Monday, September 14th 2026
Apple to Launch Gaming Controllers Developed Under "Beats" Brand
After the announcement of the iPhone 18 series and the iPhone Duo, Apple is taking a step further by developing a new gaming accessory specifically for its phones and potentially other devices. According to the latest Power On newsletter from Bloomberg, Apple is in the process of creating game controllers, codenamed "T6502" and "T1057." These appeared in macOS 26.7 release candidate mentions and are reportedly dedicated to a handheld mobile experience first. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is designing game controllers for its iPhones, featuring all the usual elements such as thumbsticks, home buttons, triggers, shoulder buttons, and many more control options to make mobile gaming easier on the iPhone.
For the rollout, Apple plans to do it through its "Beats" brand, also known as "Beats by Dre." Since Apple owns the brand, the company will use it to launch non-traditional products like these gaming controllers, which don't necessarily fit the Apple brand. Launching this product also makes sense considering that mobile SoCs found in modern phones are equivalent to laptop or handheld consoles in raw CPU and GPU power, so turning the phone into a gaming handheld is a natural solution. For example, macOS 26.7 RC revealed that the T1057 gaming controller has accelerometer and gyroscope support, while the T6502 gaming controller does not.
The T1057 SKU design could be interesting as it may function on its own with third-party devices, while the T6502 would use the iPhone's accelerometer to handle sensory input. Hence, we could see a dedicated controller designed to work with third-party gaming handhelds, consoles, and PCs, sold under the Beats brand, pushing Apple to compete directly with other alternatives from the controller world ecosystem.
Sources:
Bloomberg, MacRumors, via ComputerBase
For the rollout, Apple plans to do it through its "Beats" brand, also known as "Beats by Dre." Since Apple owns the brand, the company will use it to launch non-traditional products like these gaming controllers, which don't necessarily fit the Apple brand. Launching this product also makes sense considering that mobile SoCs found in modern phones are equivalent to laptop or handheld consoles in raw CPU and GPU power, so turning the phone into a gaming handheld is a natural solution. For example, macOS 26.7 RC revealed that the T1057 gaming controller has accelerometer and gyroscope support, while the T6502 gaming controller does not.
11 Comments on Apple to Launch Gaming Controllers Developed Under "Beats" Brand
Clearly a big audience would be to target Android smartphone owners with portable game controllers for their handsets. So Apple could release an Apple-branded controller and a Beats controller just like they do with headphones and earbuds. Or they could just market all of the game controllers under the Beats label just like there's a Beats Pill portable Bluetooth speaker yet no Apple equivalent.
Note that this differentiated branding is not unique to the consumer electronics industry. Many fashion designers have tiered labels. Hell, even hotel chains like Marriott use different branding to target different audiences. Automobile manufacturers as well: Acura/Honda, Infiniti/Nissan, Lexus/Toyota are three longtime examples. Audi is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and yet has subsidiaries of its own including Bentley and Lamborghini.
It's important to note that the Beats by Dre website is not a sub-site at Apple.com. It's a standalone domain and has its own online storefront. There's even a separate Beats app for Android for device management. It's a way to enjoy some of the Apple ecosystem without shilling the Apple brand with an Apple logo.
Apple marketing was wise to keep Beats by Dre as a viable and distinctive separate brand and not absorb it into the rest of the Apple portfolio like they typically do with their acquisitions.
Sound quality fits the apple brand, sarcasm.
I would not consider it with the APPLE tag. That is a smart move to hide the apple related thing.
If you don't like either, that's fine but they certainly aren't the sound acoustically. You are free to purchase whatever headphones/earbuds you want. Apple can't come up with one pair of headphones that works perfectly for everyone all the time playing all genres of music.
That said, I'm actually OK listening to classical music, baroque choral, and opera with my AirPods Pro. Are they the best? I don't know but the AirPods Pro have other features that I also value (including health tracking benefits and live translation) that might not be available with other brand products. I dislike anything that straps on my head so you'll never see me wearing AirPods Max.
Apple even leaves the fruit logo off the AirPods Max because they said "We don't want to brand your head [with the Apple logo]." The Beats "B" logo is prominently featured on those 'cans. There is a nuanced difference in marketing approach for both brands.
As I mentioned earlier, Apple has kept some difference between their own brand and Beats By Dre. You can purchase the latter on their online store and in their bricks-and-mortar shops but there are no product pages for Beats products on the Apple website. You need to go to the separate Beats website for that.
Again Apple has reflected very carefully about how they differentiate the two.
Its a damaged brand.
Anyhow if they do decide to bring this to market, it will be because they think they have some sort of differentiation compared to the rest of the competition. Like they just did with their folding phone, and earlier with their smart watch, their wireless earbuds, their TV streaming box. The original iPod most certainly was not the first MP3 music player.
Apple is rarely first to market and not everything they productize ends up being the overwhelming market leader. No company is capable of hitting a home run every time they step up to the plate. Some you need to keep in mind as you wade through the vast array of new consumer electronics.
I do expect something like that from headphones. That is low budget equipment
Logarithmic scale, flat line, the + 2db and -2db are a feature of the device, that is an additional feature on top.
Anything else is just cheap consumer 5€ headphones worth of electronics. The artists, the original audio source should know how it should sound like for the end consumer. Over 20khz, i do not care, below 33Hz I also do not care
I bought that on the specs and it did not dissapoint me. I did the same wiht my monitors. Technical specs are there for such buying decissions.