Apple could be getting into mobile gaming hardware, with a new report suggesting its first iPhone gaming controller may launch under the Beats brand rather than Apple.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple has been working on gaming controllers for the iPhone for more than a year, with two models currently in development. The controllers could carry Beats branding, giving Apple a way to enter the gaming accessory market without putting its own name on the hardware.
The existence of the controllers was hinted at earlier this month when a MacRumors reader spotted references to two hardware devices in a macOS release candidate. The devices, codenamed T6502 and T1057, reportedly include familiar controller hardware such as dual thumbsticks, shoulder buttons and D-pads.
While Apple already sells third-party iPhone gaming controllers through its online store, including models from Backbone and SteelSeries, these would be different. Gurman reports that Beats executives are handling the product’s engineering and conception, suggesting the project is being developed within Apple’s audio subsidiary rather than as a typical Apple-branded accessory.
That Beats connection could actually make sense. Apple may be using the brand to test the waters in a product category where it doesn’t have an established presence. Beats is already associated with a younger, more lifestyle-focused audience, while its design language could arguably fit gaming hardware more naturally than Apple’s typically understated accessories.
It could also allow Apple to target a lower price. Gurman suggests a Beats-branded controller could cost less than something released directly under the Apple name, potentially by using less expensive materials and avoiding the premium styling Apple typically applies to its own products.
For iPhone owners who already use their phones for gaming, a dedicated controller would be a fairly natural addition to Apple’s hardware lineup. The company already has a sizeable gaming ecosystem through the App Store and Apple Arcade, although it has yet to make its own controller.
There is one big unknown: when, or even if, these controllers will launch. Gurman hasn’t provided a release timeline, so for now, the Beats gaming controller remains a reported project rather than an upcoming product you can buy.
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