Apple Announces 'Game Mode' in macOS Sonoma for Better Mac Gaming Performance

[MacRumors]

Apple at WWDC today announced Game Mode, a new gaming feature for Macs that's exclusive to macOS Sonoma.

With Game Mode enabled in macOS 14, the Mac prioritizes CPU and GPU power for the running title, thereby improving gaming hardware performance across the board. For example, Game Mode makes gaming on Mac even more immersive by dramatically lowering audio latency with AirPods.

Apple says it has also doubled the Bluetooth sampling rate for paired Xbox and Playstation controllers, while a new Game Porting toolkit for developers makes it easier to port games from other platforms.

Game Mode works with any game, including all of the recent and upcoming Mac games, according to Apple.

The developer beta of macOS Sonoma is available through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. The release will be available as a free software update this fall.

Article Link: Apple Announces 'Game Mode' in macOS Sonoma for Better Mac Gaming Performance

 

[DFZD]

Wow so much for those decade old arcade games.

 

[tubular]

Good to see them directly addressing games and -- critically -- the tools for porting to Metal, without which gaming is a dead issue.

 

[SMH4KIDIOT]

Good to see Apple take gaming a little more seriously. Game mode has been on Windows since Win10.

 

[Johnny907]

Hilarious/sad MacOS didn’t do this from day one.

 

[Eidorian]

I have given up on Mac gaming outside of streaming from my Windows desktop or using GeForce Now.

 

[macguru212]

about bloody time.

 

[mipo]

Where is DiabloIV damn it. Shows Stranding like its few years old games yet glitchy on that preview. Pathetic

 

[rneglia]

Just give me Rocket League for Mac

 

[Youth in Asia]

Apple needs to stay away from gaming. They have an impeccable track record of disregarding gamers.

 

[oofio2461]

the M2 MBA will be on fire when you turn the game mode on.

 

[Gengar]

Hopefully I can play The Sims 4 more smoothly now.

 

[aloysiusfreeman]

My attention peaked when I heard Kojima's name - though for Death Stranding I was a bit meh.

 

[ubername]

This is Apple realising they’re going to struggle to get the VR/AR market unless they sort gaming out

 

[dazzer21-2]

So we can play GTA 6 from the off? 😉

 

[dominiongamma]

To play games from 2018…

 

[Youth in Asia]

This is Apple realising they’re going to struggle to get the VR/AR market unless they sort gaming out

Apple's VR goggles could always be used for adult entertainment. With the exponential increase in sexless males, they are the prime demographic for such a product.

 

[HiRez]

Is it just me, or did that Death Stranding demo look like it had a really choppy frame rate?

 

[Duncan-UK]

Apple's VR goggles could always be used for adult entertainment. With the exponential increase in sexless males, they are the prime demographic for such a product.

Aren’t they called nerds?

 

[Homy]

Is it just me, or did that Death Stranding demo look like it had a really choppy frame rate?

So did NMS last year but runs great now.

 

[Homy]

They also announced a new Game Porting kit. New tools so devs can see in days how well their game will work on Mac. Significantly reducing the game development time.

 

[LeeW]

Positive that they are openly being supportive of mac gaming in a better way.

 

[rforno]

Isn't this like Turbo Boost from 1990s era PCs?

 

[FaasNat]

This is pretty neat, but I wonder how the games running on the M chips, or at least the M1 chips, compares to a Windows system with a decent - maybe mid range - video card.

 

[NLLV]

This is great, I can play 10 year old PC ports so much better now.
If Apple cared about games, they would have purchased Crossover or Wine a long long time ago.