- Apple is reportedly working on Beats-branded game controllers for iPhones
- Mark Gurman says that Apple has been working on them for almost a year
- Gurman says Beats team leads on both ‘product engineering and design’
Apple seems to be continuing to show its commitment to games with something in the pipeline for iOS gamers.
As reported by PC Mag, macOS 26.7 code references two unreleased iPhone game controllers, and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple has been working on them for nearly a year. More importantly, though, Gurman says these controllers could launch under the Beats brand.
The controllers are codenamed T6502 and T1057 according to MacRumors (which discovered the references), with different haptic designs alongside a standard game controller’s features. Beats, which was acquired by Apple in 2014, is a brand that is often used for its own popular audio products (of course), but also for USB-C cables and some iPhone cases.
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Now it looks like Beats may be introducing good gaming accessories for Apple, and Gurman claims that these controllers will be led by Beats executives in both “product engineering and design.”
It’s a potential move that comes at a convenient time for iPhone owners intrigued by the game, as the RAM crisis continues to affect the PC hardware and game console market. Gurman observes that Apple sees gaming accessories like those for phones as a “growing market and wants to enter.”
Game controller and speaker hybrid?
If this really happens, it seems a bit bizarre to have beats producing game controllers, because it is a complete change from the traditional audio products. Fortunately, it opens the door to some surprising designs, and I’m thinking specifically of the audio side of the equation when connecting the alleged controller to an iPhone.
Maybe Beats could look to do something similar to Asus and its ROG Phone AeroActive Coolers, which have shoulder buttons for gaming alongside a built-in subwoofer for a significant boost in bass and audio quality. No, these ROG peripherals aren’t full game controllers, but they effectively illustrate what can be accomplished with a hybrid speaker and controller combo.
Based on the brief design description of the references found in macOS, in addition to Gurman’s report, it is difficult to say that the rumored peripherals are anything other than simple controllers. But there are likely opportunities for clever design twists, especially given the Beats branding.
If these Beats rumors turn out to be true, it is clear that Apple is looking to serve a market that is growing in the RAM crisis, and hopes to take advantage of the accessibility that comes with iPhones for gaming.
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