Apple’s relationship with video games and the gaming public has, traditionally, been a little bit of an odd one. However might the newest title to be dragged kicking and screaming onto the Mac lastly sign that one thing’s altering?

That title is in fact No Man’s Sky, a recreation that is been round in some model or one other since 2016. Now it is on the Mac, nearly a yr after it was introduced at WWDC in 2022. However we’re now simply days away from WWDC 2023, so what offers?

The delay might be par for the course for Mac gaming at this level, however why is it right here now, on the eve of Apple’s huge developer convention and one which’s anticipated to see the debut of Apple’s first AR/VR headset? Does it have something to do with the so-called Actuality Professional?

That final query is the massive one – and if the reply is sure, we might be about to see a complete new Apple.

Actuality Professional, a gaming or productiveness headset?

The arrival of No Man’s Sky on the Mac simply days earlier than Apple is predicted to announce the Actuality Professional headset does scent fishy, it must be mentioned. The sport is already VR-capable and could be performed on the PlayStation VR2, amongst others. So why not Actuality Professional as effectively?

That raises an fascinating query as a result of it will be at odds with what we would been instructed to count on from the headset. Many leaks have been at pains to share among the issues that the Actuality Professional headset might be able to, together with operating iPad-like productiveness apps in AR and VR. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had additionally advised that health might be a part of the equation, whereas interfaces for Apple’s messaging and different apps had been considered within the works.

However the concept of a gaming side is not utterly alien. Gurman reported earlier this yr that gaming would be a magnet for Apple – admitting that it was a reversal of earlier plans.

“Gaming shall be a central piece of the gadget’s enchantment, too. That’s a reversal from Apple’s stance earlier within the product’s growth, when it wasn’t planning to deal with that class as a lot,” he mentioned.

If that is the case, ought to we count on gaming to change into a spotlight for Apple as a complete?

Apple and gaming, an advanced story

Apple isn’t any stranger to video games, in fact. There was the Pippin means again when, however extra just lately Apple launched Apple Arcade. The subscription-based recreation service offers individuals entry to a rising library of titles on their iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. There are not any adverts or in-app purchases, both.

Might Apple Arcade be a key driving pressure behind the Actuality Professional’s potential success?

If that’s to be the case, it will need some work. Apple Arcade has change into a spot the place builders rerelease their present video games, stripping out earlier monetization techniques. There are in fact authentic titles in Apple Arcade, however not as many as there must be.

This brings us again to the place we started – might No Man’s Sky sign a brand new focus for Apple? Maybe, and whereas No Man’s Sky in VR sounds fascinating, we’re extra taken with what comes subsequent. Let’s hope we do not simply get revamped outdated iPhone video games.