iPhone 15 Pro's native ray-tracing will power a port of the console version of Assassin's Creed Mirage next year

(Image credit: Apple)

iPHONE 15: What you need to know

Teaser image for Apple Wonderlust event — (Image credit: Apple)

- Apple Event - LIVE updates
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Pro /iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Apple Watch Series 9 / Ultra 2
- iOS 17
- watchOS 10

One of the most intriguing announcements to come out of this year's Apple Event was just how incredibly powerful the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are for gaming. Thanks to the A17 chip and smart internal design, the newly announced phones are able to run ray tracing natively from the hardware itself. Traditionally implemented data-side on phones, ray-tracing tech often ends up in worse performance and visuals.

This huge new change means that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can run huge AAA titles such as Assassin's Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil 4 Remake. Preorders open up for the new gadgets on September 15 with a release date on September 22.

Committed to gaming - iMore's Take

Apple has made a handful of major decisions over the last year that point towards a gaming focus -- one long overdue and greatly welcomed. The first James Bond game in almost a decade is launching on Apple Arcade, and macOS Sonoma has a dedicated gaming mode to cool down some functions on your MacBook and push a little more power out of your CPU.

Ultimately, ray tracing on iPhone 15 is very impressive, and Ubisoft going out of its way to make Assassin's Creed Mirage playable on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is a sign that Apple is further committing to gaming in the future. Ultimately, Apple wants to make the Pro and Pro Max line worth committing the extra money for, and someone who wants to game on the go will put down the cash to do so. I know I will.

We're covering all the Apple iPhone 15 event announcements live as they happen. Don't miss all our iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, iOS 17and watchOS 10 coverage so far.

James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person.

With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer.

As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.