Get the weekly hi-fi digest — new gear, best reads, and deals.

Apple plans to launch a centralized Gaming App at WWDC 2025, enhancing gaming across its ecosystem.
The app will feature game achievements, leaderboards, editorial curation, and seamless integration with Apple Arcade.
Upcoming Apple TV 4K models will prioritize gaming functionality, with pre-loaded support for the Gaming App.
Apple is reportedly gearing up to redefine the gaming experience across its ecosystem, with the introduction of a centralized Gaming App that could transform the Apple TV 4K into a more viable gaming platform. Set to debut during WWDC 2025, this initiative reflects Apple's renewed focus on integrating gaming into its devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and its latest-generation streaming player.
The Gaming App is rumored to serve as a comprehensive hub for players, offering features like game achievements, leaderboards, and activity tracking. Editorial content within the app might spotlight certain titles or genres, aligning with Apple’s strategy to actively curate gaming experiences. Additionally, the app will function as a launcher for games and provide seamless navigation to the games section in the App Store. The inclusion of Apple Arcade—the company's gaming subscription service—adds further value, ensuring access to a library of curated games directly through the app. For the upcoming Apple TV 4K models, this app will reportedly be pre-loaded, while older devices will receive it as part of a software update.
The potential expansion into gaming is set against Apple TV 4K’s existing role as a streaming powerhouse, delivering excellent video and audio quality. However, its gaming capabilities have historically struggled to compete with dedicated consoles and gaming PCs. While Triple-A titles like "Assassin's Creed Shadows" have made their appearance on Apple platforms, consumer interest and performance metrics have been lukewarm at best. This move represents Apple doubling down on its ambitions to unify gaming across its ecosystem, though it remains to be seen if these new advancements will sway developers and gamers alike.
This shift is further bolstered by Apple's recent acquisition of RAC7 Games, developers of the popular title "Sneaky Sasquatch." While this underscores Apple's intention to refine its approach to gaming, its platforms still face challenges in overcoming perceptions as mere casual gaming solutions. With high-end gaming consoles and PCs offering unparalleled power and immersive experiences, the Apple TV 4K's evolution may cater more effectively to hybrid users seeking convenience and entertainment in one compact device.
As Apple integrates gaming more robustly into its ecosystem, the interplay between hardware, software, and user convenience will be crucial. For audiophiles and tech enthusiasts, the Apple TV 4K has always been a standout for entertainment, delivering Dolby Atmos and spatial audio. Its potential growth into a capable gaming platform will depend not only on content but on optimization and performance that can justify its legitimacy in a crowded marketplace. Whether Apple's vision can elevate the streaming device to wider acceptance remains a question worth watching as WWDC approaches.
New gear, best reads, and deals — every Friday.

* Duran Duran’s 1993 ‘The Wedding Album’ and 1995 ‘Thank You’ are reissued on vinyl for the first time since original 1990s pressings.

* Queen will release a 5CD+2LP super deluxe Queen II box set on 27 March 2026 via EMI, expanding the original 1974 album extensively.

* Harman International launches three JBL Quantum gaming headsets on February 26: Quantum 950 WIRELESS, 650 WIRELESS, and 250, priced at ¥55,000, ¥22,000, and…

* Audio-Technica launches the ATH-CKD7NC USB-C wired earphones on February 27, featuring hybrid noise cancelling and priced at ¥9,680 via direct sales.