Major gaming news at WWDC: Metal and New games

[goro123]

There is one reason that I don’t think been discussed in this thread about games’ exclusivity to Mac App Store. Here the talk has always been about Apple paying for the games and wanting exclusivity but in this article Apple’s software marketing manager Leland Martin says ”We’re seeing titles come to both Steam and the Mac App Store, and we’re seeing games come to the Mac via Steam exclusively. It’s really up to the developer’s choice, and we help them whichever decision they make.” So it’s the developers’ decision, not Apple’s.

The reason is to make more money. Can sound strange since many prefer Steam but for example Capcom is known for wanting to find new ways to maximize its profit. They release their Mac games on App Store to sell new copies. If they released them on Steam many who already have Resident Evil games wouldn’t need to buy a Mac copy. We see this happen to titles that already been released on Steam, like Death Stranding and RE games. That’s why new games released for the first time for PC and Mac get simultaneous release on Steam and MAS, like Lies of P, Riven Remake, Frostpunk 2, Layers of Fear and Fort Solis. It doesn’t matter then where people buy their copy.

So next time you wonder if a Mac game and especially Capcom game is coming to Steam look if it’s a brand new game or old. If old probably not. There are exceptions like Stray, SnowRunner, Valheim, The Medium and No Man’s Sky which are old but on both Steam and MAS but Hello Games for example said they didn’t have problem with people getting free Mac copies so it was their choice too.

This also raises the question of whether Apple actually pays developers because then they wouldn’t want to let Valve take a piece of the pie. Why would Apple pay some like Capcom and Hideo Kojima and not for Lies of P and Frostpunk 2? The only difference I see is RE games and Death Stranding having iOS ports but again Village doesn't have an iOS port.

I wonder what the payment scheme is on Steam, especially a cases where the port to Mac was done by another publisher (ex : Tomb Raider -> Feral interative). How is income redistributed?

While I understand users may want to install the game on both Mac and PC without paying twice, it's also 2 quite different piece of code and I also understand developers that expect to be paid for their work.

 

[goro123]

Is there a launch discount for the RE7 in app purchase like with RE4 / RE8?

I would say that at 20$ it's already discounted. RE4 started at the same price and then increased to double that for many months. I'll buy it asap.

 

[Chancha]

I would say that at 20$ it's already discounted. RE4 started at the same price and then increased to double that for many months. I'll buy it asap.

Thanks, I will get it now then. RE4 was quite worth it for me as I played through it multiple times to grind ranking for fun. Bought but not yet started on RE8, turns out a good idea since now I can play RE7 before it.

 

[bousozoku]

iOS and iPadOS performance test of RE7. Seems good.

I installed the Mac version on my M1 MacBook Air and it seems smooth so far but I haven't gotten to the paid part yet.

 

[bousozoku]

I wonder what the payment scheme is on Steam, especially a cases where the port to Mac was done by another publisher (ex : Tomb Raider -> Feral interative). How is income redistributed?

While I understand users may want to install the game on both Mac and PC without paying twice, it's also 2 quite different piece of code and I also understand developers that expect to be paid for their work.

I wonder about that, also. When I bought Life is Strange 2, there wasn't a Mac version and I didn't see any hints that there would be one. One day, it was available on my Mac, without an extra charge.

 

[JordanNZ]

I wonder what the payment scheme is on Steam, especially a cases where the port to Mac was done by another publisher (ex : Tomb Raider -> Feral interative). How is income redistributed?

While I understand users may want to install the game on both Mac and PC without paying twice, it's also 2 quite different piece of code and I also understand developers that expect to be paid for their work.

From memory (according to Feral back in the day) the payment defaults to the platform it was purchased and played on first. Eg, if it was bought and played on macOS the payment would go to Feral. If it was bought previously on Windows, Feral wouldn't get a cut.. Even if you then installed it on macOS.

 

[Chancha]

From memory (according to Feral back in the day) the payment defaults to the platform it was purchased and played on first. Eg, if it was bought and played on macOS the payment would go to Feral. If it was bought previously on Windows, Feral wouldn't get a cut.. Even if you then installed it on macOS.

But I reckon a large portion of Steam sales happen on their website? And then there are people (most of the users actually) who purchased the game but never even launched it once on any platform.

As a matter of fact, ever since on Apple Silicon I couldn't finish any purchase on the macOS Steam client, I didn't bother trying to fix it and always buy via Safari.

 

[JordanNZ]

But I reckon a large portion of Steam sales happen on their website? And then there are people (most of the users actually) who purchased the game but never even launched it once on any platform.

As a matter of fact, ever since on Apple Silicon I couldn't finish any purchase on the macOS Steam client, I didn't bother trying to fix it and always buy via Safari.

From memory, if the user hasn't launched the game, it defaults to the platform of purchase after 30 days.

 

[goro123]

This site (https://stepofweb.com/how-much-does-steam-pay-developers/) states that Steam get a 30% share of revenue and requires a 5$ minimum pricing. That's worse than Apple… but let's not digress ; I am not sure how reliable they can be but the article date is fairly recent (May 2024).

Does not mention redistribution for Mac ports though.

From memory (according to Feral back in the day) the payment defaults to the platform it was purchased and played on first. Eg, if it was bought and played on macOS the payment would go to Feral. If it was bought previously on Windows, Feral wouldn't get a cut.. Even if you then installed it on macOS.

Wow… must have been a difficult decision for Feral. To me, it makes sense for Capcom to focus on the Mac App Store.

 

[goro123]

I installed the Mac version on my M1 MacBook Air and it seems smooth so far but I haven't gotten to the paid part yet.

Looks impressive on iPhone.

I have some weird/awful shadow artefact on M3 Pro, they are VERY "grainy". I tried every settings and resolution, but I could not get any improvements. It's either a bug in the engine or a kind of intended "style"… but it was less visible on Village and RE4. It's quite distracting and looks like a rendering issue to me.

EDIT : apparently those grainy shadows are "normal", per many online forums complaining about them.

 

[ProQuiz]

How is gaming with the Magic Mouse? Since it only has one physical button, I am assuming you can't right-click while also left-clicking?

 

[goro123]

How is gaming with the Magic Mouse? Since it only has one physical button, I am assuming you can't right-click while also left-clicking?

You are correct. It’s impossible to use in many games.

 

[ProQuiz]

What are some good gaming mice that you can use with Macs that have Apple silicon native software? If I am not mistaken, Logitech G HUB does not have an Apple silicon native version yet.

 

[Homy]

What are some good gaming mice that you can use with Macs that have Apple silicon native software? If I am not mistaken, Logitech G HUB does not have an Apple silicon native version yet.

I use G603 with one battery for lighter weight. It's still enough for several months. Don’t have to use any extra software but I use 3-4 buttons, not all 5. Works great. I also just use low sensitivity to save battery. Still works well.

Logitech G603 LIGHTSPEED Review

The Logitech G603 LIGHTSPEED is a great wireless gaming mouse in Logitech's G Series lineup. It offers what most gamers are looking for, including excellent clic...

www.rtings.com

 

[ProQuiz]

Is it possible to have two wireless mice linked to a single Mac? Say a Magic Mouse for productivity and a gaming mouse for gaming?

 

[bousozoku]

What are some good gaming mice that you can use with Macs that have Apple silicon native software? If I am not mistaken, Logitech G HUB does not have an Apple silicon native version yet.

I mostly gave up on figuring out whether Logitech wanted to support Macs or not.

I'm using a SteelSeries Rival 3, which is incredibly inexpensive, for my M1 MacBook Air. Their GG software is marked as Intel but works as well as it did on Intel. SteelSeries was there when the original Apple TV arrived, so I'm surprised that they haven't made a native or universal version of their software, especially when they update it every few weeks.

 

[Homy]

Is it possible to have two wireless mice linked to a single Mac? Say a Magic Mouse for productivity and a gaming mouse for gaming?

I've had two wired mouses connected at the same time or one wired and one wireless but never two wireless. It should work though since a second mouse is just another Bluetooth device like a trackpad. Only problem would be if you want to have different mouse settings in the system settings and it wouldn't work on both mouses.

 

[goro123]

The software from Logitech used to be horrible, I gave up years ago.

Usually you are able to use any mouse without additional software. For more settings or you can use a Mac specific mouse manager (such as https://macmousefix.com/) which is probably better coded than the vendor specific software.

I use an ergonomical DeLUX Mouse. Not very expensive, great feel, but only 3 buttons are recognised on Mac https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/3FA8AA2A-03AC-4F0C-8E3A-92A61B6DA17E.

I got used to vertical mouse and really like the confort; I also feel a lot more precise with the way the hand grips the mouse.

 

[goro123]

Just played about an hour through RE7, and wow… this really feels like a first person horror movie. It's amazing !!! Well… assuming you like horror movies 😅. Very immersive. Playing that game in VR would be quite an traumatising experience for sure.

Talking about VR, someone here mentioned (iirc) he expected Capcom to make a first step on Mac but aiming for the Apple Vision Pro. I too though that this was the plan. But maybe not… or maybe they decided now was not the right time? Or maybe they did… with RE7… and they are hiding from the media that now 3 beta-testers are running and screaming all day locked in an asylum.

 

[Lex404]

LogiOptions+ is Apple Silicon native. Dunno about their gaming app
I have MX Master 3 for ~4 years. Wouldn't give it for anything especially because it's multi device so I can easily switch between work laptop, personal laptop and PC. It's also super comfy.

 

[galad]

There are many utilities to configure the mouse button and speed like steermouse, instead of that horribly coded spyware from Logitech.

 

[Chancha]

But as far as I know, the Logitech gaming mouses need their G-hub software specifically to tune the DPI setting?

Even when on Intel Macs, the G-hub ran poorly, or if it even wants itself to be installed... I had a G304 at some point, I ended up just setting it up on a Windows PC instead, the DPI setting stays inside the firmware I think, so it carries over even when the nouse is used on a Mac. But with mice that have more buttons where you want OS specific or even app specific customizations then yes you need to install G-hub.

 

[Mac_fan75]

But as far as I know, the Logitech gaming mouses need their G-hub software specifically to tune the DPI setting?

Even when on Intel Macs, the G-hub ran poorly, or if it even wants itself to be installed... I had a G304 at some point, I ended up just setting it up on a Windows PC instead, the DPI setting stays inside the firmware I think, so it carries over even when the nouse is used on a Mac. But with mice that have more buttons where you want OS specific or even app specific customizations then yes you need to install G-hub.

I am using Steermouse for my G502, works perfectly for a small fee, very happy as G-Hub is biggest trash software (also on Windows) you can find. Also Steermouse has an easy backup file so you can just transfer anything to anywhere.

 

[Homy]

I thought I would give RE 7 a try but not if the download speed is like the last time with RE 4, around 0.36-1.1 MB/s. I don't know what Apple did but I have 500 Mb connection and now get 64 MB/s, full speed in other words. Wow! The download of 33.38 GB took only about 9 minutes now instead of two days. Maybe it's thanks to the changes they did to the depot sizes on App Store. 😃

So now I've been testing it and walked into the house and looked around but haven't met anybody yet but the performance is very good. I'm on Mac Studio M1 Max 24c GPU and have max settings without MetalFX, VSync, Motion Blur, DoF, Lens Flare or Chromatic Aberration. In the beginning I get around 100 fps at 1440p, 70 at 1800p and 53 at 4K. Oddly enough I get lower fps inside the house, 37 fps at 4K but it doesn't stutter. There are more effects in the game than it's visible in the screenshots but there is always a checkerboard pattern in the shadows that gets much more visible if you lower the resolution or settings or use MetalFX. The images are sharper than they look here.

 

[Homy]

Prince of Persia will be released on Dec 3 and requires Monetery and M1.

‎Prince of Persia: Lost Crown

‎UNLEASH YOUR INNER WARRIOR Use your Time Powers, combat, and platforming skills to perform deadly combos and defeat time-corrupted enemies and mythological creatures. LOSE YOURSELF IN THE PRODIGIOUS MOUNT QAF Discover a cursed Persian-inspired world filled with larger-than-life landmarks and…

apps.apple.com