Apple's iOS developer guide hints at dedicated MFi game controller

Coming on the heels of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, and the subsequent seeding of iOS 7 beta, the company has updated its developers website with a brief guide illustrating what it has in mind for the future of iOS gaming peripherals.

While the developer page is sparse on details, it does offer at least a pair of simple drawings demonstraating possible hardware controller designs suitable for use as part of the company's MFi program.

First spotted by Touch Arcade (via The Verge), the illustrations show two different controller styles. One appears to attach to an iPhone directly, with left/right shoulder bumpers, a D-pad and four action keys essentially turning the device into a rudimentary handheld console like Sony's PS Vita. In the second embodiment, a standalone controller is shown, with a dual-analog stick design looking to be a mashup of controller designs from Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii. Both have home buttons.

While the drawings are mere examples meant for third-party manufacturers and app developers, they are the first sign Apple has given to showing interest in creating some type of standard for iOS gaming hardware.

There are existing products that can interact with iOS devices, either physically or via Bluetooth, but Apple has yet to ratify a reference design which could be used to unify the control scheme of at least some of the thousands of games in the App Store.

Previously, a rumor in March claimed Apple was courting developers at the 2013 Game Developers Conference to sign off on a controller to be released sometime in the near future, but the whispers were squashed by the well-connected Jim Dalrymple of The Loop.

56 Comments

konqerror 685 comments · 12 Years

About 11 years ago

They talked about this for 10 minutes in the Platforms State of the Union talk, which is online.

airbubble 105 comments · 12 Years

This will also explain to others why Apple chose those Coloured Bubbles "Love them" for Game Centre that become the X-Y buttons.

alfiejr 1520 comments · 17 Years

well, this is HUGE. standardized game control bluetooth API's will enable Logitech and the rest to offer snap-in controller frames for the iPod touch and the iPad Mini that could be used for any iPhone/iPad game. combine that with an Apple TV via AirPlay, and for

scruffy 23 comments · 16 Years

Quote:

Originally Posted by konqerror

They talked about this for 10 minutes in the Platforms State of the Union talk, which is online.They even showed a demo unit, made by Logitech, which is available for developers to try

Where is that online, exactly? Do you have a link? Google is failing me..

dunks 1252 comments · 16 Years

This is important. Touch screens work really well for board game apps but they are terrible for action-oriented games like FPS and platformers where you interact indirectly.

Although complex controllers can be off-putting for casual users they do allow for more nuanced gaming experiences. The key is having an agreed control standard in high enough circulation that developers can count on it being present. It's no use if it is only available to some users. Developers always have to code for the lowest common denominator and that impacts negatively on everyone's experience.

My preferred solution for big screen gaming would be an official Apple controller and a dedicated App Store for the Apple TV to avoid Airplay latency entirely. The App Store model alone is enough to make it work. The Wii eShop was lucky to have 1-2 decent games coming out in a month. This market could absolutely explode.