Apple to Launch Dedicated Gaming App in iOS 19

[beltzak]

I think there's something interesting here about the market for AAA games on App Store / Mac App Store.

If I buy a game on Steam, that'll generally mean I get it for Windows, macOS, and Linux - whatever versions the developer has made. But if I buy the same game on the App Store, I get it on .... macOS

Now of course the calculation changes when 32-bit macOS games and/or Intel macOS games are no longer compatible, but in general using the Mac App Store has less value simply because it is less flexible.

It sucks a lot that we cannot play old games in a computer more capable than those where we could play in 2016 computers. And I understand that Apple has to move on I understand that they wanted to drop 32bit code but its very cumbersome that I can install a Windows XP in UTM but we can’t run anything older than Monterrey even with 11X times faster than the last Intel.

No Rosseta for those old apps we bought in old Apple hardware, and the truth is Apple does leave very easily a lot of people behind in order to push to keep selling new hardware.

I ve had felt this last year. My 2 6950XT Radeon GPU have lost more than 130% performance in GPU rendering in Blender due to Intel + AMD hardware is abandonware. Blender 4.3 even dropped support in AMD GPU in macOS. They blame Apple of course . In the end I stopped doing something I liked a lot.

 

[DocMultimedia]

Why not launch actual games instead? And I mean games of _all_ types, not just simple phone games but full-fledged RPGs, action games, adventures, etc. C'mon, Apple. You've been pussyfooting around gaming for years now. **** or get off the pot.

I'm not even a gamer, but when I look through the arcade there is nothing I really want to play. Ping pong where all you do is tap the screen, solitaire, etc. Boring.

 

[spillled typos]

Would love to see this become a Steam competitor. I love Steam and competition will make it even better.

 

[Biro]

I have Game Center turned off on all of my devices. But Apple keeps trying to ram Arcade down my throat every time I visit the App Store or purchase a new device. When this new app turns up, I’ll uninstall it. That’s assuming I bother updating to iOS/iPadOS 19. But if games are anyone else’s thing, I say enjoy.

 

[coolkid93]

why? Not many people even do Apple Arcade lol

 

[LasNoches]

I would definitely like an XBox live style app for gaming. You can see what your friends are playing in the moment. Be able to jump in to the game for multiplayer. Watch other people’s gaming stream right on the app since twitch and TikTok live is so big now a days. Better achievement system. And obviously bigger and better AAA games. Apple can definitely make it happened they just need the right person to oversee their gaming department and lay out some major plans to compete seriously with other gaming systems. No the iPhone 17 won’t give up PS5 quality games but it will sure get very close. And every year it keeps getting better.

 

[jonnyb098]

Need M4 in the Apple TV and we’ll talk.

I think that’s a given at WWDC or fall at the latest. The M4 is incredibly powerful and can run many higher end titles very smoothly on iPad Pro.

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

It's hard to believe that the new Marathon won't run on a Mac. Perhaps with AI, Apple itself can port important games in future years.

 

[delsoul]

Another headache coming down the line from yours truly, Tim Cook. Just resign already.

Game Center was supposed to be the groundbreaking, gaming application of the future…and it was barely a blip on the radar. And here we go again with the same disaster just dressed in different clothing. It’s almost as if Tim Cook is purposely trying to sabotage Apple.

 

[platinumaqua]

nth time is the charm?

 

[baconcat_8964]

If it doesn't look like this I'll be pissed

View attachment 2514228

They run out of green field.

 

[Appleman3546]

Is Apple trying to send Fortnite to a new App Store to enforce in app purchases on games still? Games make up the majority of in app purchases, so it should not surprise anyone if they tried to protect that revenue by any means necessary such as breaking apart their own store

 

[svish]

Have to actually use it and see or at least see a real demo to decide whether it will be useful. Looking to hear more about it at WWDC

 

[dan110]

Didn't Apple already have this ten years ago?

 

[TastyFineWine]

Finally 👏
As a NON Gamer I have always strongly disliked having games thrust into my face each time I open my iDevice App Store even to update my app's it is very annoying.

 

[roland.g]

That’s a quick delete. Take that off my phone.

 

[Agent007]

Unless Apple seriously steps up the Mac GPU offerings idk what th

Why not launch actual games instead? And I mean games of _all_ types, not just simple phone games but full-fledged RPGs, action games, adventures, etc. C'mon, Apple. You've been pussyfooting around gaming for years now. **** or get off the pot.

Because, dollar or dollar, a PC GPU will trounce Apple Silicon in gaming. Even the M3 Ultra w/ 80-core GPU is unimpressive at it. This is just more "ecosystem" crap to try and tighten their grip on anything related to computing.

 

[Ctrlos]

It’s about time. The iPhone is an obscenely good gaming device with a much richer library of pay-once titles than Android. It’s time they USP’d it!

There seems to be a lot of negativity from people in this thread about deletion and so on but I also imagine most of them also don’t need the Tips app or even own any shares. Not every app has to be for every person.

 

[groove-agent]

Don’t they already have this?

 

[Luuthian]

Finally. Having to access this information through Settings or a floating icon in an app is annoying.

I’m aware not many people “game” on a Mac but some of us do and have been asking for this for some time. It’s a simple bit of QoL that will be appreciated.

Besides, as a dad to a four year old, I haven’t had as much fun gaming in years as I have watching my daughter fall in love with Sneaky Sasquatch and other Arcade titles. She is genuinely engaged and enjoying it, while sharing her experiences with me. And because the Game Center feed is surprisingly badass at sharing achievements earned, leader rankings, and so on, I can see her progress and compare to my own if I want.

This is something to be embraced as great for the folks who will use it. God forbid Apple builds something that can be fun and enjoyed, yet easily ignored if that’s not for you

 

[jayryco]

Would love to see this become a Steam competitor. I love Steam and competition will make it even better.

Yeah Apple needs to partner with Steam to incentivize developers to actively port games. Ignoring and not supporting the wider gaming industry is one of Apple's biggest fumbles over the last 15 years (lets not talk about AI, lol) but it's even worse now that they have good hardware to match since the M1.
I thought they were finally shifting strategy over the last 5 years but now I realize they really just don't care and do the minimum required work.
Like game porting toolkit is cool but why would most of the dev community go out of their way if apple doesn't incentivize it? They have partnered with like 3 studios to port AAA games, which I appreciate but really this is like a marriage with no love - sad and disappointed LOL.

Back to my ROG ALLY X, which is a device category Apple could dominate if they cared but oh well take my money Asus, AMD, and Steam.

 

[amaze1499]

Apple is working on a standalone multi-platform app for games, reports Bloomberg. The app will let Apple users launch games, plus it will have sections for in-game achievements, leaderboards, editorial content, and communication.

Apple plans to preinstall the app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV later this year, which corresponds with the launch timing of iOS 19, macOS 16, and tvOS 19. The gaming app will debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference that's set to take place on June 9.

The upcoming app is set to replace Game Center, which Apple has long used for inviting friends to play mobile games and tracking achievements. While Apple plans to use the new gaming app to promote Apple Arcade, it will include all of the third-party games that are currently located in the Games section of the App Store.

It sounds like Apple is aiming to split out the App Store's gaming, making it easier for customers to find and download games on their devices. On the Mac, the app will also "tap into" games that are downloaded outside of the Mac App Store.

While the gaming app will be previewed at WWDC, it will roll out to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs in September when the operating systems launch to the public.

Article Link: Apple to Launch Dedicated Gaming App in iOS 19

Its name: AppleSteam.

Call down, it’s just a rumor.

 

[Ferrandix]

Ok but they will throw all the garbage games with ads that populated the appstore?

 

[xxFoxtail]

I'm not even a gamer, but when I look through the arcade there is nothing I really want to play. Ping pong where all you do is tap the screen, solitaire, etc. Boring.

I might be old, but the only mobile game I really play and enjoy anymore is Pac-Man 256.

 

[bluecoast]

Google:
We've just upgraded our genAI video generator, where entire videos can be generated from a prompt.

Apple:
We've reskinned and renamed Game Center.