Virtual Reality Capable iPhone Projected to Be More Powerful than PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

There’s been a multitude of news and rumors circulating the web, in recent months, specifically — some going so far as to suggest that Apple’s Virtual/Augmented Reality projects are much closer to fruition than was previously thought.

And while we’re already being treated to a few small, shimmering glimpses of what the Cupertino-company might have up its sleeve, not much has surfaced insofar as the potential hardware/software applications are concerned — aside from the notion that the company’s iPhone will more than likely be the gateway by which it projects itself into the booming VR/AR market.

And the obvious (and not so obvious) possibilities haven’t stopped tech executives and Apple suppliers from speculating about what might be looming on the imminent horizon. As a matter of fact, to that effect, an ARM executive — ecosystem director Nizar Romadan, recently went on record weighing in his thoughts on the ever-increasing power of systems on a chip (SoC) — most specifically, those produced by his company that power the iPhone.

As if we weren’t already eagerly anticipating the day when our smartphones surpass the performance capabilities of high-end gaming consoles, Nizar had the following to say about his company’s chipsets — which he believe will be able to compete with the likes of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One very, very soon.

“Mobile hardware is already powerful. If you take today’s high-end smartphone or tablet, the performance is already better than Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3,” according to Nazir. “And it’s catching up quickly with Xbox One and PlayStation 4.”

It may very well appear from the above statement that ARM is hoping to somehow compete with systems like the PlayStation 4 and XBOX One, however, Nizar is quick to point out, that’s simply not the case — at least until such time that VR systems really start to proliferate the market.

“Our view is that mobile VR is the use case that could unlock the potential of mobile for hardcore gamers. For once, mobile devices are on par with PC and consoles in terms of experience,” says Nizar, adding “we won’t have the same processing. And battery life is a problem. But it is the same user experience. That could be a game changer for mobile gaming.”

Either way you roll the dice, though, it appears as if there’s a big market for Virtual Reality today. And, as we’ve all but confirmed so far, Apple is already well underway in its attempts to eventually tap into that market — sooner rather than later.

Learn More: Apple Likely to Incorporate Virtual Reality Technology into ‘Made for iPhone’ Program

What do you think about a future iPhone being more powerful than a standalone game console? Could you see yourself replacing that PS4 or XBOX One with an iPhone to satisfy your game cravings?