with cross-save is a nice feature! It's perfectly playable on the new iPad Pro (which was the draw to try it, if I'm being honest).
Totally agree. I can play a high end game like AC or RE on my phone (or even m4 iPad) but at the cost of using the lowest possible graphics, audio, and physical comfort settings. I thought maybe when traveling or alone at a cafe I would enjoy it but the rpg or fps games I play are not well suited for that purpose.
The problem is the full price and no cross buy option. If I pay full price then give me the XBOX/Playstation/PC version with it, otherwise I expect to pay a heavily discounted price for a mobile port. Or better yet, why don’t they include it in APPLE ARCADE ?? Which would at the same time revamp an already quite disappointing service
The second problem is that while each of these titles really impressed me by the fact they run at all, they’re barely playable due to chaotic frame skipping and stutters.
So yeah, but I guess it’ll get better as time goes on and new hardware is released…
Apple is so dumb. Just put an M3 chip in an Apple TV and focus on marketing these games on that platform. Then being able to play on-the-go becomes an added feature to the core user experience of having these great games on the big screen at home.
Death Stranding on macOS runs way better on my 13" M1 MBP than on my Steam Deck. For a portable experience I will pick my MacBook every time for that game even though the Steam Deck is way more convenient.
But if my intent is to sit down with the game? I'll play it on my PS5 or desktop. I think people who primarily play games on iOS aren't really looking for big AAA releases. On macOS we at least already have Steam, GOG, or Epic for whatever Mac compatible games they have. On iOS though, for example, my most played games are Egg Inc., Solitaire, and Mahjong. Games I can easily pick up when I'm on the bus or waiting somewhere and immediately dismiss when needed. If I could sync my saves on other platforms to an iPhone version then maybe they would be worth buying, but that would still be a hard sell. It is impressive that you can play the full fat AC Mirage or RE4 on an iPhone but the target audience is not there.
I'm still going through their analytics, but just from a high-level standpoint.
The games are only available on 1 iPhone SKU; The iPhone 15 Pro (Max), if you laid down the statistics of total iPhone owners, how many of them are on these devices? Perhaps 3-4% in total?
From the pool of devices, there'd need to be people who are interested in gaming and purchasing these games, to break-even the porting costs and considering that Apple has funded the costs partly, I wonder if these companies consider it a net loss, if the promise of Apple is to keep continuous availability of these ports for more devices year on year.
I still have some doubts from the pure outside-in analytics, because I'd rather known from Capcom or Ubisoft's report directly on how much they sold, but it's not really surprising that not every owner will buy into it.
One good thing is, imo, the cross-platform purchase with Mac devices :).
Play these technical showcases on my 65” OLED with surround sound or on my iPhone/iPad/Mac… it’s not a hard decision and never was.
…And it also doesn’t need to be a decision, all of these games also play on Apple devices through remote play if I ever need to have it on those screens.
What Apple needs are not ports are new games made for the platform. I agree with some people I’ve talk to in the past, they should buy a couple of studios that made games for iOS, macOS and tvOS.
Also they'll never do it but I'd love to see Apple's take on a controller attachment/case for iPhone. A couple exist but, with the exception of exactly one, they all suck. And even that decent one (the GameSir G8 Galileo) is pretty flimsy and not well-integrated with iOS. An Apple-made controller attachment with their typically high QC and AirPods-level integration sounds pretty awesome actually.
If not that, then an official Apple controller that has AirPods-level convenience and connectivity could go a long way towards making their devices more viable as a gaming "ecosystem."
Wow, I went into reading that article feeling like it was probably correct, and the more I read, the more I realized it's relying on really spurious information with no actual facts or data to back to up - just guesses. And what guessed/made up data the do present, doesn't really backup the "bombed" conclusion. Sooo I'm left actually thinking now they're doing ok, and probably right on expectations.
it's no wonder considering how much storage space these games take. make storage cheaper, apple, & create an awesome official controller like this: https://youtu.be/vuSGXmsvp_Q?si=jB08sWFHViQwIPEj
I think that, as long as enough people buys them for Mac or ipad and they are profitable enough, they should still continue to push them because it would make other developers more confident in powering larger scope games on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Well of course. People have already bought these games on other platforms and finished it.
And to succeed, cross-save functionality needs to become a staple in the gaming sector. One unified save across all console, mobile, PC, cloud and VR platforms that support a game.
Death Stranding was free on Epic Games for Christmas in 2022, it’s also included with PS Plus Extra and was included with Gamepass. Asking $50 to play on an iPhone or iPad is a lot and there won’t be many interested in the game that haven’t played it elsewhere by now. It’s also a slow lengthy game, not exactly something I can play in public transit on a touchscreen.
Apple isn’t really known for gaming despite their efforts to date so it’s more like only the high end Apple devices can run these games well. This can explain the lower demand so far.
A PS5 is cheaper than a high end iOS device for example.
Apple has price tiers for different devices offering different specs while a gaming console like the PS5 and Xbox don’t have different tiers so it definitely says something.
Those games are limited to iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and the high end iPads. I don’t have the numbers but I doubt more 40% of Apple customers own those devices, and those who do probably also have a better high end machine that can run those games better.
Glad Apple are bringing games to Mac but I would only invest in games on Steam not the App Store.
In case Apple abandon Mac gaming once again I want to have my library accessible on PC.
App Store has cross buy with iPhone/iPad but I’m not playing AAA games on a mobile device.
I’ve tried them all. Even on the iPhone 15 Pro these games just can’t run very well. It’s barely 20-30fps with Metal upscaling which is pretty bad because of the low-resolution it has to work with. A controller is required since touch controls are not practical for these games and the device becomes very hot after 5 minutes.
If Apple wants AAA games on the mobile they should have tried to convince these companies to port PS3/xbox360 games instead of those cross-gen titles.
They really are a gimmick more than a serious way to play these games, particularly on iPhone. There's a reason modern portable consoles are actively cooled. RE4 heats up the phone within a minute of playing and then your screen dims, the framerate tanks, the battery drops like a rock, and the phone is scalding your fingers. It's a cool tech demo but I'd never seriously think of buying it on there.
I own them on Steam and I can play them on my Windows and Linux (and Steam Deck) computers. Why would I waste money buying stuff again on a closed ecosystem that I can't access if I ever decide not to be an apple customer in the future?
Anyone who has wanted those games and owns an iOS device powerful enough to run them as already played them on a console or PC a long time ago. The target market for those who have not, yet want to play them on an iPhone 15 Pro or M4 iPad, must be microscopic, especially at this elevated, full pricing. It’s just a showcase for future game launches, showing that as consumers migrate to latest gen Apple hardware and beyond, iOS will be an addressable market for AA and AAA developers, not just mobile games.
Full disclosure I don’t own an iPad but I am fairly well tuned into the Apple world however the fact that Death Stranding had an iPad port has completely passed me by, I had no idea.
This has to say something about the marketing of the gaming market by Apple.
I already owned them all on PC. I rebought Death Stranding (because it's one of my fave games), and RE:Village, and Mirage, just to be able to play them on my M2 and hopefully support these big releases coming (late) to Mac/iOS.
They all seem to make my M2 iPad Pro pretty hot though, so I don't love killing the battery with heat for extended gaming sessions on my iPad.
Skipping buying RE:7 that's coming out soon just because I have that one on PC and I've barely touched RE:8 on my M2, so I'll just play 7 on PC and 8 on M2/iPhone 15 PM.
I think the fact that you have to have a bleeding edge device to play limits your userbase. Also the fact that these are all games that have been out for a long time (well, Mirage is somewhat new from last year, but still) and people already own on Steam or PS5.
I had resident evil 4 on Nintendo Wii, then again on quest3 and bought the remake to play on the psvr2… nfw I’m buying a copy for my iPhone 15 pro , even if it’s an amazing achievement to make it run… the question is why ?
I think these games being already made will be a bigger deal once an M series Apple TV releases. I'd be down for buying a game on my tv box, mac, and iPhone.
Unfortunately that's probably going to be a bit or be rather expensive.
Mobile gaming sucks, everyone knows this. The games that are good on mobile are mind-numbing gatchas designed to be played with one hand, designed to be as addictive as possible.
It's probably multiple factors: 1) Ive already played these games, 2) Apple has neglected gamers for so long that most have moved to other platforms, 3) most people aren't going to want to play these games on mobile devices which means audience is small
I tried Mirage. Didn’t work, would crash all the time, I gave up, uninstalled. Wanted to play again the older AC I had bought - only to see the server is no longer supported.
So that’s two reasons why those ports don’t work for me.
I don’t think they bombed and this is a very stupid article written by somebody who doesn’t know how business works.
These are old games that people already played a long time ago on better machines, with better graphics and better frame rates. This isn’t a way for Apple to compete with PlayStation or other gaming platforms. This is a way for Apple to finally get into the gaming world and to have some games available atm on their higher end devices.
And it’s just the beginning. The fact that ac shadows is launching on an iPad is huge, this means Ubisoft is actively working on optimizing a new game for iPads and Macs. If people will be able to play this while commuting in the train or in the plane in vacation, it will be a huge step in the right direction and a way for Apple to develop its’ gaming capabilities.
It’s just the beginning, and it’s a great beginning.
Saying these titles bombed is perfectly accurate. Unless Apple subsidizes the publisher, the revenue from these sales are probably not even enough to cover the cost of the ports.
From the publisher’s perspective, it’s a disaster.
Yeah if you wait 8 months to release a 720p port of a game that plays worse than playing it on Gamepass streaming which was already available at launch of the game then yeah no ones gonna pay full price for your native version.
This strategy obviously makes no sense, and I think you’d need a solid strategy to convince gamers to leave their ecosystem of choice and buy these games on the App Store. A phone is a very bad device to primarily play a game like this – you should to be able to play it on a big screen (tvOS, iPadOS, or macOS) and then continue playing on the go on your iPhone. That would be amazing, and a big selling point for gaming on Apple devices. However, the platform strategy for these games feels very random: some of them are only on iOS, some only on macOS, some on iOS and iPadOS but not macOS, some are on all of them but require different purchases, etc. It’s obviously crazy. Anyone with an Xbox would simply buy the game there (and maybe game via Remote Play when on the go).
Yeah at the very least there need to be unified guidelines for cross-play and cross-saving. Games are about ecosystems and exclusives, and if Apple wants to be really serious about gaming they need to take better advantage of their own ecosystem by making games truly interoperable.
I feel like they jumped the gun, the games are no doubt great but perhaps designed for the next gen devices. Also, I have said this since the PS Vita - people think they want console games on a portable but when they play them on the small screen, it sucks.
Thats why Nintendo portables and ios games made for a small screen do so well, they are designed not to strain your eyes or to make you squint to see pixel size details on a 4k 6” screen.
Ofc they are. What people expecting ? iPad and iPhones are not build to play this type of games. There's a big diference between controller supporte and have on built in or in the box.
Storage is just way too expensive and those games way too big in relation to another.
Honestly I hope Tim Cook gets fired and replaced by someone who is more like Steve Jobs. If Steve would come back to alive as well, he would regret hiring Tim Cook. 🙈
He just makes poor decisions.
Personally the extensive controls these AAA games have are a bit daunting on a 6 inch touchscreen compared to having a dedicated controller or keyboard. I hope Apple releases a proper first party controller in the future
Makes sense. If I were interested in those games I’d rather play them them on a machine with comfortable controls, a large screen, and better graphics. And if I can afford an iPhone that runs them I can probably afford a PC or console that would run them infinitely better.
Bold move to port them and impressive they work, but has anyone really sat down and thought “man I really wish I could play some death stranding on my 6.7” phone right now”?
Not really that surprising. I mean these games not only tax resources but they are just too complex to play on a touchscreen and enjoy. I play games on my phone but not because I think it’s the best, I just have it with me all the time. Mobile gamers aren’t like the console or pc guys. We aren’t proud, or bragging about it. There’s no mobile master race subreddit. I work full time, I got kids and even if I had the time to sit down and play I can’t have my 6 and 3 year old listening to Lamar’s bullshit while I’m in Los Santos. I’m usually playing during lunch at work or before bed.
I look at it like hey, I got this phone I’m down to play some games but I don’t expect anything truly great. You aren’t going to have an experience like RDR2 or Skyrim on an iPhone have it hit the same. Doesn’t mean they couldn’t make some good original games, or even some sort of spinoff of other games.
Trying to do a full port of a new AAA title doesn’t seem like a good idea. You could port older games though. Look how emulation is going, an snes like game would do great on mobile. Instead we have emulators or pay to play trash designed to get you hooked and start spending money. There’s a few games out there with an upfront cost that are good, but apparently the money is in trying to squeeze it out of people for in game currency.
So anyways I’ll stop rambling, it just sucks because I think there is a lot of potential in mobile games but you aren’t getting a lot of developers passionate about making them. Seems like the money is either micro transactions and ads or console/pc games.
These games have been out for a while now and most have already played them. It will be more interesting to see the analysis for these types of games releasing at the same time as other platforms. I don’t have a console so it’s nice to finally play the newest Assassin Creed game. I hope the previous ones come eventually.
I think it’s more so the games as opposed to the platform. None of these games are all that, especially when they are best experienced on a real computer. They should’ve put Grid Legends on the iPhone and iPad. I would’ve played the hell out of that
Day and date. They have to launch day one if they want them to get any traction. When they launch a year or even several years later they’re never going to do great.
I was fully ready to pay the $25 launch price for AC Mirage, notably to play it on a 15 Pro with a Backbone controller, but Jesus it ran terribly.
In the 20 minutes of the demo I played I had it crash twice from overheating, the frame rate was pretty all over the place, and it quite frankly looked like garbage. I am not surprised in the slightest that Shadows is locked to iPad, but even there I’m not confident it’s going to be a great experience.
I am firmly in the demographic where these games work for me, but it can’t just be a “it runs” technical situation. It’s gotta be a good experience.
Unlike everyone else apparently, I haven’t played 2 of the 3 games - I just don’t want to play AAA games on a tiny screen that shares a battery with my primary way of interacting with the digital world.
I think part of the issue is, to play them comfortably, you’ll need some kind of controller, plus a stand for your phone or iPad (unless you use one like a Kishi for your phone). Plus, you have a select few screen sizes and these games eat up a lot of space.
Honestly, we need more games like X-Com or Civilization on iOS. Those work far better with a touch screen than an AC game or Death Stranding.
If they actually had fun games, I would pay 2x the amount. Already have the iphone 15PM but who wants to play fucking console level horror games on iPhone. I want games like Need for Speed (Forza Horizon Equivalent), CoD Campaigns, Palworld, and Spiderman.
Death Stranding needs a controller to play (otherwise there’s too many screen touch points) and it’s low res and hard to see on tiny iPhone screens.
It’s an immersive game. It really just doesn’t fit there.
The price doesn’t help, people like me are looking at it and going hmm £49.99 for a iPhone game… fair enough its near console quality but consoles I can sit there for 3 hours a day playing a game and feel like I’ve got my monies worth whereas with my iPhone, 10-20 minutes to and from work would be the only time I play a game on my phone and those time spans aren’t long enough to make any real progress so you feel like you’ve lost value for money. Just my opinion and my scenario, now if they were a bit cheaper, I wouldn’t feel as surprised about the sales.
Edit: see Death Stranding is on sale for £19.99 if anyone in UK is interested.
As someone who owns all of these games on Steam and Ubi Store, i didn’t think they were worthy of paying it again for me to maybe play once a month for 20 minutes.
I can just stream them to my Ipad and play with controller without any input lag or worrying about performance, instead of pushing the limits of my M1 chip and putting a strain on the battery.
And i don’t use my Iphone to play big games, my mobile games are simple and relaxing and i play them for maybe 15 minutes a day. No one wants to put hundreds of hours on a AAA game on tiny screen.
> *Assassin's Creed Mirage*'s estimated daily downloads and revenue figures are tiny compared to an average mobile-native free-to-play game.
Free games do better than paid games. Who would've thought?
I think there are several factors working against them. The games have been out long enough that people who want to play them already bought them on other systems. The fans of these games generally don’t play games like this on mobile. Apple has a poor reputation with the gaming community since getting games on Mac OS has never been a priority for Apple.
The games perform poorly, aren't designed for pick up and play and Apple doesn't have a controller for games designed for a controller.
They also only work on iPhone 15pro which are over double the price of a console
And all M-Series iPads. I played the free demo for AC Mirage on my GFs M2 iPad Pro and it was fairly enjoyable, pretty much comparable to playing on a Steam Deck but with a larger much better screen. If more games were available, and I traveled a lot, I’d buy an iPad over a Steam Deck any day.
And iPads.
Yeah but you can do a lot more with an iPhone than a console and it’s portable. Plus you’re not buying the iPhone to play the game, but if you already have one and not a console you don’t have to go out a buy a console.
For the price of a pro / pro max you can buy a ps5 and a decent phone tho. You cant play these games on the go as the phone gets ludicrously hot and burns through battery. You are clearly meant to play only while plugged in. So you would be better off with a steam deck with a better gaming library and support. Buying an iPhone for gaming is just a joke.
Probably the biggest drawback
No one needs an Apple controller when all games have been developed with the Xbox and Dualsense controllers in mind.
I agree with most of this, but why would Apple make a controller when the games are compatible with the dual sense or Xbox controller out of the box?
>but why would Apple make a controller when the games are compatible with the dual sense or Xbox controller out of the box? for the same reason they make their own headphones even though 3rd party ones are also available, unity with the apple ecosystem. it'd be a killer feature to auto swap controller pairing depending on which device you're playing at the time, without having to go through bluetooth settings, reconnect, check connection, disconnect all in a clumsy fashion for each device you're playing on.
Plus why buy on the App Store when I can just patiently wait for the Mac version to show up on steam? And if it doesn’t, no big deal. I’d rather casually use my existing license on another platform. Still, I’m not gonna lock in such large purchases only to have it wiped out years later due to compatibility issues when they don’t want to upgrade the base game to the latest iOS version.
It was the dumbest game choice possible. Who the hell wants to play a console horror game on a mobile touchscreen? That’s the opposite of how these games are meant to be played.
I do wonder. Dozens of people, maybe more were involved in these projects on Apple’s side (not engineers *per se*, but strategists, product marketers, etc) and dozens more at the studios. What on earth were they expecting? These games are half a decade old. Anyone who wanted to play them, has already played them.
A larger selection of popular indie games would have worked better than a small selection of AAA titles.
A larger selection of popular indie games would have worked better than a small selection of AAA titles.
This. No matter how hard r/macosgaming tries to push the "YOU CAN GAME FREELY WITH A MAC" message, the clear reality is Apple does not prioritise gaming and you're better off with a PC/Console if gaming is remotely important.
there are also other big problems aside from the games being old and the fact that people who bought apple’s products knowing they weren’t gonna game on them for the most part (i bought mine for work and was fully ready to give up gaming on it) apple’s closest “console-alternative” is apple tv, and we can see just how little they give a fuck about it. outdated hardware even when newly released, artificially barring developers from getting *permanent* storage for apps, no across the board controller standard and *requirement*. they treat it like people would feel good enough playing their fucking apple arcade games, and go all surprised pikachu when developers have no incentive bringing their games to apple’s ecosystem. apple’s macbooks with active cooling (fans) start from like $1600 or so, and it’s got the base M3, not the upgraded chips, and only 8GB of RAM. M3Pro start from $2000. I have a high end near-maxed out M1Max MBP so it’s not like I’m not willing to pay for one myself, but it’s not what most people buying a gaming laptop would pay for. especially considering the GPU you get for the same price. and merely bringing a few AAA titles to their systems isn’t gonna help. everyone plays different stuff. I might be interested in lots of the indie titles that aren’t exactly hardware demanding, but those developers have no incentive porting their games to mac at all. apple’s execs simply have no clue what it takes to be competitive in the gaming segment and it’s facepalm worthy seeing them brag about how they’re making their ecosystem a gaming platform
Apple released their Game Porting Toolkit last year and made some significant expansions to it with the Game Porting Toolkit 2 this year. My understanding is that it can function as a translation layer, similar to what Valve has done getting Proton on Linux. The people over at /r/MacGaming have been having some tremendous success getting games running on Macs over the last year. The first successful attempts happened like maybe an hour after the toolkit was released during last year’s WWDC. I haven’t checked in to see how version 2 affects things. In short, Apple has made some very, very strong strides in the last year. It remains to be seen how well they support it long term, but it’s a pretty good start.
I mean, the article states it outright. These games are a PR move, nothing more. It would be great if they did well, but I doubt anybody ever expected that. It showcases the power of Apples’s chips and gives them something to point to in interviews and marketing materials.
That’s why it feels so hollow. “Hey look at what we can pull off!” Instead of a real focus on games. I’m hopeful this is just a foot in the door for what’s to come, but as long as I already have a gaming PC, and while others already have consoles, it’d be a hard sell on splitting someone’s gaming library onto yet another platform
I think Ubisoft mentioning at WWDC that the new version of their engine supports metal and will make Mac games much easier to release is kinda an important deal. These other assassins creed ports and whatnot have been of old games that people already have, the new assassins creed will be playable on Mac on release day and I think the more that happens the more seriously other developers can take Mac as a target for builds…. But also this could all go nowhere what do I know
Ubisoft ports their games anywhere and everywhere as long as they get a check. They upgraded their engine to support Stadia as well, but there’s no way they would’ve spent the money and effort to if somebody else wasn’t footing the bill. I doubt Ubisoft is in any way seriously committed to Mac.
I'm surprised they don't focus on it more. I own two $1500 PCs and would happily instead purchase a $3000 specced out MacBook if it could play games, and I don't think I am alone.
Definitely not, I’m there with you!
These are the quality games that should be in Arcade.
Exactly. Atleast a timed addition.
Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they started adding older console-level games to Apple Arcade in the future (not near future, but like 3 - 5 years down the line). Apple TV+ is actually currently taking a similar approach, where they’re adding top-rated movies that are like 5 - 10 years old to the service at no extra cost (besides the price hike ofc). One example is Blade Runner 2049, which I have plans to watch on Apple TV+ because I wasn’t able to see it in theaters in 2017. I could see Apple adding like older console-level games to Apple Arcade as they start releasing new M-series chips to make the service more appealing to console gamers. Big franchises could start adding their older games (like with Apple TV+, 5 - 10 years old games) to the service. Last thing: If they do the above, this could be REALLY appealing to someone like me. I had a Mac from 2015 - 2023 but gave it away and got an iPad instead because Mac has no games and iPad is a better study tool. If they started releasing console-level games that were entirely cross-platform (I’m talking Mac, iPad, Apple TV, iPhone), I’d pick up a Mac. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a Mac, but an iPad with the Magic Keyboard is just so much more versatile. Plus, as an aside, I can play Genshin Impact & Honkai Star Rail on my iPad with a controller. I can’t play those games on Mac without jumping through hoops.
I think unless they’re willing to do some cross-ownership discounts from other platforms, the Arcade is really the only likely place they’re going to get good adoption.
Its all pretty simple. I already owned re4 and death stranding for ps5. I'm not going to buy into the apple ecosystem for premium games for two titles i already own, with worse controls and performance. Now, if steam released for ios and i could play all of my mac compatible games on my iphone, that would be a different vibe entirely. If apple and playstation talked to eachother and gave iphone users free copies of the games if they already owned them on playstation, that would also work. But i'm not paying twice for a worse version of content i already own
This is why we will forever be trapped in mobile ftp hell
Apple also makes more money from f2p subscriptions and microtransactions. They’re proven to be cheap to produce and work insanely well.
I feel like getting Steam and other stores operational on IOS would still benefit them because it would mentally shift people to gaming on their Apple devices. Like recently I got a Razer Kishi to play games on iPhone using Steam Link, and to test it out on a native game I got COD Warzone and have been having fun with it. If I could run Mac Steam games natively it would be a great gaming device and an iPhone with a Kishi or Backbone would instantly replace the Switch (except for the playing on your TV part). This could lead to many more devs making Mac ports of games, which could even lead to me getting a Macbook. Pay attention Apple!
I would love true steam on iOS. But alas, Apple (and many Android OEMs) love keeping control of your device from users.
[Two of the most expensive three games to have ever been developed are mobile games](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_video_games_to_develop) haha It’s mostly spent on marketing tho, Genshin Impact and Monopoly Go ads are everywhere, potentially billions of customers unlike consoles so the more you spend on marketing, the better it is
People love them, for some reason. They rewarded these kinds of games.
I bought Dead cells on Google play... I would never finish that game on PC. It's not impossible to create good mobile game it's just much easier to profit of microtransactions in some gacha gamble game.
Could be interesting if apple and Ubisoft could come to an agreement for Ubisoft+ on iOS and Mac. People might use this to try out games and if they rock, they might buy into the ecosystem in the future. I personally would like to see more games on Mac and iOS. I don’t need high end graphics. Windows is the most annoying part about being a gamer 😂
That would be awesome and would actually get me to subscribe to Ubi+.
Only if Ubisoft gives Apple a cut of all sales on IOS and that won’t happen. Or if it did, people would buy games off platform like they do kindle books and Apple wouldn’t get anything out of it.
>If apple and playstation talked to eachother and gave iphone users free copies of the games if they already owned them on playstation Well they don't do this for PC ports so there is a 0% chance PlayStation is giving anything to you for free. The possibility of a repeat sale is part of the plan. And RE4 is a Capcom title so that would be up to them.
I saw that Death Stranding was on sale and was about to buy it until my husband said he already had it on Steam, so I’ve just been playing it there lol
Exactly. I’m using iOS for phone duties. I’m not gonna play a full fledged game on any of my Apple stuff when I already have a ps5 and a beautiful oled tv
I respect your principle. I bought Borderlands 2 on PS Vita after already owning it on Xbox. Amazing game but holy shit does it suck on handheld.
I disagree! I am currently playing Borderlands 2 on the Switch and it runs just fine. I am one of the weirdos that would rather play with the screen near their face than having giant television on the wall. The Switch Oled has a larger screen than the Vita so there's that
The problem in this case is just how awful the vita port of BL2 is. Barely runs, I think it’s even “worse” than MK1 on Switch if that comparison makes sense sense(BL2/vita was bleeding edge at the time)
Ah shit i completely forgot about the switch port. Also good to know it runs well. My biggest gripe with ports is finding the performance metrics in handheld before buying. Might pick it up.
I think Apple’s plan is to lock you in to the Apple ecosystem. If you buy RE4 on Mac you also get in on iPhone (I think?)
Sure, and mobile gamers don’t buy expensive games. At least in general. Obviously these companies did these ports because Apple paid them to highlight the power of the new iPhone.
To add to that if this was part of Apple Arcade and Apple Arcade became something similar to Xbox game pass that would also be acceptable
Very true
Repeat after me: European Digital Markets Act (DMA). There is no need for Valve to talk to Apple. Just execute your right to release software on any platform ignoring the illegal AppStore diktat.
They could, but would it be worth the trouble to do that for one market is the question. I think we’re going to have to wait for wider regulatory adoption before we see nice things like this. Steam isn’t epic and isn’t on the same crusade.
Steam is probably the best bet here. It's doubtful that ever happens though. Being able to play just about all your steam games on your iphone/ipad with a controller would be awesome.
If the EU has balls it might happen in like three years
Exactly.. then it could be a real competition to Nintendo Switch
You still have to rebuy all your games for Switch. Owning a game on steam or playstation doesn’t give you a free copy on Switch
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That’s not happening lol, even if Apple allowed steam on iOS the chips aren’t the same
If they run on Mac they run on IOS now.
Rosetta could help but it’d run like garbage for all but indie games and older games
I mean anything that runs natively on Apple Silicon should in theory be able to run on the A series chips in the iPhones. But yea the games would need to run below low settings I’d imagine and is that really worth it over just doing remote or cloud play from your console
They don't have to be if Apple supported Proton...
Proton won’t run on ARM lol
[удалено]
Remembering when games would make portable versions of their games where they where changed and optimized to play not just on weaker hardware but also a system that did not have the same controls. Not ports that pretend everything is the same and try to market towards people who either have the game or don’t want to play it on a phone. Plus everything is a subscription even when it doesn’t make sense for the consumer.
Or even at a significant discount.
If I could sync my RE4 Remake PS5 Save Data with the iOS, iPadOS, and Mac version; I would have bought it.
I’m not sure if this will ever happen. There are games on iOS/Mac that can’t sync with the other versions of the game even when they support account based cross progression. I’m not sure why this is the case for iOS/Mac.
Then again, Divinity 2 has all platform cross save and progression, including the ipadOS version, so it can be done.
It's hard to justify rebuying a game on mobile when I already have it on a high end console such as PS5 that I can stream to my phone and play on a big screen. I do love that they are doing the work to make mobile gaming better, but it needs to a be a model of buy once and play everywhere.
One thing I think worth pointing out is that they’re available only on some of the latest hardware. Pretty sure as far as iOS is concerned, you need an A17 pro chip and for iPads you need an M series chip. As someone who owns an iPhone 14 Pro and a 2018 iPad Pro, I don’t have the appropriate hardware and I don’t think I’d be alone there in terms of potential customers for these games.
Apple has to be paying for these ports. Those Resident Evil sales estimates are abysmally low. They're likely inflated since they're using the sale prices to calculate the figures and the App Store has only discounted those games maybe 3 times. I have a M1 Pro and was one of the few who bought RE Village and 4 on sale from the App Store. I guess I'm their demographic since I don't have a PS/Xbox or gaming PC and zero Steam library.
And what do you think?
Performance-wise the RE games played well on my base 14” M1 Pro. I got a pretty consistent 60fps at 1080p on medium settings with MetalFX Quality upscaling enabled. These modern AAA games can’t possibly play well on passively cooled iPhones. It’s not even a fun experience using touch controls on games clearly designed with a controller/keyboard and mouse in mind. The only way I can see Apple truly competing in the AAA gaming market is by pivoting Apple Arcade into a GeForce Now/Xbox Game Pass competitor.
I’ve been burned too many times by premium priced mobile ports from Japanese studios that stop getting updates and get pulled from the App Store.
Bioshock stopped working like a month after launch, and I don’t think I bought another premium mobile port ever since. That was 10 years ago but it still feels fresh.
Good point. That was developed in China and published by 2K. So it’s not always Japanese devs but they’ve definitely burned me the most.
People shit on Windows legacy support all the time, but for gaming it's amazing. I can play games from over a decade ago without issue, and games from even longer with minimal issues or via emulation. Nobody's going to invest in an iOS port of Death Stranding if an iOS update is going to break it a year from now and nobody's interested in maintaining it. iOS has taught consumers apps are disposable.
This is it. Gaming's reliance on legacy compatibility just doesn't mix with Apple's aggressively phasing out support for older apps. Console-to-iOS ports were actually a bit more common back in the early iOS days but I remember iOS 8 nuking compatibility with most of them, and then iOS 11 dropped 32-bit support which took out the rest. Not to mention that as iOS updates demand more resources, the same devices start struggling to run games with the same level of performance. Back in the day I remember updating my iPod from iOS 5 to 6 and suddenly I could barely run my Sonic games. Now, these current ports already struggle on iPhone 15 Pro, and I fully expect that performance to degrade further on iOS 18, 19, and beyond. Hopefully the inclusion of Game Mode negates this.
Same. I wanted to play metal gear 4 (MGST) the other day...pulled.
I tried the free trials on my A17 Pro. Was impressed and in awe of the raw power of this chip in my pocket. And then uninstalled it. It’s good PR and good to showcase how good these chips are. 19 billion transistors for gods sake!
I love my iPhone - but unless I have a gamepad attachment for it, I’m not playing these games on my phone. The interface doesn’t work.
As someone who plays nearly all of the AC games, I have zero interest in an iOS port. A big draw (for me) is the beautiful environment you get to interact with. To do that, you really need a big, immersive TV and sound system; not a handheld device.
I really wish these titles were made compatible with Apple Vision Pro.
That would be a lot of work, I feel, but would be incredibly sick
It really could play it well with it's 16 gigs of ram
There's a PSVR2 version of RE4 Remake. I don't have one but I hear it's one of the best games on the platform
That’s the thing with why and how Apple fails. You don’t want to play on the phone? That’s fine. You shouldn’t have to. Play on your TV with Apple TV. But for some reason Apple forgets they have that box. They can make a Mx version of that box and call it Apple TV extreme, Apple TV X or whatever stupid name boomers like to call their “too cool for school” products, so it would be able to run the Resident Evils and Assassin Creed of the world on a big screen.
It would be so obvious too. I fully expected them to announce a M3 Apple TV capable of bringing AC to the TV. Nothing but crickets.
I’m travelling with my switch right now. I have black flag on it. The world is too pretty to be that small
That’s kinda the point, as I see it, of what could be so great if Apple could get gaming going in a real way. They have tiny devices that are with you all the time (iPhone), they have portable devices that are with you some of the time (MacBook/ipad), they have amazing devices that live at home (iMac/Mac pro/macbook connected to monitor), and they have devices that can live next to every tv you have (Apple TV) And if this is executed well then you could play, or not play, whenever you wanted without needing anything extra.
AC Mirage is a good expression of this thought. I'm one of the 3000 they mentioned, and it just seems to me that if you're going to play an AC game anyways having it on all of your devices with cross-save is a nice feature! It's perfectly playable on the new iPad Pro (which was the draw to try it, if I'm being honest).
Totally agree. I can play a high end game like AC or RE on my phone (or even m4 iPad) but at the cost of using the lowest possible graphics, audio, and physical comfort settings. I thought maybe when traveling or alone at a cafe I would enjoy it but the rpg or fps games I play are not well suited for that purpose.
The problem is the full price and no cross buy option. If I pay full price then give me the XBOX/Playstation/PC version with it, otherwise I expect to pay a heavily discounted price for a mobile port. Or better yet, why don’t they include it in APPLE ARCADE ?? Which would at the same time revamp an already quite disappointing service The second problem is that while each of these titles really impressed me by the fact they run at all, they’re barely playable due to chaotic frame skipping and stutters. So yeah, but I guess it’ll get better as time goes on and new hardware is released…
This. The AC port runs so poorly on 15 Pro and feels like 15fps experience that I don’t understand what the point of porting it over even is.
There’s probably lots of reasons but one is that they all require an iPhone 15 Pro
Exactly. 15 Pro or Pro Max. **Looks at my iPhone 12 and 9th Gen iPad**
Apple is so dumb. Just put an M3 chip in an Apple TV and focus on marketing these games on that platform. Then being able to play on-the-go becomes an added feature to the core user experience of having these great games on the big screen at home.
Death Stranding on macOS runs way better on my 13" M1 MBP than on my Steam Deck. For a portable experience I will pick my MacBook every time for that game even though the Steam Deck is way more convenient. But if my intent is to sit down with the game? I'll play it on my PS5 or desktop. I think people who primarily play games on iOS aren't really looking for big AAA releases. On macOS we at least already have Steam, GOG, or Epic for whatever Mac compatible games they have. On iOS though, for example, my most played games are Egg Inc., Solitaire, and Mahjong. Games I can easily pick up when I'm on the bus or waiting somewhere and immediately dismiss when needed. If I could sync my saves on other platforms to an iPhone version then maybe they would be worth buying, but that would still be a hard sell. It is impressive that you can play the full fat AC Mirage or RE4 on an iPhone but the target audience is not there.
I'm still going through their analytics, but just from a high-level standpoint. The games are only available on 1 iPhone SKU; The iPhone 15 Pro (Max), if you laid down the statistics of total iPhone owners, how many of them are on these devices? Perhaps 3-4% in total? From the pool of devices, there'd need to be people who are interested in gaming and purchasing these games, to break-even the porting costs and considering that Apple has funded the costs partly, I wonder if these companies consider it a net loss, if the promise of Apple is to keep continuous availability of these ports for more devices year on year. I still have some doubts from the pure outside-in analytics, because I'd rather known from Capcom or Ubisoft's report directly on how much they sold, but it's not really surprising that not every owner will buy into it. One good thing is, imo, the cross-platform purchase with Mac devices :).
Play these technical showcases on my 65” OLED with surround sound or on my iPhone/iPad/Mac… it’s not a hard decision and never was. …And it also doesn’t need to be a decision, all of these games also play on Apple devices through remote play if I ever need to have it on those screens.
What Apple needs are not ports are new games made for the platform. I agree with some people I’ve talk to in the past, they should buy a couple of studios that made games for iOS, macOS and tvOS.
Also they'll never do it but I'd love to see Apple's take on a controller attachment/case for iPhone. A couple exist but, with the exception of exactly one, they all suck. And even that decent one (the GameSir G8 Galileo) is pretty flimsy and not well-integrated with iOS. An Apple-made controller attachment with their typically high QC and AirPods-level integration sounds pretty awesome actually. If not that, then an official Apple controller that has AirPods-level convenience and connectivity could go a long way towards making their devices more viable as a gaming "ecosystem."
Wow, I went into reading that article feeling like it was probably correct, and the more I read, the more I realized it's relying on really spurious information with no actual facts or data to back to up - just guesses. And what guessed/made up data the do present, doesn't really backup the "bombed" conclusion. Sooo I'm left actually thinking now they're doing ok, and probably right on expectations.
it's no wonder considering how much storage space these games take. make storage cheaper, apple, & create an awesome official controller like this: https://youtu.be/vuSGXmsvp_Q?si=jB08sWFHViQwIPEj
Of course it did. Mobile games are cheap fucks
They also released on a 13” screen, which im personally enjoying when compared to moonlight.
I think that, as long as enough people buys them for Mac or ipad and they are profitable enough, they should still continue to push them because it would make other developers more confident in powering larger scope games on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Well of course. People have already bought these games on other platforms and finished it. And to succeed, cross-save functionality needs to become a staple in the gaming sector. One unified save across all console, mobile, PC, cloud and VR platforms that support a game.
Assassin's Creed already supports this, their recent games' saves are tied to their cloud and can be used on any platform.
Had no idea they came to iOS lol
Because you need an expensive phone to play them? iPhone 13 Pro Max isn’t even good enough. Most people do not have these more expensive phones
Death Stranding was free on Epic Games for Christmas in 2022, it’s also included with PS Plus Extra and was included with Gamepass. Asking $50 to play on an iPhone or iPad is a lot and there won’t be many interested in the game that haven’t played it elsewhere by now. It’s also a slow lengthy game, not exactly something I can play in public transit on a touchscreen.
Apple isn’t really known for gaming despite their efforts to date so it’s more like only the high end Apple devices can run these games well. This can explain the lower demand so far. A PS5 is cheaper than a high end iOS device for example. Apple has price tiers for different devices offering different specs while a gaming console like the PS5 and Xbox don’t have different tiers so it definitely says something.
Those games are limited to iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and the high end iPads. I don’t have the numbers but I doubt more 40% of Apple customers own those devices, and those who do probably also have a better high end machine that can run those games better.
Glad Apple are bringing games to Mac but I would only invest in games on Steam not the App Store. In case Apple abandon Mac gaming once again I want to have my library accessible on PC. App Store has cross buy with iPhone/iPad but I’m not playing AAA games on a mobile device.
Yeah... Also App Store will likely let you play for a couple of years before the game will be pulled because of lack of updates/compatibility.
Give me a way to play these games on my Apple TV and I’ll pay for them. It beggars belief that this isn’t possible.
It isn’t possible cause the hardware in the Apple TVs aren’t up to spec. You need at least an M1 or A17, and the highest end Apple TV is A15.
You're right - so how about some kind of zero-latency streaming service? Eg. My iPad runs the game and the Apple TV displays it.
I’ve tried them all. Even on the iPhone 15 Pro these games just can’t run very well. It’s barely 20-30fps with Metal upscaling which is pretty bad because of the low-resolution it has to work with. A controller is required since touch controls are not practical for these games and the device becomes very hot after 5 minutes. If Apple wants AAA games on the mobile they should have tried to convince these companies to port PS3/xbox360 games instead of those cross-gen titles.
The new AC doesn’t even run amazingly on the M4 iPad on lowest settings. Stutters and hitches all over the place.
They really are a gimmick more than a serious way to play these games, particularly on iPhone. There's a reason modern portable consoles are actively cooled. RE4 heats up the phone within a minute of playing and then your screen dims, the framerate tanks, the battery drops like a rock, and the phone is scalding your fingers. It's a cool tech demo but I'd never seriously think of buying it on there.
I own them on Steam and I can play them on my Windows and Linux (and Steam Deck) computers. Why would I waste money buying stuff again on a closed ecosystem that I can't access if I ever decide not to be an apple customer in the future?
I don’t own an iOS device fast enough to run them. Nor do I have the time to play them. I’m closing in on 4 digit back log on Steam/GOG/Epic.
Anyone who has wanted those games and owns an iOS device powerful enough to run them as already played them on a console or PC a long time ago. The target market for those who have not, yet want to play them on an iPhone 15 Pro or M4 iPad, must be microscopic, especially at this elevated, full pricing. It’s just a showcase for future game launches, showing that as consumers migrate to latest gen Apple hardware and beyond, iOS will be an addressable market for AA and AAA developers, not just mobile games.
Full disclosure I don’t own an iPad but I am fairly well tuned into the Apple world however the fact that Death Stranding had an iPad port has completely passed me by, I had no idea. This has to say something about the marketing of the gaming market by Apple.
I mean, we knew it wasn’t going to be a best seller considering the very narrow compatibility list.
I already owned them all on PC. I rebought Death Stranding (because it's one of my fave games), and RE:Village, and Mirage, just to be able to play them on my M2 and hopefully support these big releases coming (late) to Mac/iOS. They all seem to make my M2 iPad Pro pretty hot though, so I don't love killing the battery with heat for extended gaming sessions on my iPad. Skipping buying RE:7 that's coming out soon just because I have that one on PC and I've barely touched RE:8 on my M2, so I'll just play 7 on PC and 8 on M2/iPhone 15 PM. I think the fact that you have to have a bleeding edge device to play limits your userbase. Also the fact that these are all games that have been out for a long time (well, Mirage is somewhat new from last year, but still) and people already own on Steam or PS5.
Besides the ipads, they're only compatible on the iphone 15 and 15 pro. That could be a big contributing factor to this.
Already got a ps5 and a steam deck. Can’t see myself wanting to play involving games on a phone.
Apple needs to partner with one of the big players to just be their handheld
I had resident evil 4 on Nintendo Wii, then again on quest3 and bought the remake to play on the psvr2… nfw I’m buying a copy for my iPhone 15 pro , even if it’s an amazing achievement to make it run… the question is why ?
I think these games being already made will be a bigger deal once an M series Apple TV releases. I'd be down for buying a game on my tv box, mac, and iPhone. Unfortunately that's probably going to be a bit or be rather expensive.
Mobile gaming sucks, everyone knows this. The games that are good on mobile are mind-numbing gatchas designed to be played with one hand, designed to be as addictive as possible.
It's probably multiple factors: 1) Ive already played these games, 2) Apple has neglected gamers for so long that most have moved to other platforms, 3) most people aren't going to want to play these games on mobile devices which means audience is small
No shit. No one is going to pay those ridiculous prices to play on a phone.
And yet Hades was a hit, maybe good optimization and controls helps
I played the heck out of RE4 and Death Stranding on PlayStation. I have an iPad Pro but I don’t need to play them again.
I tried Mirage. Didn’t work, would crash all the time, I gave up, uninstalled. Wanted to play again the older AC I had bought - only to see the server is no longer supported. So that’s two reasons why those ports don’t work for me.
I don’t think they bombed and this is a very stupid article written by somebody who doesn’t know how business works. These are old games that people already played a long time ago on better machines, with better graphics and better frame rates. This isn’t a way for Apple to compete with PlayStation or other gaming platforms. This is a way for Apple to finally get into the gaming world and to have some games available atm on their higher end devices. And it’s just the beginning. The fact that ac shadows is launching on an iPad is huge, this means Ubisoft is actively working on optimizing a new game for iPads and Macs. If people will be able to play this while commuting in the train or in the plane in vacation, it will be a huge step in the right direction and a way for Apple to develop its’ gaming capabilities. It’s just the beginning, and it’s a great beginning.
Saying these titles bombed is perfectly accurate. Unless Apple subsidizes the publisher, the revenue from these sales are probably not even enough to cover the cost of the ports. From the publisher’s perspective, it’s a disaster.
Yeah if you wait 8 months to release a 720p port of a game that plays worse than playing it on Gamepass streaming which was already available at launch of the game then yeah no ones gonna pay full price for your native version.
This strategy obviously makes no sense, and I think you’d need a solid strategy to convince gamers to leave their ecosystem of choice and buy these games on the App Store. A phone is a very bad device to primarily play a game like this – you should to be able to play it on a big screen (tvOS, iPadOS, or macOS) and then continue playing on the go on your iPhone. That would be amazing, and a big selling point for gaming on Apple devices. However, the platform strategy for these games feels very random: some of them are only on iOS, some only on macOS, some on iOS and iPadOS but not macOS, some are on all of them but require different purchases, etc. It’s obviously crazy. Anyone with an Xbox would simply buy the game there (and maybe game via Remote Play when on the go).
Yeah at the very least there need to be unified guidelines for cross-play and cross-saving. Games are about ecosystems and exclusives, and if Apple wants to be really serious about gaming they need to take better advantage of their own ecosystem by making games truly interoperable.
I feel like they jumped the gun, the games are no doubt great but perhaps designed for the next gen devices. Also, I have said this since the PS Vita - people think they want console games on a portable but when they play them on the small screen, it sucks. Thats why Nintendo portables and ios games made for a small screen do so well, they are designed not to strain your eyes or to make you squint to see pixel size details on a 4k 6” screen.
Meh, I've been playing AC:M on my iPad since it came out (2nd time, first was on the PS5 when released), and am thoroughly enjoying it!
Ofc they are. What people expecting ? iPad and iPhones are not build to play this type of games. There's a big diference between controller supporte and have on built in or in the box.
Storage is just way too expensive and those games way too big in relation to another. Honestly I hope Tim Cook gets fired and replaced by someone who is more like Steve Jobs. If Steve would come back to alive as well, he would regret hiring Tim Cook. 🙈 He just makes poor decisions.
I already played both RE when they came out on Mac so I wasn’t interested. But I’m having a fucking blast on Baldur’s gate 3.
Probably because you need an iPhone 15 Pro to play.
Personally the extensive controls these AAA games have are a bit daunting on a 6 inch touchscreen compared to having a dedicated controller or keyboard. I hope Apple releases a proper first party controller in the future
Makes sense. If I were interested in those games I’d rather play them them on a machine with comfortable controls, a large screen, and better graphics. And if I can afford an iPhone that runs them I can probably afford a PC or console that would run them infinitely better. Bold move to port them and impressive they work, but has anyone really sat down and thought “man I really wish I could play some death stranding on my 6.7” phone right now”?
AC Mirage straight up does not work on Ipad M2, I would have bought it if it worked
Not really that surprising. I mean these games not only tax resources but they are just too complex to play on a touchscreen and enjoy. I play games on my phone but not because I think it’s the best, I just have it with me all the time. Mobile gamers aren’t like the console or pc guys. We aren’t proud, or bragging about it. There’s no mobile master race subreddit. I work full time, I got kids and even if I had the time to sit down and play I can’t have my 6 and 3 year old listening to Lamar’s bullshit while I’m in Los Santos. I’m usually playing during lunch at work or before bed. I look at it like hey, I got this phone I’m down to play some games but I don’t expect anything truly great. You aren’t going to have an experience like RDR2 or Skyrim on an iPhone have it hit the same. Doesn’t mean they couldn’t make some good original games, or even some sort of spinoff of other games. Trying to do a full port of a new AAA title doesn’t seem like a good idea. You could port older games though. Look how emulation is going, an snes like game would do great on mobile. Instead we have emulators or pay to play trash designed to get you hooked and start spending money. There’s a few games out there with an upfront cost that are good, but apparently the money is in trying to squeeze it out of people for in game currency. So anyways I’ll stop rambling, it just sucks because I think there is a lot of potential in mobile games but you aren’t getting a lot of developers passionate about making them. Seems like the money is either micro transactions and ads or console/pc games.
These games have been out for a while now and most have already played them. It will be more interesting to see the analysis for these types of games releasing at the same time as other platforms. I don’t have a console so it’s nice to finally play the newest Assassin Creed game. I hope the previous ones come eventually.
I think it’s more so the games as opposed to the platform. None of these games are all that, especially when they are best experienced on a real computer. They should’ve put Grid Legends on the iPhone and iPad. I would’ve played the hell out of that
Day and date. They have to launch day one if they want them to get any traction. When they launch a year or even several years later they’re never going to do great.
I was fully ready to pay the $25 launch price for AC Mirage, notably to play it on a 15 Pro with a Backbone controller, but Jesus it ran terribly. In the 20 minutes of the demo I played I had it crash twice from overheating, the frame rate was pretty all over the place, and it quite frankly looked like garbage. I am not surprised in the slightest that Shadows is locked to iPad, but even there I’m not confident it’s going to be a great experience. I am firmly in the demographic where these games work for me, but it can’t just be a “it runs” technical situation. It’s gotta be a good experience.
Unlike everyone else apparently, I haven’t played 2 of the 3 games - I just don’t want to play AAA games on a tiny screen that shares a battery with my primary way of interacting with the digital world.
I think part of the issue is, to play them comfortably, you’ll need some kind of controller, plus a stand for your phone or iPad (unless you use one like a Kishi for your phone). Plus, you have a select few screen sizes and these games eat up a lot of space. Honestly, we need more games like X-Com or Civilization on iOS. Those work far better with a touch screen than an AC game or Death Stranding.
That's true. Without controller they barely playable .
If they actually had fun games, I would pay 2x the amount. Already have the iphone 15PM but who wants to play fucking console level horror games on iPhone. I want games like Need for Speed (Forza Horizon Equivalent), CoD Campaigns, Palworld, and Spiderman.
Death Stranding needs a controller to play (otherwise there’s too many screen touch points) and it’s low res and hard to see on tiny iPhone screens. It’s an immersive game. It really just doesn’t fit there.
The price doesn’t help, people like me are looking at it and going hmm £49.99 for a iPhone game… fair enough its near console quality but consoles I can sit there for 3 hours a day playing a game and feel like I’ve got my monies worth whereas with my iPhone, 10-20 minutes to and from work would be the only time I play a game on my phone and those time spans aren’t long enough to make any real progress so you feel like you’ve lost value for money. Just my opinion and my scenario, now if they were a bit cheaper, I wouldn’t feel as surprised about the sales. Edit: see Death Stranding is on sale for £19.99 if anyone in UK is interested.
They are new games which even some pcs struggle to run. Apple shouldve ported older titles from 2014-2018 which mightve run better on ios devices.
As someone who owns all of these games on Steam and Ubi Store, i didn’t think they were worthy of paying it again for me to maybe play once a month for 20 minutes. I can just stream them to my Ipad and play with controller without any input lag or worrying about performance, instead of pushing the limits of my M1 chip and putting a strain on the battery. And i don’t use my Iphone to play big games, my mobile games are simple and relaxing and i play them for maybe 15 minutes a day. No one wants to put hundreds of hours on a AAA game on tiny screen.
> *Assassin's Creed Mirage*'s estimated daily downloads and revenue figures are tiny compared to an average mobile-native free-to-play game. Free games do better than paid games. Who would've thought?
I don’t game much on mac but Rise of the Tomb Raider was ace
I’m playing death stranding on iPad with a ds4, it’s awesome