Will Macs ever be a force in gaming?

[ElPatron]

PC gaming is already taking a slight beating because of the increase in console sales and piracy

I have heard this sentence since 2005. It's 2012 now, and PC gaming doesn't appear to be dropping like a rock, even though everyone says that every year.

They're decomplexified PC's, prettied up. Ofcourse not.

Exactly what part of a Mac isn't complex? Windows stole the whole GUI thing from Macs, I don't know what does a regular Windows user need to know that is so much more complex.

 

[GigaHz]

A force?

Maybe forced laughter!

...

That was bad, and I feel bad.


I love my Mac for work but I hate my Mac for gaming. There are many obvious reasons that have already been listed, but my biggest gripe is multiplatform games. What do I mean by this? Take a Blizzard/Valve game for example.

For whatever reason, despite being designed to work in a Mac native environment, the game performs considerably worse than switching into a windows environment via bootcamp. I'm not sure why the Mac OS is so deficient at rendering graphical content. Especially because the hardware being used is exactly the same for both platforms.

I do have some games loaded onto my Mac just for breaks during work, but a large chunk of them are on my Windows partition. I expect that's where they will remain until my Mac outgrows its usefulness. My desire to work far outweighs my desire to play so this may not happen for a while.

 

[ElPatron]

Windows have more options, but also easier to break. Mac is the opposite. So many people get problems with windows that they can't fix, only to switch to mac. Most gamers are more knowledgeable about fixing pc problems.

You mean they can't google for it. ZING!

But does Mac really deserve the "indestructible" stereotype? I refuse to believe an operating system doesn't have at least a handful of errors no geek on the internet can solve.

 

[MammothBlade]

Anyway, on topic, as Apple continues to produce Macs which have better graphics, more and more developers will come on board.

Developers for the superficial "graphics are everything!!!11" crowd, maybe. It's not just about that. Also, the expense is definitely a barrier, considering super graphics upgrades are a lot cheaper than buying a new mac.

 

[Zenn3k]

which imac are you using then? just curious.

that's an issue with swtor or your driver issues, that has zero to do with windows, as i have yet to see that problem encountered ever on a windows computer (my own let alone my friends who play TOR)

yes that is true, it's been heard enough times thanks to apples commercials for the past decade, but most people are highly vulnerable to trojans as the average user has no fucking clue what they are doing, googling it would bring up thousands of news articles showing just that.

couple hundred? my rig is 800 including everything minus my gaming keyboard and mouse, which i have the free ones i got in my closet with the bundle, regardless of that the hardware stomps any mac remotely close to the same price or hardware. and once again your giving a highly opinionated answer as if it is fact, twice in the same little spot there.

2.5 GHz, Intel QuadCore i5
AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB
8 Gigs of RAM.

I got the extra RAM for free. So my total cost was $1199, thats $400 more than your rig, which included a 21" inch LCD display, which is friggin gorgeous. What are your specs? Also, did your $800 system include your copy of Windows 7? Cause thats another $200-300 you need to add to the price, on a custom build.

I also have a minor advantage over a lot of Mac users that I am Certified ACMT and can repair my own Mac, even under warranty, which is another reason I use them over Windows PCs.

I used to build my own windows PCs back in the day. I switched for OSX awhile ago, its "different" sure, but its not inherently worse once you learn everything you can do with it. People think they have no control in an OSX environment, but this isn't true, in fact you have MORE control, you just have to learn how to do it.

 

[GoGoFrenzy]

The second cloud gaming becomes the norm it won't matter what hardware you are using, so then and only then will Macs be as viable as Windows.

Cloud gaming will never be the norm in the states with the greedy isp bastards throttling and limiting your internet.

For once, I am glad of that. I vehemently detest cloud gaming, it would ruin gaming from the perspective of user freedom to play and mod something how and WHEN they want it. It seems like a mandatory form of always-on DRM across the board. I fear that something such as that aims to remove the need for advanced computers in the hands of private citizens. Many amongst the global elite love the thought of cloud gaming, it makes every "computer" a hackable terminal in a worldwide network, which can be cut off completely. No personal supercomputing power for you lololol

Agreed. Well said. Although I fear for the Xbox users since it looks like Microsoft is going to force that on them next gen.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I doubt Macs will eventually equal PCs as gaming platforms. Part of the reason why is that Macs are so utterly based on providing a certain ease of use and a certain "image" that for every Mac user who has some knowledge of how computers generally work, you have idiots who'll claim that their Mac can "literally run anything". Why? Because the Mac culture is one of ignorant elitism.

The moment this changes and Mac users understand that they're using underpowered or shackled hardware stuck in a pretty white plastic shell, then we *might* start to see game-worthy Macs. For now, it feels like every other game that *does* show up with cross-platform installation is some sort of weak attempt to placate an odd market share that wants to game, but wants to do it on a Mac.

Which is something I just don't understand. PCs will get you more for less, and you'll be able to play all the games you want. With PCs and consoles starting to close the gap in terms of price range, Macs really do feel like the odd man out.

What you're really paying for is the Apple logo and the odd, preconceived notion that you need something with Allan Turing's apple on it to be able to work with multimedia stuff.

Seriously. Why is it that my two friends who work in graphic design have PCs at home but are saddled with Macs that their employer purchased blindly?

 

[steelbom]

My point is the 7970M will no doubt cost bucketloads so it will remain a niche option and thus won't entice developers to make games for the few hundred who can actually play them at good settings.

They need to make a Mac that uses all desktop parts that doesn't fall under the mac pro line (which still uses a 5770 LOOOOOOL) so it's more affordable.

The $1999 model should include the 7970M and the other models should still have good 7000M series graphics such as the 7850M and 7870M.

It's not just that though, we've already had a couple of generations of Macs capable of playing games at a decent frame rate, and as the GPUs continue to improve developers will be more and more interested in developing for the Mac as well.

The iMac is their consumer desktop line so I'm not sure we'll ever see them create a consumer desktop tower. The Mac Pro hasn't been updated in two years, and it may be discontinued this year.

Developers for the superficial "graphics are everything!!!11" crowd, maybe. It's not just about that. Also, the expense is definitely a barrier, considering super graphics upgrades are a lot cheaper than buying a new mac.

There's a lot of people buying Macs already -- about 6 million a quarter. The question is are there enough Macs to make money off their games? Considering the Mac App Store comes installed (and on the dock) in OS X Lion, the current shipping OS, it's a prominent place to make money.

 

[tthor]

Just wondering what peoples opinions on this is.

The App store seems to be a hotbed of activity for indie developers, and I was wondering whether people thought Macs would ever be as good for haming as PCs, because frankly at the moment they suck.

They'd need gaming development to break away from DirectX as the framework for graphically intensive games, and also start selling Macs with customisable hardware at a decent price - which of course will never happen.

If PC gaming is replaced by Mac gaming though and Macs somehow replace Windows computer in the future - I think it could be the worst thing ever.

Unlikely, not impossible.

Apple make consumer products, most gamers are enthusiasts, so there's a problem right there. Also, they aren't even price competitive, and their software isn't mainstream enough, so by the time you spend, 4, 5, 6 grand on a machine that may or may not be the latest greatest stuff, you're then forced to buy Windows, to get an operating system they'll all work on.

And on top of it all, Apple like to think of themselves as snooty, they price things high 'because they can', not 'because they need to make a margin', which goes painfully against the grain of the enthusiast gamer, who likes to find their components individually and pay the lowest bidder possible.

However. Much like cars going from enthusiast product to a more consumer product as time has progressed (without necessarily weakening cars as an overall market, this point can debated), we may find Apple thinking more laterally to at least expand themselves into competing with their fellow PC makers - of course to be competitive right now they'll need to be cheaper/equal price to a PC, minus the cost of Windows 7. Which is the other barrier, they need to get involved somehow in the gaming market to make their software inline/integral with the new and upcoming gaming standards of video cards, software development ect.

So there's so many things for them to do, they may consider entering the gaming market for desktop PCs, but right now when they make $0.70 on a $.99 app, that's a fairly good margin there, the costs needed to get themselves into gaming may be too high for them to bother.

Any competition is good competition from a consumer's point of view, so if they do get involved, that'll be all the better for the rest of us (example iPhone; Android phones).

I was going to say something like this, but I don't think i could've ever put any better than you have~

 

[templar1138a]

*considers the thought of Macs becoming more important to gaming than PCs* .... HA HA HA. HA HA. HA HA. Ha. Ha ha. Huuuuuuh. Hah! You should go on tour.

 

[GoGoFrenzy]

I actually adore Macs and have one as well as my PC. The mac OS is simply flawless. But I just don't see it happening.

A lot of games studios (like Bungie) started on Macs way back when. But I have heard that Steve Jobs may have been to blame cause he actually wanted no resources wasted on gaming early on. And During that time pc gaming settled into Windows. Not sure if having one platform dominate is good or bad but it sure made things easier. Now that Steam is bi platform... maybe it won't matter that much in the future?

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

which imac are you using then? just curious.

that's an issue with swtor or your driver issues, that has zero to do with windows, as i have yet to see that problem encountered ever on a windows computer (my own let alone my friends who play TOR)

yes that is true, it's been heard enough times thanks to apples commercials for the past decade, but most people are highly vulnerable to trojans as the average user has no fucking clue what they are doing, googling it would bring up thousands of news articles showing just that.

couple hundred? my rig is 800 including everything minus my gaming keyboard and mouse, which i have the free ones i got in my closet with the bundle, regardless of that the hardware stomps any mac remotely close to the same price or hardware. and once again your giving a highly opinionated answer as if it is fact, twice in the same little spot there.

2.5 GHz, Intel QuadCore i5
AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB
8 Gigs of RAM.

I got the extra RAM for free. So my total cost was $1199, thats $400 more than your rig, which included a 21" inch LCD display, which is friggin gorgeous. What are your specs? Also, did your $800 system include your copy of Windows 7? Cause thats another $200-300 you need to add to the price, on a custom build.

I also have a minor advantage over a lot of Mac users that I am Certified ACMT and can repair my own Mac, even under warranty, which is another reason I use them over Windows PCs.

I used to build my own windows PCs back in the day. I switched for OSX awhile ago, its "different" sure, but its not inherently worse once you learn everything you can do with it. People think they have no control in an OSX environment, but this isn't true, in fact you have MORE control, you just have to learn how to do it.

phenom II x4 3.4 ghz
Radeon HD 5770 1 GB x2 in crossfire
16 gigs of 1600 ddr3 ram
600w power supply
(also a 21" LED/LCD display, "gorgeous" as you put it, got mine for 100 as I don't pay for overpriced anything.)

and yeah, it did inlude it in the price actually, and 200-300? no one buys the ultimate version ON RETAIL for that matter, i got professional for 50, fuck paying that.

i used mac's all the way up until i was 14 years old, so i'm pretty sure i'm not biased in the way I prefer windows over OSX, i've been using apple my whole life and was much more "at home" when i switched over to windows at home.

 

[GoGoFrenzy]

The moment this changes and Mac users understand that they're using underpowered or shackled hardware stuck in a pretty white plastic shell, then we *might* start to see game-worthy Macs.

They aren't underpowered or shackled for what they are intended to do. As a matter of fact the mac OS takes less "juice" to run overall. And is faster and crisper than Windows with pretty much zero maintenance. No scandisk, defrags, etc.

What makes them not so hot for gaming is more of a language barrier than a hardware one. (Except for the "pretty white ones" which are the entry level ones and really not comparable to the macbook pros. Nothing really wrong with them--I have a 2006 still going strong--but they have an integrated graphics chip so fuhgetabouddit if you want to game.)

As far as pricing: just the monitor on the 27" iMac is worth the price of the entire thing. Look at the specs. 2560 x 1440 LED. Simply drool worthy.

 

[GoGoFrenzy]

They're decomplexified PC's, prettied up. Ofcourse not.

Exactly what part of a Mac isn't complex? Windows stole the whole GUI thing from Macs, I don't know what does a regular Windows user need to know that is so much more complex.

Well they didn't have cut and paste until last year and you had to pay to get it.

WHAT?! Who pranked you with this falsehood? lol