Apple VR Gaming?

[Huntn]

From Mac Rumors: Apple's Secret VR Project

So the line from Dumb and Dumber: Do I have a chance to see Apple jump into VR Gaming? As it is Apple is mostly out of the sweet spot for gaming. I think it would require some hardcore rethinking about their hardware and pricing in general to make this viable for gaming, but maybe they don't care top explore that. venture...

 

[gkarris]

From Mac Rumors: Apple's Secret VR Project

So the line from Dumb and Dumber: Do I have a chance to see Apple jump into VR Gaming? As it is Apple is mostly out of the sweet spot for gaming. I think it would require some hardcore rethinking about their hardware and pricing in general to make this viable for gaming, but maybe they don't care top explore that. venture...

Apple can barely do Gaming, let alone VR Gaming.

Plus, there's a difference with VR Gaming and just VR...

VR for Science? VR for CAD/CAM? VR for Design?

 

[jeanlain]

This is an old macrumors article.
Haven't you heard that Apple addressed VR, and VR gaming in particular, at the last WWCD?

wwdc 2017 vr

 

[gkarris]

This is an old macrumors article.
Haven't you heard that Apple addressed VR, and VR gaming in particular, at the last WWCD?

wwdc 2017 vr

The article looks like it has been updated very recently.

Plus whenever I see an article online about "Apple VR", "Gaming" is not mentioned.

Here's what seems to be Apple's version of "VR"...

Okay...

 

[Huntn]

This is an old macrumors article.
Haven't you heard that Apple addressed VR, and VR gaming in particular, at the last WWCD?

wwdc 2017 vr

In my defense, the page said updated 3 weeks ago. No, can you summarize? Or if I must I'll look at the link...

 

[Ritsuka]

Apple added VR support in Metal 2. They sold a eGPU kit with a HTC Vibe to developers and partnered with Valve. Anyway, it's gonna take a bit of time before all this will be ready for the customers.

 

[jeanlain]

The article looks like it has been updated very recently.

Plus whenever I see an article online about "Apple VR", "Gaming" is not mentioned.

Here's what seems to be Apple's version of "VR"...

Okay...

Have you looked up the link I posted?
[doublepost=1503589140][/doublepost]

In my defense, the page said updated 3 weeks ago. No, can you summarize? Or if I must I'll look at the link...

You can highlight what has been recently added in the macrumors article.

 

[gkarris]

Have you looked up the link I posted?
[doublepost=1503589140][/doublepost]
You can highlight what has been recently added in the macrumors article.

wwdc?

Yes, and I quote:

What's lacking here is any sort of clear story for consumers. Apple even specifically stated during its VR deep-dive that the external GPUs are primarily targeted at developers. And Apple's splash page description of its VR-ready iMacs is aimed at content makers, not gamers:

VR makes its debut on iMac, with the ability to edit 360° video in apps like Final Cut Pro and create cutting-edge 3D VR content.

Apple is already saying that VR, on their platform, is NOT for Gaming, but content (meaning Science, Math, Engineering, CAD/CAM, etc.).

 

[jeanlain]

That just says the eGPU kit is for developers. Just like the intel dev kit was for developers back in 2005.

 

[jeanlain]

Ok it was about the iMac and not the eGPU kit.
That doesn't tell much anyway. Apple has always advertised content creation over gaming. Nothing new here. But in effect, the only VR demo they showed at WWDC was a game engine (UE4), and their VR talk in the dedicated session was all about game development. Metal 2 supports SteamVR (in partnership with a gaming company), which is much more about games than anything else.
In fact, they perhaps spent 5 seconds in total about non-gaming VR (just one sentence about FCPX) and said nothing about Science, CAD, or engineering.

 

[gkarris]

Ok it was about the iMac and not the eGPU kit.
That doesn't tell much anyway. Apple has always advertised content creation over gaming. Nothing new here. But in effect, the only VR demo they showed at WWDC was a game engine (UE4), and their VR talk in the dedicated session was all about game development. Metal 2 supports SteamVR (in partnership with a gaming company), which is much more about games than anything else.
In fact, they perhaps spent 5 seconds in total about non-gaming VR (just one sentence about FCPX) and said nothing about Science, CAD, or engineering.

I hope so...

Way back when before Windows got popular, games just ran on Macs.

DOS had all those weird .bat and config.sys files for Soundblaster and EMS...

VR needs to be turn-key as well...

 

[Starfia]

Huntn,

Apple definitely made a first public move on this in June. If you really care about it, you should watch the WWDC 2017 keynote starting at about 30:00 for about ten minutes for lots of details. Clearly they're going to expand, but they've planted their first flag with that.

 

[Huntn]

Huntn,

Apple definitely made a first public move on this in June. If you really care about it, you should watch the WWDC 2017 keynote starting at about 30:00 for about ten minutes for lots of details. Clearly they're going to expand, but they've planted their first flag with that.

I just watched the video portion about Metal2 and bringing Steam VR along with the Unity and Unreal VR to the platform. There was mention of an external GPU (if I got that right) to enhance Mac capabilities. This is very interesting to see how competitive Apple can make themselves in this neighborhood. One of the major problems they have expanding beyond elite customers to the masses is the premium they charge for their hardware. I liked the presenter, Craig Federighi who was very charismatic.

For anyone interested see this video starting at about 30 min in:
https://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2017/

 

[Starfia]

Yeah, he's great. They also seemed careful not to say they've positioned the new iMacs as universally a platform for VR gaming yet (I think only the high-end new iMac and the external GPUs are rated at the HTC Vive's published specs for gaming), but they definitely support connecting to the Vive and want to be a platform VR content creators consider using.

As a developer who's looked into this, I also get the sense they're doing as much as possible to work from the hardware and software up to optimize performance – evidently they've worked directly with HTC on a joint effort.

VR is the first platform in a while that seems to require a price premium no matter where you're playing it – it's way more expensive than any current-gen console. I'm so bedazzled and looking forward to a VR-filled world and I'm still holding off for another year or two before I really get into it; I imagine it's going to take shape and become more affordable more quickly now than soon.

 

[h9826790]

Yeah, he's great. They also seemed careful not to say they've positioned the new iMacs as universally a platform for VR gaming yet (I think only the high-end new iMac and the external GPUs are rated at the HTC Vive's published specs for gaming), but they definitely support connecting to the Vive and want to be a platform VR content creators consider using.

As a developer who's looked into this, I also get the sense they're doing as much as possible to work from the hardware and software up to optimize performance – evidently they've worked directly with HTC on a joint effort.

VR is the first platform in a while that seems to require a price premium no matter where you're playing it – it's way more expensive than any current-gen console. I'm so bedazzled and looking forward to a VR-filled world and I'm still holding off for another year or two before I really get into it; I imagine it's going to take shape and become more affordable more quickly now than soon.

The old Mac Pro can do VR (Including gaming) without any issue since last year.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...s-specifications.1949426/page-6#post-22602853

It's Apple discon this most capable Mac ever build without any good reason. Hopefully the Mac Pro 7,1 will back to the right track.

 

[gkarris]

The old Mac Pro can do VR (Including gaming) without any issue since last year.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/amd-firepro-d500-graphics-card-mac-pro-late-2013-doesn’t-meet-oculus-rift’s-specifications.1949426/page-6#post-22602853

It's Apple discon this most capable Mac ever build without any good reason. Hopefully the Mac Pro 7,1 will back to the right track.

I yes, forgot all about that "new modular" Mac Pro...

If Apple if REALLY SERIOUS about gaming, they would come in at $999 (like the old days of Mac towers) and then be modular so you can upgrade the heck out of it to come in at customized specs around $4000.

It would still be "Pro" as that is the cost of just the machine, but then it would break the barrier of being extremely expensive to enter. $999 is really the price of a good Gaming/VR machine.

I know Apple sees themselves as "Elite" with the iPad Pro, iMac Pro, and iPhone X, but it seem that they're still willing to come in at the "low end" with the 2017 iPad, Mini, and iPhone SE.

I guess we'll soon see how serious Apple is with Gaming and VR...

Back in the day (there I go again), Mac was THE GAMING platform - who wanted to sit around configuring their Soundblaster .bat file?