Unveiling the Hidden Gem: Why Apple's $349 iPad Stole the Show at Their Latest Launch

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I recently had a chance to go hands-on with Apple’s upcoming Game Mode feature , and it’s clear that we’re about to see the next generation of mobile gaming across Apple’s ecosystem of iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.

Also: I did not expect this iOS 18 feature announced at WWDC to be my favorite (and it’s not AI)

Mobile gaming is nothing new but it’s certainly growing up, with improvements that aim to make cutting-edge titles run on the iPhone with performance equal to other portable gaming devices. The first and foremost of these improvements is the Game Mode feature in iOS 18 due later this fall .

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1. Game Mode turns the iPhone into a handheld

Apple announced the Game Mode feature for iOS 18 at its WWDC 2024 keynote in June, but with all the other big news mentioned, you may have missed it. To recap, activating Game Mode on your iPhone aims to maximize immersion by jacking up the performance and providing consistently high frame rates for hours of continuous play, reducing dips in performance caused by background tasks.

Additionally, the mode activates hardware-accelerated ray-tracing on the iPhone 15 Pro, a big step up in games’ appearance that renders your iPhone an actual handheld gaming device, not just a phone masquerading as one.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Game Mode already exists on MacOS , dropping last year with MacOS 14 Sonoma , so it’s safe to say the feature will run similarly on the iPhone. For example, when you run a game in full screen, it automatically prompts the user to turn on Game Mode. Doing so gives the game the highest priority to system resources, such as the CPU and GPU, while turning off notifications that break immersion. There’s nothing worse than getting popups when you’re in the middle of a heated match.

It also boosts the Bluetooth sampling rate, which aims to reduce input latency for wireless accessories like controllers or headsets. Gamers everywhere know that every millisecond counts when you use your mic to communicate with your team.

Also: Every iPhone model that will get Apple’s iOS 18 (and which ones won’t)

Adding Game Mode to iOS 18 for iPhone also standardizes your gaming across devices, allowing you to use one device and seamlessly swap to another, picking up the game at the same place. This approach coincides with an overall shift to create a seamless experience across devices, supported by Continuity , the feature that allows users to ‘remote’ into their iPhone via their MacBooks.

2. You can’t ignore the hardware

Perhaps the key underlying reason behind the enthusiasm for gaming on an iPhone, MacBook, or iPad, is the sheer power of the hardware built into these devices – and Apple’s confidence that its tech is up to the job. What’s more, with new iPhones and MacBooks around the corner, gaming is likely to be an even bigger focus.

The Apple Silicon M4 chip in the new iPad Pro , for example, plays some of these new titles better than some full-blown gaming rigs, shrugging off the requirements for max graphics with ease and delivering an impressive experience on the tablet’s Ultra Retina XDR display.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

During the demo, I got a chance to play Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the new iPad Air , and its performance made me rethink the iPad as an ultra-portable gaming device. Additionally, third-party controllers like the Backbone One Controller for the iPhone turn the device into a satisfying and functional handheld.

On the MacBook, the performance is equally as impressive, even with non-native titles. Emulating Windows-only games on MacOS has come a long way in recent years, with many titles performing essentially the same as if they were optimized for MacOS. For example, I played the cult favorite Control -- a Windows-only title – on the MacBook. The game wasn’t 100% perfect, but it was better than I expected – and that capability opens the door for many possibilities.

3. The game porting toolkit will open doors

Historically, I’ve been a die-hard PC gamer, but I can’t help but notice how well these games play on Apple devices and how the concerted push to add new titles is gaining traction. Additionally, it appears Apple wants to close the gap between the number of games native to MacOS with the creation of the Game Porting Toolkit.

The game porting toolkit (GPTK) utilizes Apple’s Windows emulator, Wine, with D3DMetal for DirectX 11 and 12 support. The toolkit is a standardized resource that allows game developers to make Apple-ready versions of their products, emphasizing cross-platform compatibility with a unified gaming platform. This portability means that if a developer creates a MacOS-compatible version of their game, they have essentially also created it for iOS or iPadOS since they share the same hardware and software technologies.

Also: Here’s every iPhone model that will support Apple’s upcoming AI features (for now)

This compatibility makes it easier for developers to create cross-platform versions of their games. I wouldn’t be surprised to see fans with know-how do the same for older games long out of commission or to see them create homebrews of obscure titles.

Game Mode will come to iPhones via the iOS 18 update this fall, and iPads via the iPadOS 18 around the same time. Improvements to Game Mode and additional gaming titles will also roll out with MacOS Sequoia this fall.