Throughout the macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta, Apple has been refining and improving the way applications for iPad and iPhone run on Macs M1. In the latest beta version, Apple added game controller emulation for M1 devices, allowing a keyboard or combination of keyboard and mouse to function as a game controller.
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The new game controller feature was discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser. When running a iPhone or iPad application, opening preferences brings a Touch Alternatives and Game Control interface that can be used to make the touch-based iPhone and iPad applications work better with Mac controls.
With controller emulation enabled, common game controller buttons are mapped to keyboard keys and mouse buttons. X, for example, is mapped to Q, the direction stick is mapped to WASD and Y is mapped to E. L1 and L2 can be accessed by pressing Tab and Shift, respectively, and the Spacebar is button A.
Controller emulation will allow iPhone and iPad games that have integrated controller support to be precisely controlled with a keyboard and / or mouse when these games are played on a M1 Mac. This feature was designed for those who do not have a game controller, as those who have can only connect a controller to play.
The macOS 11.3 Big Sur beta also includes the Touch Alternatives panel mentioned earlier to map touch-based features, such as tapping, swiping, dragging and tilting to the keyboard keys, and has a feature to enlarge the windows of the iPhone and iPhone apps.
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Controller emulation and touch alternatives work independently of each other and only one of these features can be activated at a time.
As for game controller support, many current Sony and Microsoft controllers are compatible with M1 Macs, and the beta version adds support for the latest PlayStation 5 and Xbox One X controllers.