In today’s era of portable gaming, with the rise of devices like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, the appeal of gaming on the go has reached new heights. However, these modern handhelds, while popular, still lack the universal convenience of having gaming at your fingertips, like the ubiquitous iPhone in your pocket.

While mobile gaming on smartphones has been around for a while, it’s often associated with casual games like Candy Crush. But after just 30 minutes with Resident Evil Village on an iPad Pro, Apple’s ambitious vision for on-the-go gaming has the potential to bridge the gap between hardcore and mobile gaming.

Apple recently made an exciting announcement, revealing that major AAA titles such as Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village, and the Resident Evil 4 remake will soon be available natively on iPads and the iPhone 15 Pro. The promise of console-quality gaming on mobile hardware was met with some skepticism, but after a hands-on preview of Resident Evil Village, it’s clear that Apple and Capcom have achieved something remarkable.

Playing Resident Evil Village on an iPad Pro (scheduled for an iOS release on October 30) felt akin to any contemporary gaming platform. With an Xbox controller connected to the device, I was immediately immersed in the game’s opening, guiding Ethan Winters through a chilling town filled with grotesque inhabitants ready to pounce.

Even in the initial moments before the game’s action kicks in, I took my time strolling through the environment, stopping to scrutinize the smallest details. I was amazed by the level of detail. Although Resident Evil Village may not achieve the same pristine visual quality as a high-end PC, the textures are well-suited for the iPad Pro’s screen. On the smaller iPhone 15 Pro, the average player would be hard-pressed to identify any low-resolution elements.

Equally impressive was the overall smoothness of the gameplay. Thanks to the M1 chip, shared with Apple’s Mac laptops, the iPad Pro offers a range of graphical settings to experiment with. I freely switched between a variable refresh rate and a silky 120 FPS, and there were no hiccups in performance when I explored the map. Credit this seamless experience to Apple’s MetalFX upscaling technology, reminiscent of DLSS.

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As I cranked up every available graphical setting to the maximum, I half-expected something to give way, but the game continued to run flawlessly. This level of performance is a rarity for most games at launch.

Nevertheless, despite the impressive Resident Evil Village experience on the iPad Pro, questions linger regarding Apple’s quest to bring console gaming to its mobile devices. The primary concern is how well Resident Evil Village and other AAA titles will perform on the mobile processor of the iPhone 15 Pro. The iPad Pro handled the load admirably, but the M1 chip is primarily designed for conventional tasks. If the iPhone 15 Pro’s hardware proves up to the challenge, it could revolutionize mobile gaming by offering players the opportunity to enjoy substantial games on the move.

Apple’s larger challenge lies in persuading the mobile gaming community that these titles are worth the investment. For years, mobile gaming has been dominated by sub-$10 games and free-to-play titles like Genshin Impact, which rely on microtransactions. Apple Arcade, too, provides a library of games for a monthly subscription fee of $5. However, AAA-quality games on Apple devices come with AAA-level price tags; for instance, the Resident Evil 4 remake is priced at $60 on the Apple App Store. Despite the impressive technological feats in Resident Evil Village, the mobile gaming market may not be fully prepared for these relatively higher price points.

Resident Evil Village is set to launch on the Apple App Store on October 30. The game is already available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac, making it accessible to a wider range of players than ever before.

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