Apple supporting Xbox and PS4 controllers is a bigger deal than you think
Two of the most widely owned video game controllers on the planet will soon play nice with Apple products, starting (and presumably not ending) with Apple TV.
Support for Microsoft's Xbox One controller and Sony's DualShock 4 controller will be added to Apple TV with the forthcoming tvOS update in fall 2019. Apple already supports a number of Bluetooth game controllers under its MFi program, but lots of households already have PlayStation and Xbox controllers lying around.
The expanded controller support ought to be arriving around the same time as the Apple Arcade subscription service. It's important to see Apple aligning its own interests with the broader market like this, since Apple Arcade is making a play for the entire gaming audience. Even -- perhaps especially -- the kinds of players who own one or more consoles already.
Up until now, almost all Apple-supported controllers under the MFi program have been missing a key feature: thumbstick buttons (or L3/R3, to use the lingo). Many of the games released in the past decade make heavy use of these buttons, so there's always an adjustment when one of those games makes the leap to an Apple platform.
It's more of a problem in recent times thanks to the arrival of apps that support game streaming from PlayStation 4 and, for PC gamers, Steam, to Apple screens. And that's not even mentioning upcoming services like Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud, which take more of a Netflix-style (or Apple TV+, if you prefer) approach, beaming your games out from the cloud.
With no official support for console-standard controllers -- there's only one MFi option right now with L3/R3 buttons -- streaming the most popular games to an Apple screen has been quite a challenge. It's not clear if the MFi program requirements are changing for everyone (we've asked Apple) but letting PlayStation and Xbox controllers in to play gives gamers a lot more options.
Topics Apple Gaming PlayStation Xbox
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
