The Apple iPhone 15 launched recently, and it is what an iPhone has always been: one of the most advanced pieces of hardware. Silicon keeps on getting more and more advanced, and whether you agree with it or not, Apple knows how to design super-powerful chips.

This time around, Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro is equipped with a chip called A17 Pro. And this chip is said to be as powerful as every current-gen gaming console out there. But is it? Let’s check its odds against its competitors and find out.

iPhone 15 Pro as a handheld console

When the Nintendo Switch launched back in 2017, it was called weak, and many predicted it would fail. Nintendo is a strong-willed platform holder, though; they learned from the failure of their previous console, the Wii U. And they had implemented all that they learned on this new console. The Nintendo Switch was a ground-breaking success thanks to all the games that were released on it. Especially the exclusives like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.

Then came Steam Deck. This handheld device launched last year, and gamers decided this is where Switch ends. Steam Deck proved to be its own thing, though. A console with open-source software and unmatched customization options when it came to playing games. That device was not a competitor to the Nintendo Switch; it was just an alternate way to play PC games. It was such a phenomenal success that other companies like Asus and Lenovo followed with their own respective Windows-based gaming devices.

The Apple iPhone 15, on the other hand, is a smartphone. And everyone knows that phones serve a very different purpose. When Apple talked about gaming on this phone, they mentioned games like Resident Evil 4 Remake, a title that launched in March 2023, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which does not have a launch date on the iPhone as of yet. If we have to presume, it could come sometime in mid-2024. Besides these, there was Genshin Impact, which has been on cell phones since its inception. And then that presentation about gaming on the iPhone 15 Pro ended.

What does this tell us? The iPhone 15 Pro might be an insanely powerful phone for sure. Although, it lacks two crucial things that made the abovementioned devices shine: exclusives and gamer-friendly user software. It is as far away from open-source software as it can be. And one thing that Stadia taught us was that you cannot win a gaming war just by riding on power and brand name.

iPhone 15 Pro as a mainline video game console

Yes, a mainline gaming console! The iPhone 15 Pro is a lucrative gaming console. Apple says they are more focused on developers and providing them tools to make development for the iPhone a better experience. It looks like they are dead serious; they really want a mobile phone with a touch screen to compete with gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/ S.

The most important argument to be made in this matter comes down to exclusives. Sony has over the years built a family of developers who can crowd its platform with numerous high-quality AAA games. Xbox tried too, and it now has Starfield. The iPhone 15 Pro comes with a promise: better developer tools and a game that launched almost six months ago.

What’s even better is that the iPhone 15 Pro allows players to use the touchscreen to play those complex games. Titles that sometimes require simultaneous button presses at the same time. It’s already too complicated for Resident Evil; it would be even worse if Apple decided to pay Larian to port Baldur’s Game 3 for the iPhone 15 Pro.

The point is, a phone with a touch-screen interface can only dream of competing with a gaming console. That’s the main way for a player to interact with those games, and a touch screen can never provide that experience.

Read More: “Step Aside, Nintendo”: Gamer Shows off His iPhone 15 Pro Gaming Setup but Gets Bombarded With Counter-Arguments

Sony and Microsoft spent millions researching and then designing perfect controllers for their consoles. Apple designed a chip and has started calling its most expensive model a gaming console.

And finally, the price

It’s astonishing that the price is so high. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 for 128GB of storage, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,119. A PlayStation 5 with a controller, an HDMI cable, and a Blu-ray drive sells for $499. The version without a disc drive defaults to $399.

The Xbox Series X costs $499, and buyers can purchase the Series S for $262.

Moving onto the Nintendo Switch system, the base model costs $299.99, the Nintendo Switch Lite costs $199.99, and the OLED version costs $349.99.

Finally, a Steam Deck costs $359.10 for the base 64GB model, $449.65 for the 256GB model, and finally $519.20 for the 512GB model.

The most expensive device on this list costs $519, $19 above the half-price of an iPhone Pro model. Apple is very seriously considering the fact that a mobile phone that costs a thousand dollars can be a lucrative gaming platform for anyone out there.

This is an exciting prospect, and after careful consideration, we think it might be possible. I can’t wait to see how long Apple keeps this up. One thing is for sure, though: to start a gaming revolution. Apple has to stop advertising its most premium device as a gaming console. And it has to start building a name for itself with exclusives; Apple Arcade and an Xbox Game Pass-like service that is flowing with mobile games would not cut it.

Watch This Story: Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the powerhouse game console that focuses more on delivering a gaming ecosystem to players