iOS 14 is compatible with Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Adaptive Controller

Apple’s WWDC developer sessions continue to provide more details on new features in its latest mobile and desktop operating systems, including new gamepad support in iOS 14.

During its opening speech on Monday, Apple said support for Xbox’s Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Adaptive Controller would come on tvOS 14, and a WWDC session on Wednesday confirmed that this support extends to ‌iOS 14‌ and iPadOS 14.

The session covers support for the Dual Shock touchpad and lightbar, Xbox Elite paddles, zone-based noise haptics, and motion sensors. Additionally, game developers will be able to take advantage of controller button remapping at the operating system level, as well as ready-to-use button glyphs in game interfaces.

Let’s roar! Find out how you can incorporate 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 Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Adaptive Controller, and map your game controls accordingly. Learn how you can use the Game Controller framework in conjunction with Core Haptics to enable forceful feedback. And find out how you can take your gaming experience to the next level with custom button mapping, non-standard inputs, and control over special features like motion sensors, lights, and battery level.

Another exciting highlight for game developers is the keyboard and mouse support for games on iPadOS. Apple is allowing developers to finally add keyboard, mouse, and trackpad control options. While touch is obviously preferred for most iOS games, it opens the door for games like Civilization VI to add support for this in future updates.

And with future Apple Silicon-equipped Macs capable of running ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ applications natively, we were able to see mobile games fully prepared for desktop peripheral use on macOS Big Sur.