This is true for many games, probably even most available on iOS and Android today, but there isn’t really a reason it has to be true. iOS has native support for great USB/BT controllers (Dual(Shock|Sense), Xbox, Switch, etc) so as long as there’s adequate computing power there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be capable of the same games one might play on a Deck, PS5, PC tower, etc, especially on iPad or Apple TV where the screen being used is larger.

That remains a purely-hypothetical future though. Not something that you sacrifice any shred of present-day market share for, in the hopes that someday all past trends of "smaller-form-factor devices are more limited than larger-form-factor user-upgradeable devices" will be reversed.

This is typical magical thinking from Apple fan user. I have a friend like that. They seem to think that somehow a chip that will be limited to 10w by its thermal envelope design (and even then last iPhone shows that 10w is already too hot) will be able to compete will chips that can use multiples of that with no issues. It seems to come from a belief that Apple is so much smarter and better than everyone else that they can basically make magic.

In fact, even if you would somehow find a way to divide power consumption of current competent gaming system by ten it would still not be enough. And all that is before talking about the fact that peoples who games for hours on end tend to prefer displays bigger than 6 inchs...

Anyone with functioning brain cells can objectively understand that AAA gaming on mobile is a distraction at best and a waste of ressource when you are not filthy rich like Apple. But Apple gonna use marketing to say otherwise instead of using it's money to offer more competent hardware at better price...