Is Apple working on its own gaming controller?

With the gaming market continuing to skyrocket in popularity, big tech companies are looking to find their way in. And rumor has it that Apple is looking to infiltrate the gaming space even further with a potential gaming controller.

Of course, Apple isn’t necessarily a stranger to gaming. The company has been offering its Apple Arcade subscription, which gives gamers access to over 200 mobile games, for years. And recent rumors suggest that the company is working on its own gaming console.

But what is this we’re hearing about a controller? Is Apple working on developing a gaming controller for its console or iPhone or iPad?

Is Apple working on a gaming controller?

Short answer: It certainly looks like it.

Several Apple patents were recently revealed by Patently Apple suggesting a few different controller concepts that the company is working on.

One of Apple’s concepts resembles the handheld gaming controller options on the Nintendo Switch. It would feature two attachable controllers, each with its own buttons, that snap into the sides of an iPad or iPhone.

The second concept can be seen at the bottom of the image above and in more detail below. This one features a controller that would attach to the bottom of an iPhone in landscape mode.

This concept includes an additional interface in the middle, which you could theoretically use as a second screen. Think something similar to the Nintendo’s DS, though likely with a smaller second screen.

And Apple’s final concept resembles a more traditional-style gaming controller. This controller would likely work with multiple devices, including Apple TV. And the concept images below suggest that the controller could be used for both gaming and navigating applications.

So there you have it. Not only does it look like Apple is working on a gaming controller, but the company could be potentially developing three different controllers at the same time.

Of course, these are still early concept patents. There’s still plenty of chance that Apple will never actually develop any or all of these controllers.

But the three different options suggest that Apple is likely going to deliver at least something in the gaming controller space sometime in the future.

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