MacRumors reports that during the macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta, Apple has been refining and improving the way iPad and iPhone apps work on M1 Macs. In the latest beta, Apple has added game controller emulation to M1 devices, allowing a keyboard or a keyboard and mouse combination as a game controller.
When running an iPhone or iPad app, turning on preferences brings up a touch-substitution and game control interface that can be used to make touch-based iPhone and iPad apps work better with Mac controls. When “Controller Simulation” is checked, common game controller buttons are mapped to keyboard keys and mouse keys. For example, X is mapped to Q, direction bar is mapped to WASD, and Y is mapped to E. L1 and L2 can be accessed by pressing Tab and Shift respectively, while the space key is A. Controller Emulation allows iPhone and iPad games with built-in Controller support to be accurately controlled with a keyboard and/or mouse when played on an M1 Mac. This feature is designed for people who don’t have a game controller, because if they do have a controller, they just need to connect it to play. The macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta also includes the aforementioned Touch Substitutes panel for mapping touch-based functions like tap, swipe, drag and tilt onto keyboard keys, as well as a feature to make iPhone and iPad app Windows bigger.
The controller emulation and touch substitution functions work independently of each other, and only one can be enabled at a time. In terms of game controller support, many SONY and Microsoft controllers are currently compatible with the M1 Mac, and the beta adds support for the latest PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X controllers.
That’s the latest on the Mac. For more information on the Mac, check out Mac.orsoon.com