While the Apple Vision Pro may offer a glimpse into Apple’s, well… vision for gesture-based spatial computing, it’s still an awkward fit for traditional gaming. Coming next week, that may change.
Tapping in
9to5Mac has learned that Apple is preparing to expand controller support on visionOS to natively include not just the usual suspects like PlayStation and Xbox gamepads, but also a new class of input device: spatial controllers.
This builds on support that, while technically has already existed under the hood since visionOS 1.0, has not been widely adoptedy by developers due to its limited scope. Still, when a game requires a controller to be played on apple Vision Pro, the app gets a dedicated “controller required” badge on the Apple Vision Pro App Store.
But doesn’t Apple Vision Pro already support Bluetooth controllers?
Yes. As Apple explains it, once you pair a compatible game controller, you can even customize button layouts for specific titles.
What’s new here is that Apple is now preparing to actively surface and expand this support, including alerting the user when they are about to:
- Acquire a title that requires PlayStation, Xbox, or MFi controllers;
- Acquire a title that specifically requires Spatial Controllers, which are motion-aware and designed specifically with 3D interaction in mind.
This would be a step beyond the current “controller required” badge that is displayed in the visionOS App Store when a game requires a Bluetooth controller, and tracks with what Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman had previously reported:
Apple approached Sony earlier this year, and the duo agreed to work together on launching support for the PlayStation VR2’s hand controllers on the Vision Pro. Inside Sony, the work has been a monthslong undertaking, I’m told. And Apple has discussed the plan with third-party developers, asking them if they’d integrate support into their games.
That means games made available on the Vision Pro may soon take full advantage of the same console controllers already supported on other Apple devices, but with new system-level awareness inside the App Store and visionOS.
Sounds great. When is this coming?
While Apple has been laying the groundwork for this behind the scenes, 9to5Mac cannot confirm whether the broader controller push, including support for spatial controllers, will be announced at WWDC next week, or later in the year. Still, the pieces appear to be falling into place.
As we first reported last year, and Bloomberg recently confirmed, Apple is preparing to unveil a brand-new Games app, coming later this year with iOS 26, macOS 26, and beyond.
The new Games app will serve as a central launcher for all your games, across Apple Arcade, the App Store, and even titles installed outside the App Store on macOS.
Not only that, but Apple might be bringing back something a bit like the old Game Center app, folding in achievements, challenges, and social features. Tabs like “Play Now” will reportedly let users see what their friends are playing, track progress, and compete on leaderboards.
Internally, Apple has even reportedly explored tighter integration with FaceTime and iMessage, including support for in-game communication and App Clip–style mini games. And then, there’s the recent acquisition of the videogame studio behind Sneaky Sasquatch.
Whether we’ll get the full story next week or just another chapter, we’ll soon find out. Either way, it looks like Apple will once again try to prove to the world that its platforms are meant for gaming this WWDC.
Forgetting the price tag for a second, does adding PlayStation and Xbox controller support make you more interested in Apple’s vision for an immersive headset? Let us know in the comments.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
<