Support for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Cons was discovered in the latest developer beta of iOS 16. With a public beta happening next month, it might not be long before you can try out Nintendo’s bespoke controllers on your iPhone.
Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Con support were spotted by developer Riley Testut in the latest iOS 16 developer beta, amidst all the craziness that was WWDC (thanks MacRumors (opens in new tab)). Testut is best known for developing the Delta emulator for iOS devices.
Testut shared his findings on Twitter, confirming that the controllers appear in the iOS 16 Bluetooth connections menu and pair without any issues. He adds that the controllers “work perfectly” with the Delta emulator. So when iOS 16 comes out later in the year, you’ll likely have a solid alternative to touch controls when playing games on your iPhone 13.
!!! iOS 16 natively supports Nintendo Switch Pro controllers!! I can confirm they work perfectly with Delta 😍 pic.twitter.com/p8u1sdjvTtJune 6, 2022
Bigger news than you think
The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is without a doubt one of the best official pads of the current generation of consoles. Its comfortable form factor, huge battery life and gyro support make it one of the most feature-rich controllers on the market today.
Having official Pro Controller and Joy-Con support with iOS 16 is a big deal, especially if you’re an Apple Arcade subscriber. Currently, Switch controllers work with macOS but not iOS.
When iOS 16 drops, however, you’ll be able to use the excellent Nintendo Switch Pro Controller (and the slightly less excellent Joy-Cons) with Apple Arcade on iOS devices. This means that you will be able to play many games supported by the controller through the Bluetooth connectivity offered by Nintendo’s bespoke controllers.
Also, since a pair of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons can act as two separate controllers, we hope you can also connect two at the same time to your device for multiplayer gaming.