Apple May Have Just Swiped 130 Million Console Gamers Without Breaking a Sweat

Apple has been inching its way toward becoming a player in the video game industry for years now, but Tuesday’s casual WWDC announcement that Apple TV would begin supporting controllers for Microsoft’s Xbox One S and Sony’s PlayStation 4 in its upcoming tvOS 13 update could be its biggest move yet.Players will be able to use the popular controllers on all games offered through Apple TV, including those from the upcoming Apple Arcade service.That’s key, because video games are becoming less and less about the number of consoles sold and more and more about player engagement. (In some ways, it’s reminiscent of several years ago, when the game software industry became less about the number of titles sold and more about keeping players engaged—and, thus, spending more—for longer periods.) By adding support for the two most commonly owned controllers on the market, Apple is giving players who might not have explored its ecosystem otherwise an onramp to its casual gaming catalog.