The largest talking point among smartphone manufacturers is getting a phone to display console quality graphics. The iPhone and Android phones have proven to be great with 2D games, but not so much when it comes to 3D gaming. The results so far, barring titles like Infinity Blade, have proven to be Dreamcast level at best. Apple hopes to change that with the iPhone 5.

During the Apple event today, the company showed off the A6 chip. The little guy is going to be powering everything that the iPhone does with performance that’s clocked as two times faster in CPU and graphics than its predecessor. They say that everything from apps to games will see “two times performance across the board.”

To show their dedication to making console quality games, Apple invited Rob Murray, Executive Producer at EA Studios, to show off what the A6 chip is capable of. The game in question is called Real Racing 3 and Murray says that it has “full console quality graphics.” The game is also the first mobile racing game that has rear view mirrors and full shader support.

The true test of the new chip will be whenever Epic Studios gets a hold of it. They’ve already proven that the iPhone is a beast when it comes to building games with Unreal Engine 3. The new A6 chip will truly be put through its paces when a new Infinity Blade game is announced for the handset.

Regardless, Apple is pushing the mobile gaming scene pretty hard. Its closest competitor will be Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chip. The limited availability of Tegra 3 in mobile devices means that Apple will still have the better looking games. Nvidia needs to push handset manufacturers to start adopting the Tegra 3 if they want to take on Apple at their own game.

[Image Source: The Verge]