Apple is adding native support for Nintendo’s Switch Pro and Joy-Con Controllers to iOS 16. Announced during WWDC 2022, the new Game Controller framework will also include some USB steering wheels into the fold, with the native support also being extended towards iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura.
The first details about the Game Controller framework functionalities were first tweeted by Twitter user Rile (@rileytestut), who also happens to be one of the iOS developers behind AltStore. In his tweet, Riles says that the Switch Pro Controller worked “perfectly”, while the Joy-Con Controllers are registered as a single device, making it that much simpler for apps and games to take full advantage of.
That said, you should be able to switch between a single Joy-Con and two of the same dynamically: all you need to do is hold both the screenshot and home buttons down for a few seconds. This bit was confirmed by Nat Brown, who also happens to be an engineering manager in Apple.
!!! iOS 16 natively supports Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers!!
Can confirm they work perfectly with Delta 😍 pic.twitter.com/p8u1sdjvTt
— Riles 🫡 (@rileytestut) June 6, 2022
Shifting back to the subject of the steering wheels, it is Logitech steering wheels, shifters, and pedals, specifically, that are expected to be supported in macOS Ventura. This includes the Logitech G920 and Logitech G29.
Apple’s extended support for Nintendo’s controllers to iOS 16are the latest addition to its 3rd party support list. Prior to this, it added support for Sony PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller to iOS 14.5 last year. Additionally, the fruit company also added support for the Xbox controller for the Series X console at the same time.
At the time of writing, iOS 16 is only available as a developer’s preview but a public beta is expected to launch in the following month, with a full release expected to hit iPhones either in September or October, alongside the macOS and this upcoming feature. For us, this form of support was more or less expected and from a gamer’s standpoint, it’s the kind of support that has been a long time coming.
(Source: AppleInsider, The Verge)
Najlaa Aina contributed to this article.
