iOS 16.4 and Apple’s other updates let you pair Sony’s latest and greatest DualSense Edge gaming controller with your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac.
- What’s happening? iOS 16.4 and related updates permit you to pair Sony’s DualSense Edge controller with your Apple devices to play games.
- Why care? Apple devices haven’t supported Sony’s new controller until now.
- What to do? Update your Apple hardware to the latest OS versions.
iOS 16.4 adds support for Sony’s DualSense Edge controller
iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices support Sony’s and Microsoft’s gaming controllers but not the new DualSense Edge controller, launched in January 2023.
That changed with the iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 software updates which brought compatibility for the PlayStation 5’s $199 DualSense Edge Wireless Controller to the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac.
Apple’s support document lists the following Sony controllers as supported:
- PlayStation DualShock 4 Wireless Controller
- PlayStation 5 DualSense Wireless Controller
- PlayStation 5 DualSense Edge Wireless Controller
If you own a DualSense Edge and play App Store games or are subscribed to Apple Arcade, this news will be music to your ears.
Using gaming controllers with Apple devices
Over the years, Apple has built pretty robust support for gaming controllers even though Apple’s devices are not great gaming machines. You can easily pair a wired or wireless controller and configure button layout and other functions to your liking.
- iOS/iPadOS: Settings → General → Game Controller
- macOS: Settings → Game Controller
- tvOS: Settings → Remotes & Devices → Bluetooth
- macOS Ventura: System Settings → Game Controllers
However, Apple’s platforms don’t support rumble and motion features.
Apple lets you use up to four gaming controllers on a single device. Both wireless and wired connections are supported, with wired connectivity via USB only available for iPads and Macs with USB-C ports.
Aside from Sony and Microsoft controllers, any MFi-compatible controller (like SteelSeries’ Nimbus and Stratus) should work with your Apple device. On top of that, 8BitDo recently released a firmware update that enabled Apple support on six of its gaming controllers, expanding to its other ones in the future.