Gaming on iPhone and iPad is becoming more and more interesting. The App Store offers more and more choice every day, but the controls on the display sometimes limit the gaming experience. That is about to change – under iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS 13 and macOS Catalina allow users to connect their Playstation 4 or Xbox One S joystick to their iPhone or iPad and we'll show you how.
Gaming on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, but also on Mac, is becoming increasingly popular - but if someone wants to play with a joystick, they have to use a certified controller - there are various models for this, but these cannot be compared to a real Playstation 4 or Xbox One S joystick - Apple knows that too. The announcement at WWDC 2019 that the popular console joysticks for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV would be supported caused great cheers among many fans. One reason for this innovation is probably the introduction of Apple's new gaming service - Apple Arcade. But how are the two popular console joysticks connected to the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV? We'll show you.
How to connect your Playstation 4 or DualShock 4 controller to your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV
In order to connect a Playstation 4 controller to your iPhone or iPad, the device must have iOS 13 or iPadOS or later. Then open the settings on your iPhone or iPad and navigate to "Bluetooth". Now you have to hold down the PS button and Share button on your DualShock 4 controller at the same time - after about five seconds the LED status display should start flashing. The joystick with the name "DualShock 4 Wireless Controller" should now appear on your iPhone or iPad under Bluetooth - now you can connect it to your iOS device. From here you can open a game and control it with the connected controller. If you want to disconnect the connection between the two devices, you can do this by pressing the PS and Options buttons at the same time. Alternatively, you can deactivate Bluetooth on your iPhone or iPad. If you want to connect your DualShock 4 to an Apple TV, you need at least tvOS 13 or later. You can then open the "Remote Control" menu under Settings on the Apple TV and select "Devices". Now navigate to “Bluetooth” and follow the steps above for the joystick itself.
How to connect your Xbox One S controller to your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV
In order to pair your Xbox One S joystick with your iPhone or iPad, you will need at least iOS 13 or iPadOS or newer. Note: Older Xbox controllers are not compatible with Apple devices. Now open the settings on your iPhone or iPad and navigate to the Bluetooth section. Then hold down the button for wirelessly connecting your Xbox One S controller - after about five seconds the Xbox logo should flash. The joystick will now appear in the list of Bluetooth devices on your iPhone or iPad under the name "Xbox Wireless Controller". As soon as a connection has been established, you can start using the controller. To connect the Xbox joystick to an Apple TV, you have to follow the same steps as described above.
How to connect a Playstation 4 or Xbox One S controller to your Mac
Of course, you can connect both console joysticks to a Mac under macOS 10.15 Catalina. To do this, you need to open the system settings of your Mac device and call up the Bluetooth menu. Now carry out the steps described above for the respective controller.
Please note – not every game is compatible with a joystick. Some titles even allow you to assign the buttons yourself. You can find out whether a game is compatible with a joystick in the description of the respective app. Apple Arcade, for example, will contain a lot of games that can also be played with a joystick. In addition to the two popular console joysticks, there are also products from other providers. It is important to note that the accessories have a MIF seal (Made-for-iPhone). You don't have a console joystick yet and want to buy one? You can find the PlayStation 4 – DualShock 4 Wireless Controller
