Apple files patent application for game controller that connects to iPhones via NFC

Patent application diagram for Apple game controller that connects to iPhones via NFC
GAME CHANGER: Apple users would use their iPhone or iPad to control the gaming accessory via NFC

Apple has filed a patent application for a “magnetically attachable gaming accessory” that “can provide a physical interface controlling game activities on an electronic device” such as an iPhone or iPad and would use NFC to transmit data to that device.

The application filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office also lays out how, in some embodiments, the system might use NFC to enable an iPhone or iPad to identify the gaming accessory, switch to game-playing mode and transfer power to the batteryless accessory.

“The electronic device can generate a field using near-field communication circuitry. The near-field communication circuitry in the electronic device can use changes in this field to detect near-field communication circuitry in the attached gaming accessory and to read data from the gaming accessory,” the patent application says.

“The near-field communication circuitry in the attached gaming accessory can include a tag, capacitors and other components. The tag can include identifying information. In response to detecting a connection, the electronic device can enter a game-playing mode or take other appropriate actions.”

Apple filed patent applications for sharing passes, accounts and credentials between devices in December 2021.

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