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Five Games Worth Firing Up to Show Off Your New MacBook Pro
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People can complain as much as they like about how old these games are. But personally, the last game I installed on a computer (excluding cell phones and iPads) was probably Civilization IV. So there is indeed a target audience for this article, and it is me. ?
No, it is up to Apple to create easy to use tools that would allow developers to port their games on the Mac and get out the full potential from the Apple Silicon and Metal. It is up to Apple to get in touch with big game studios and create partnerships and incentives for these studios to develop Mac versions of their games. It is up to Apple to be more game-focused, as the market of people who use their computers for gaming in absolutely ENORMOUS. Intel, AMD, Nvidia dedicate almost or more than 50% of their keynotes time when presenting new chips to talk about gaming performance, gaming enhancements s and game-related features of their new chips. In the presentation of its M1 chips, Apple dedicated little to no time talking about gaming performance, and gaming in general. As a result, people don't see the Mac as a gaming machine, gamers don't buy Macs and consequently, game studios do not develop for the Mac.
Since about one year back there are Metal developer tools for Windows, so there seems to be some incentive from Apple and ”bigger” games:
As Apple moves the Mac to custom silicon, where it will no longer support Boot Camp, it is interesting that Apple is releasing developer tools specifically for gaming with regards to Windows. Seeing that these new developer tools allow Windows games to be compiled into Metal for Apple platforms, rather than being completely rebuilt, it should now be easier for developers to port native PC games and AAA titles to the Mac.
Metal Developer Tools on Windows Offer New Gaming Opportunities
Game developers are now able to more easily develop games for Apple devices using Windows machines, thanks to a new set of Metal developer tools...
www.macrumors.com
Especially interesting if Apple can get graphics performance comparable to what AMD, Nvidia and Intel offers at a much lower power consumption.
I need a Mac for my work. I also like playing the latest AAA games at decent settings. And if possible, on one machine. The 2020 iMac can do all this. I'm so glad I bought it.
However, I'm glad the M1 Max is performing so well. I hope the new iMac (Pro?) will get an even better GPU. Then developers will need to start porting their games more.
If they don't, which I fear, I will have to buy a PC alongside my next iMac.
However, I'm glad the M1 Max is performing so well. I hope the new iMac (Pro?) will get an even better GPU. Then developers will need to start porting their games more.
If they don't, which I fear, I will have to buy a PC alongside my next iMac.
Pretty good show by the MacBook but a terrible review.
He should have had both systems the same wherever possible as a benchmark.
At the outset he says one is on airplane and the other is not.
Then one has optimised drivers the other does not.
Why not get them further apart and monitor the fans?
Also. How do things scale? Does a 10% increase in fps only require 10% more power?
On the strength of that particular review that guy has little credibility for me.
now the main point apple to cut loose ipa on m1 platform but not all company participate like genshin impact even in early stage can deploy their ipa.
** two of my apps enable on m1 because universal compile.
Dude I have a full gaming PC but you're an idiot if you think that your games don't fluctuate 10fps
There is Plenty of YT accounts who do game test and reviews for native crossover or Parallels.Just search mac m1 game test or benchmark. Of course DX12 based games do not work yet.
My guess is the cost to hire a professional developer to port a game to macOS from Windows would cost more than the revenue generated from MacBook Pro users.
You can actually do the math yourself:
www.macrumors.com
Also, Apple numbers are misleading because Google buys 20,000 exclusively for the office.
I doubt you’re playing Tomb Raider at work…
I would hope not.
You can actually do the math yourself:
MacBook Air Drives 6.5 Million Apple Laptop Shipments in Q3 2021
Apple shipped 6.5 million laptops in the third quarter of this year, thanks in large part to high demand for the M1-powered MacBook Air. That's...
www.macrumors.com
Also, Apple numbers are misleading because Google buys 20,000 exclusively for the office.
I doubt you’re playing Tomb Raider at work…
I would hope not.
AFAIK @leman said Metal has no direct equivalent for the mesh shader pipeline.
3DMark has a feature test that shows the framerate difference when using mesh shading versus not. I think it exaggerates the performance improvement, but there is one.
Basically what @nickgovier says...Really? I've frequently see Metro Exodus on lists of the most GPU-demanding games. For instance, PC Gamer lists Metro Exodus as no. 2 on its list of most graphically demanding games. And Gaming Cutter ranks it no. 1 on theirs.
So what's your basis for saying that it's not a game to show off anything hardware-related?
The 20 Most Graphically Demanding PC Games
They're gorgeous, but these games have some high-spec GPU requirements. These are the most graphically demanding PC games to date.www.thegamer.com
12 GPU Intensive Games in 2023 - Can your Rig Run it?
Are you finding the most GPU intensive games? If so, then you have come to the right place. We have found 12 miraculously GPU demanding pc games.www.gamingcutter.com
That I'd agree with. If were a gamer, I'd buy a desktop PC. And games, plus a few specialized Windows-only programs I need to use on rare occasions, would probably be all I'd use it for.
But let's check back in five years or so...
Not only does the Mac not get hybrid RT in the normal game, but 4AGames didn't bother even trying to convert the Full RT Enhanced Edition Engine at all.
Kudos for honesty.
I think it can actually change the perception… usually the “l33t g4m3r$” laptops aren’t really laptops and as soon as they are on battery everything goes to the ground, the battery having to keep up with all the flashing colored led lights around all the stickers or something (jk).
Here’s then two things:
- Showing potential good gaming done right: silent, efficient, performant, serene that always works. The idea is to be able to have fun and not bother with the right combinations of drivers.
- Showcase the power of the machine in another way besides work tools: once devs (if ever) fully embrace the RT capabilities, tiled rendering, memory savings, etc of the Metal API it will finally be running as intended and that knowledge is transferable to the tools too.
Also, they have the potential to make games that wouldn’t run anywhere else currently, if they can leverage the full 40GB+ equivalent graphics memory, the ML cores in tandem, the imperceptible lossy rendering capabilities (which doubles that effective memory), sparse maps (can make for example, virtual shadow maps 16K+ but costing the same as a 1K one), tiled rendering (performance and memory savings), etc etc etc
Just looking at a very few WWDC out of curiosity (I’m no expert and none of this) it shows some seemingly insane features that no one seems to be using.
Windows uses C / C++ / C#
If you make a game on Windows, it works on Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Sega, etc.
partners.playstation.net
Early iOS games used C++, but it was quickly removed when the App Store was being flooded with old Windows ports. (That’s just a rumor)
www.macrumors.com
www.macrumors.com
Now that Apple is forcing its hand with 64bit, M1, and Swift, the number of games and apps, unsurprisingly, has dropped.
So the big question in Silicon Valley is whether or not the studios are just recycling old code:
www.callofduty.com
That question is probably not going to be answered any time soon since M1 has only been out since 2020.
As for why studios would recycle code, you’re probably not building an engine on $140k salary at Zynga.
For reference, Andy Rubin got $90 million dollars for making Android:
www.indiatoday.in
If you make a game on Windows, it works on Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Sega, etc.
PlayStation® Partners
Everything you need to make and sell games on PlayStation. Sign up today for access to industry-leading tools and support.
Early iOS games used C++, but it was quickly removed when the App Store was being flooded with old Windows ports. (That’s just a rumor)
Apple to Phase Out 32-Bit Mac Apps Starting in January 2018
Apple is already putting an end to 32-bit apps on iOS devices with iOS 11, and soon the company will make the same changes on its macOS operating...
www.macrumors.com
32-Bit Apps 'Not Optimized for Your Mac' No Longer Working on macOS Catalina
When macOS Mojave was announced, Apple warned that it would be the last version of macOS that would support older 32-bit apps. Apple has been phasing...
www.macrumors.com
Now that Apple is forcing its hand with 64bit, M1, and Swift, the number of games and apps, unsurprisingly, has dropped.
So the big question in Silicon Valley is whether or not the studios are just recycling old code:
Announcing Call of Duty®: Vanguard
That question is probably not going to be answered any time soon since M1 has only been out since 2020.
As for why studios would recycle code, you’re probably not building an engine on $140k salary at Zynga.
For reference, Andy Rubin got $90 million dollars for making Android:
Google paid Android creator Andy Rubin $90 million when he left following sexual assault allegations
Google later invested in Rubin's startup Playground to make his exit look amicable
Last edited:
They do reuse their game engine along with adding features to it as time progresses. Call of Duty: Mobile being the exception (runs on Unity).Windows uses C / C++ / C#
If you make a game on Windows, it works on Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Sega, etc.
PlayStation® Partners
Everything you need to make and sell games on PlayStation. Sign up today for access to industry-leading tools and support.
Early iOS games used C++, but it was quickly removed when the App Store was being flooded with old Windows ports. (That’s just a rumor)
Apple to Phase Out 32-Bit Mac Apps Starting in January 2018
Apple is already putting an end to 32-bit apps on iOS devices with iOS 11, and soon the company will make the same changes on its macOS operating...32-Bit Apps 'Not Optimized for Your Mac' No Longer Working on macOS Catalina
When macOS Mojave was announced, Apple warned that it would be the last version of macOS that would support older 32-bit apps. Apple has been phasing...
Now that Apple is forcing its hand with 64bit, M1, and Swift, the number of games and apps, unsurprisingly, has dropped.
So the big question in Silicon Valley is whether or not the studios are just recycling old code:
Announcing Call of Duty®: Vanguard
That question is probably not going to be answered any time soon since M1 has only been out since 2020.
As for why studios would recycle code, you’re probably not building an engine on $140k salary at Zynga.
For reference, Andy Rubin got $90 million dollars for making Android:
Google paid Android creator Andy Rubin $90 million when he left following sexual assault allegations
Google later invested in Rubin's startup Playground to make his exit look amicable
IW (game engine) - Wikipedia
First of all, the majority of noteworthy games still use proprietary engines.
Secondly, even when the developers are using a third-party engine, it's never as easy as just clicking a checkbox and getting a proper Mac version. Steam is full of crappy Unity and Unreal Engine games for the Mac, where the developers did just that and called it day.
The brunt of optimising your game for every platform individually is still on the developers, and that's still a major cost factor. And that's even ignoring proper testing and after-sales support.
They do reuse their game engine along with adding features to it as time progresses.
IW (game engine) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Is the license from the original creator in 2005 valid for 20 years?
Oh I am sure ZeniMax (cough Microsoft) gets their money for any idTech3 code used in their modern IW engine.
EDIT: though it is possible IW8 doesn't actually have any idTech code since it seems like that engine was a complete rewrite.
No. Windows uses binary code, which you can create from these languages and many others.
You can still use C++ to write applications for iOS. As well as C# (in the form of Mono), Python, Java, or some BASIC dialects.
All you need are proper bindings to Apple's APIs, which exist for all the languages I mentioned.
I just spent 2 hours yesterday after work playing some Dungeon Keeper - 1997. Before I played StartCarft 2 - 2010, and WoW - 2005. Those old games are more fun than most new games.?
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 2018
Metro Exodus - 2035- 2019
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - 2019
A Total War Saga: Troy -2020 - Woohhh
Baldur's Gate 3 - 2020 - Woohhh²
These aren’t games to show off anything hardware related… but they are fine to play.
Sounds like macOS still has nothing to offer, game wise, and this won’t change anytime soon.
Just recycled games!
Do yourself a favor and don’t buy Macs for games…
You’re half correct, I’m not trying to argue.
You can’t run an app compiled for x64 on ARM. So it’s not just binary.
As for the APIs, saying that C# maps to Apple APIs is one thing. Actually doing it highlights all the bugs.
I’m having this issue now with Android.
Coincidentally, Windows, macOS, Android, ChromeOS, and iOS all run Intel x64.