Latest news with #GameCenter
Geek Culture
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
Apple Games: 5 Things To Know About The Gaming App
Its legacy with games might be spotty, but no one can blame Apple for trying, as the company has announced Apple Games, a new app streamlined specifically for all the video games you've ever played on Apple's family of hardware, from iPhones to MacBooks. It's landing on iPhone, iPad and macOS later this year, alongside the debut of Apple's upcoming updated operating system, iOS 26, iPad OS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26. Once released, the Apple Games app will be pre-installed on all new Apple devices, represented by a red icon featuring a rocket ship in flight, and provide a unified library for gamers across the Apple ecosystem. This makes it easier for players to keep tabs on all their games in one convenient place, or to see what's happening in their games across all devices. Source: Tom's Guide It's to be noted that the introduction of the Apple Games app will not render the current Game Center obsolete, and instead serve as an evolution of Game Center, which was previously used to provide social features such as leaderboards to mobile gamers. From competing with friends and family, to keeping tabs on your friends' high score, and discovering the new games that they seem to enjoy playing, here are 5 things you need to know about the Apple Games app: Upon launching the Apple Games app, users will be greeted by its Home tab, which gives a detailed overview of all a user's gaming library at a glance, collating data and allowing players to see all the games they have ever downloaded from the App Store via a Library tab, including downloads across iPhone, iPad and Mac devices. At the top of the page, a rotating carousel will feature editorial collections to help players find new games and recommend the latest Apple titles in store. Below that, a Continue Playing section lists all of the user's downloaded games organised based on which title was last played, allowing easy access to a player's favourite title and allowing them to quickly get back in the game. Even if you're on an iPhone and that copy of Civilization VII is for your iMac, Apple Games will reflect that, and you can tell which of your friends also dabble in global domination. Additional sections of the Home tab feature what games a user's Game Center friends are playing, including Top Played Games based on App Store rankings, and curated recommendations which suggest similar titles to the games a user has played. Users will be able to sort their list of games either alphabetically or based on the most recent title played, with additional filters available that let users list only installed games, those that work with controllers and Apple Arcade titles. Additionally, the Library screen also features an Updates and Events button, where users can keep track of any relevant events for their owned games, like upcoming seasonal content or competitive tournaments, while the Achievements button lists the various Game Center achievements users have racked up over the years across all titles. Within the app's Play Together feature, users can now keep track of their friends' gaming activities by integrating features on the Game Center app, listing out all their friends and created groups in one place to easily enjoy games together. Apart from listing out their shared gaming history, users can also compare game achievements or send game invite links or party codes right from the app without the need for external software, making the process of multiplayer gaming more streamlined. The Games app also features challenges — a new way to spark friendly competition through score-based contests. Developers with Game Center leaderboards can create tailored challenges for smaller groups of friends, transforming solo gameplay into a shared experience with friends, allowing for more ways to rally a group, crown a winner, and have a rematch. Players can invite friends to challenges by selecting their friends or contacts. The Apple Games app will also serve as a hub for Apple's gaming subscription service, Apple Arcade, with a dedicated tab for the feature. Functioning similarly to the Home tab, users will be able to subscribe to the service, discover new titles to play, or launch their Apple Arcade games directly, all from one convenient location. The Apple Games app also adds a handy Game Overlay feature for iPad and Mac, which will show over the top of games when pulled out. This tool allows users to quickly adjust system settings on the fly, like audio and screen brightness, manage Bluetooth devices like controllers, switch on Low Power mode to extend gaming sessions and maximise battery life, or turn on Game Mode for enhanced system performance, all without leaving the full-screen app. Additionally, players will also have access to a social tab within the Game Overlay, giving quick access to the Game Center and their friends list, making it easy to start a chat even while gaming. This feature supports both portrait and landscape modes, with navigation possible using a controller. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Apple Apple Games Apple Games App iOS 26 WWDC 2025
Arabian Post
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Arabian Post
Apple Unveils Unified Games Hub for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Apple has announced a standalone Games app, launching this autumn, to serve as an integrated gateway for gaming across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Displaying a curated selection of titles, social features and gameplay updates in one centralised spot, the app aims to elevate gaming engagement and streamline discovery across Apple's ecosystem. The new Games app will host five main sections: Home, Arcade, Play Together, Library and Search. Users will now see their entire App Store game library alongside Apple Arcade titles within a single interface. The Home tab surfaces timely events and update notices, while Arcade consolidates access to Apple's subscription service, which offers over 200 premium games. Customized recommendations will draw from past play habits, friends' activity, and Game Center leaderboards. Apple is emphasising social engagement in the Play Together section, which brings Game Center friends into the spotlight. Users can track friends' playtime, compare achievements and invitation codes, and start challenges directly from the app. Challenges allow users to invite friends to beat each other's high scores in supported titles, effectively converting solo gameplay into competitive shared experiences. A Game Overlay feature will also allow players to access these tools while mid‑game on iPad and Mac. ADVERTISEMENT Developer reception has been positive: designers from Puzzmo, Doghowl Games and Triband have praised the app's social and discovery features, saying it offers 'a window back into their gaming worlds' and has potential to 'deepen player engagement'. Apple frames the app as an improved mechanism for studios to showcase in‑app events, leaderboards and notifications designed to retain players. On the technical front, Apple is supporting the Games app launch with enhancements to its developer tools. At WWDC 2025, the company introduced the Metal 4 framework featuring AI‑driven frame interpolation and denoising for smoother performance on Apple Silicon, comparable to DLSS in competing platforms. It also demonstrated a Game Porting Toolkit designed to simplify the migration of Windows titles to Mac, signalling a renewed push to bring AAA content such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman to Mac users. But Apple's ambitions extend beyond hardware and software improvements. While the new app is poised to replace the legacy Game Center interface, Apple has yet to confirm whether it will also extend to Apple TV or Vision Pro devices. The company's prior launch of Game Mode on macOS Sonoma and iOS suggests this package fits into a wider strategy to bolster device gaming capability. Still, some commentators have questioned the app's impact, noting that it largely repackages App Store gaming features rather than introducing wholly new tools. Apple will need to leverage its design, developer support and AI enhancements to appeal to discerning gamers, particularly when competing with dedicated platforms. Launch timing remains tethered to Apple's broader OS updates. The company plans to roll out iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe this autumn, coinciding with pre‑installing the Games app across device updates. Activation is expected to align with the annual iPhone launch cycle, traditionally in September, positioning gaming as a core feature in their next generation of devices. Apple's renewed focus on gaming underscores its services-driven business model, with gaming representing one of the few remaining growth sectors amid declining hardware revenue. The integration of Apple Arcade, Game Center, and streamlined discovery tools reflects a strategy to deepen user engagement and capture a greater share of in-app spending. At the same time, Apple's move supports developers by offering new avenues for monetisation through in‑app events and challenges. With over half a billion iPhone users identified as gamers by Apple, the company sees a vast, under‑tapped audience that could be mobilised via improved discovery and social connectivity.
Gizmodo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Is This Really Apple's Big Plan to Make Gaming Stick?
I've been writing about Apple's newfound gaming ambitions for years now, but I'm still waiting for the company to come to grips with what today's gamer actually wants. My halting enthusiasm is often tempered by what the company regularly shows off at both its private and public events. As if to put a pin on that point, Apple shared the first look at its all-new Games app at WWDC25. It's a games launcher, achievement tracker, and game chat for contacts in one. The tech giant's flaccid attempt to mark Apple as a go-to arena for gaming will be pre-installed on most Apple devices when the iOS 26 and macOS 26 updates arrive later this year, but I don't need to wait until then to say this isn't what Apple needs to stake a claim on either console or PC mainstays. The Apple Games app combines the company's previous Game Center and Apple Arcade subscription into one place. The app should offer news tidbits about upcoming and current titles on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Vision Pro. If that isn't exciting enough, the app will offer achievement-like badges for completing certain in-game tasks or challenges. Users will also be able to communicate with friends who play the same games or check out leaderboards for score-based titles. The iPhone remains one of the most popular devices for playing games the world over, though few would call it a device built for the rigors of today's gaming environment beyond running Honkai: Star Rail, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, and—after a five-year absence—Fortnite. A good mobile controller helps ease a few pain points, but nothing beats a device dedicated exclusively to gaming. Apple has promoted cross-platform games on iPhone, including recent hits in the Resident Evil series, but the Mac is the one platform where you expect the iPhone maker to try and pin down gaming. Instead, WWDC25 was a showcase for just how little Apple understands the gaming scene. The Apple Games app on Mac includes everything it does on iPhone, though with more access to games like Civilization VII and Assassin's Creed Shadows. The update is also supposed to include a Game Overlay, accessible without needing to leave your session. Compared to most overlays, including the Xbox Game Bar on Windows, the Mac's version appears barebones. It grants access to the sound, brightness, and Bluetooth settings for adjusting or changing out a controller. There's no option for recording gameplay at native resolution. Apple's overlay doesn't even grant an option to see frame rates or latency. Apple introduced Game Mode in 2023 to limit background tasks and potentially increase in-game performance, but the Mac still lacks what players have come to expect from a gaming platform. The dearth of gaming-specific features would look slim on a gaming console, let alone a device that's most often compared to PC. Without a frame rate counter that players can easily access, they won't know if they're getting the optimal experience from the game they're playing. Apple could have looked at Nintendo and offered easy ways to talk to and stream game content to each other over a Discord-like interface. You can see your friends on your contacts and chat with them over FaceTime, though Apple failed to showcase if this feature creates an on-screen window where you can watch your friends' mugs and still pay attention to what's happening on-screen. Despite the new overlay, this first iteration of Apple's gaming app seems mostly geared to smartphones. The Mac version may be able to incorporate games purchased outside of Apple's first-party work suite, such as Steam, though we haven't. We don't yet know if Apple will help it work with various emulator apps that were made available on iPhones last year, though we doubt Apple wants to step a single inch into the legal minefield of game emulation. Macs are far better for gaming than they have been previously. Thanks to updates to Apple's Metal graphics API and improving graphics capabilities on the M-series chips, I'm regularly surprised by performance on Mac. The most recent M4 MacBook Air was capable of playing Baldur's Gate III and Resident Evil 4 on medium settings with stable frame rates—something that's rare to see with lightweight laptops. The Mac mini with M4 Pro chip was a surprise powerhouse that could handle some more-demanding titles. Apple has also shown Gizmodo how its M3 Ultra chip on the latest Mac Studio could run the demanding Cyberpunk 2077 on high settings with ray tracing—all with a system that lacked a discrete GPU for high-end, though we have yet to try it in person. Apple has been working behind the scenes to engender more support for its own ARM-based chips, but Windows still has it beat in terms of software support by many, many miles. Apple said more games other than Cyberpunk, including EVE Frontier, Architect: Land of Exiles, and Cronos: The New Dawn are making their way to Mac, eventually. It's a drop in the bucket. Promising I'll be able to play InZOI, a game that could best be described as The Sims without a personality, isn't enough to make me pick up a MacBook next time I'm ready to find some game that will help me relax after a full day of covering Apple's latest software updates.
See - Sada Elbalad
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Apple Launches 1st Gaming App
Rana Atef Today, Apple revealed a new gaming app during its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), as part of the upcoming iOS 26 update. The new app combines Apple Arcade, Game Center, and the game library into one unified platform. This app functions as both a gaming hub and personal library, allowing users to quickly return to any previously downloaded games. Additionally, there's a "Play Together" tab inside the app that shows what your friends are playing. It also turns individual challenges like Thronefall and Skate City into multiplayer games, all integrated into the Game Center leaderboards. The app will pre-installed on Mac, iPhone and iPad with macOS Tahoe 26 and iOS 26 this fall. read more UAE's Lunar Mission Delayed to Tomorrow Twitter Lifts Trump's Account Ban Scientists Find Evidence Of 10،000 Black Holes Surrounding The Center Of The Milky Way Galaxy Greenhouse In Antarctica Able To Grow Vegetables Without Soil Or Sunlight Moving Over China: U.S. Is Again Home to World's Speediest Supercomputer Technology The 10 most expensive cars in the world Technology Top 10 fastest cars in the world Technology Lasers Could Make Computers 1 Million Times Faster Technology Smart technology taking control of our lives News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
TechCrunch
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- TechCrunch
Apple debuts a new dedicated Games app at WWDC 2025
At WWDC on Monday, Apple unveiled a new dedicated gaming app that is designed to centralize gaming experiences on Apple devices. The app will serve as a launcher for games and allow users to track achievements and view leaderboards. The Games app will also include social features, including a 'Play Together' tab that lets you see what your friends are playing, compare scores, and invite them to play with you. There's also 'Challenges,' which is a new way to compete with friends in score-based showdowns. For developers, Challenges are built on top of Game Center leaderboards, so single-player games can turned into competition with friends. The Games app has five tabs: Home, Arcade, Play Together, Library, and Search. The app and link to the App Store's games section and highlight Apple Arcade, the tech giant's $6.99-a-month subscription offering. Previous reports have indicated that the new Games app will be preinstalled on the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV set-top box later this year.
