There are currently numerous WWDC sessions taking place that will highlight additional features in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, watchOS 7 and macOS 11 Big Sur. Now there is interesting news for game developers.
Apple has added support for the Xbox and PS4 controllers on iOS 13, iPadOS 13, tvOS 13 and maOS Catalina introduced. Now the range of functions is to be expanded. Developers will also have access to completely new control options to make games even more interesting. Apple confirmed support for Xbox's Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 on Monday. Now the whole thing has been examined in more detail. Accordingly, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14 and macOS 11 Big Sur will also support the touchpad and the light bar of the PS4 Dual Shock. The Xbox Elite Paddles were also taken into account. Accordingly, game developers can access both custom haptics and the motion sensors. In addition, they will be able to take advantage of the remapping of controller buttons at the operating system level as well as ready-made key glyphs for use in game interfaces. This is what the preview says:
Keyboard and mouse support is coming
Let's get started! Discover how to integrate third-party game controllers and custom haptics into your games on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. We'll show you how to add support for the latest controllers—including the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Adaptive Controllers—and customize your game's controls accordingly. Learn how to use the Game Controller framework along with Core Haptics to enable rumble feedback. And find out how to take your gaming experience to the next level with custom button mapping, non-standard inputs, and control of special features like motion sensors, lighting, and battery levels.
But the absolute highlight was the newly introduced keyboard and mouse support for games on iPadOS. This means that game developers will be able to add keyboard, mouse and trackpad control options in the future. This could be particularly interesting for titles like Civilization. If you want to find out more about it, you can find the full session here. (Image: Apple)