Apple Reveals New iPod Touch With Improved Gaming Performance

Apple unveiled a new iPod Touch on Tuesday, the first of its kind to be released in years. Last update in 2015, the new version of the iPod boasts a couple of improvements over its predecessors, some of which will be appealing to anyone who’s big on mobile gaming. Apple‘s ne iPod makes uses of the A10 Fusion chip which has been used in later versions of the iPhone, a component which means users will have a better gaming experience that supports more powerful augmented reality possibilities.

The new iPod Touch starts at $199 if you’re looking to get the base version that comes with 32GB. It goes up from there for the 128GB and 256GB versions, the last of which is $399. Any of these should suffice if you’re going to be using it primarily for mobile gaming, but the base version might get filled up quickly once you start adding music and everything else to the device.

“We’re making the most affordable iOS device even better with performance that is twice as fast as before, Group FaceTime and augmented reality starting at just $199,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing. “The ultra-thin and lightweight design of iPod touch has always made it ideal for enjoying games, music and so much more wherever you go.”

The new device’s improved AR experiences extend beyond just games, but if you’re planning on playing anything like Pokemon Go, it’s worth remembering that the iPod Touch doesn’t support cellular plans which means you’ll have to stay connected to WiFi. That’s not nearly as much of a problem as it would’ve been several years ago when the last device in the family released now that hotspots and other resources are available, but it still limits the AR freedom to a degree. Apple reminded users that the AR tech can be applied outside of gaming to areas like normal web browsing as well.

Apple’s new iPod Touch with its improved gaming capabilities might also be an attractive option for anyone who’s already planning on subscribing to the Apple Arcade service. Apple described the iOS as the “world’s largest gaming platform,” and with the release of the Apple Arcade in the fall, that platform will be getting bigger. The subscription service was first revealed back in March and Apple is reportedly spending quite a bit on it with half a million dollars being funneled into the library of games.

The new iPod Touch is now available to purchase and can be found here.