Warzone Mobile fans worried it’s going to start a mobile console war
As with all things Call of Duty, the official reveal of Warzone Mobile was spoiled ahead of its announcement back in March 2022. We've had two years to mull over the mobile port of the defining battle royale title, and with Warzone Mobile officially going live today (March 21), it looks like it's been worth the wait.
While Warzone Mobile has plenty going for it, one of the biggest wins is that we're getting Verdansk back. Amidst accusations that the console Warzone has lost its way with the likes of Caldera and Al Mazrah, Warzone Mobile is giving us the nostalgic whiff of getting the W at the Boneyard.
Warzone Mobile is prioritising iPhone
Even before Warzone Mobile was out, it was on a meteoric rise to the top of the charts - already outshining he OG Warzone in terms of internet chatter. Our minds were blown by the graphics of the first trailer, while a massive 150-player lobbies are already getting one over on its console counterpart.
Warzone Mobile could be the new way to play, and with the ability to connect to external controllers, it's effectively taking the console version with you on the morning commute. Well, if your phone can handle it. As shared by iMore, there are worries that Warzone Mobile will accidentally start is own mobile version of the console wars.
Those who play Warzone Mobile on the iPhone 15 Pro, the M1 and M2 iPad will be able to unlock the "Peak Graphics Mode" option. It's an obvious way to push iPhone users into Warzone Mobile, but in symbiosis, it's a way to boost hardware sales. We're not suggesting many of you are buying an iPhone 15 Pro just for CoD, but its an added bonus.
It's a mobile console war
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As iMore points out, it's similar to how Modern Warfare 3 was launched on both new and last-gen consoles, although the obvious priority was for the PS5 and Xbox Series. Older phone models are able to run Warzone Mobile, however, the clue of peak gameplay is in the name "Peak Graphics Mode".
Call of Duty is no stranger to dividing its fandom, and like the early days of DLCs prioritising Xbox before more recent entries gave PlayStation players the drop, iPhone users are clearly the priority here. The problem is, the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro boasts a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor with similar power to the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip.
The idea is that Android phones could also handle this souped-up graphics mode but are being left in their own gaming Gulag. Even now, Call of Duty stokes the fires of the console wars, with questions overs CoD becoming an Xbox-exclusive franchise being a major talking point of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard King acquisition.
When it comes to Warzone Mobile, iPhone players are the big winner here, especially those who've paid for the iPhone 15 Pro. We've already seen the latest handset tapped as the go-to for mobile gaming, although middling reviews of Resident Evil 4 and Village suggest we might not be selling our PS5 or Xbox Series just yet.
