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Oculus Rift Won't Support Mac Until Apple Releases a 'Good Computer'
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So ... to use Occulus Rift on a Mac, it would need a graphics processor even more expensive than the ones currently used on Mac's. Sometimes it seems to me that people who do not code well often blame the capabilities of the hardware. Just sayin'...
Being owned by Facebook definitely helps them from going belly up. And they've partnered with Samsung for the Gear VR, which for $99 is a no brainer. However as I understand it - the additional sensors, etc that the rift brings makes it ever so more immersive.
Not really, you can get a GTX970 for 300 dollars - give it another cycle and it will be at 250. The requirements wont change much in the next year but GPU prices will continue to fall.
The target audience for this kind of VR device? Every single one.
It wouldn't hurt Apple to build at least ONE upgradeable machine (like they used to), even if it's BTO and more expensive than their stock ones.
Just one model Apple, JUST ONE!!!
PLEASE!!!!!!!
There's no real way for fanboys to defend this, it's 100% true. It's not a driver or software issue, it's a GPU processing power issue (hardware!). Mobile and Integrated graphics on desktops aren't going to cut it. Macs are good computers, just not for gamers, DIY'ers, modders, etc. Also, the Hackintosh community is too small to make it worthwhile.
This news goes hand-in-hand with the Blizzard news about Overwatch. It's the same problem, pretty much.
This news goes hand-in-hand with the Blizzard news about Overwatch. It's the same problem, pretty much.
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one day mac users, this can be you.
That picture still does not change the fact that the GPU situation with Macs is horrible!!! And it is sad that VR does not come to Mac.
Even sadder are those fanboys defending apple for it - I mean come on - how low can you go?!?
Hopefully, when Macs get Skylake, iMacs would get a redesign that finally get rid of spinning drives. Just go SSD throughout the entire Mac line up. Also, go TB3/USB-C throughout the entire line as well (maybe iDevices, too).
I seriously doubt Apple will add top-end GPUs any time soon. They're too interested in thin and light.
Whatever you say man, I'm a member of a Mac gamer team and we competitively play CSGO, DOTA2, TF2, COD, and now RL. (Though I only play CSGO).
So please tell us how it would be profitable for a company to support all 5 of you. Sheesh. Just remember that reality testing is a good thing.
They might, but it's going the be the one that is super expensive.
As much as I dig iMacs, they don't really benefit from being so slim. It's a frickin' display with a computer strapped to the back and is going to take the same amount of space its stand depthwise does so it could be twice as thick and house some nicer parts, even a desktop GPU perhaps. Apple's "thin above anything else" design ethos is not good for cooling or performance.
Spot on. I had this debate with another individual that had screenshots of how pathetic the iMac and Mac Pro were compared to a 980ti for VR, my point being , how many manufacturers offer a desktop with a Titan X or 980ti, one came to my mind Alienware.
The rest of he manafactures actually offer GPUs that are on par or worse than the dual d700.
Yes one can custom build an excellent VR system , these systems are not offered by Sony, dell, toshiba etc etc
I suppose I could buy a crap dell desktop, bang in a Titan X and complain about how pathetic the Mac Pro is.... One can also turn a 2010 Mac Pro into a gaming computer with a Titan X.....for the same money buying a 2010 Mac Pro , you will still get a vastly superior PC gaming machine.
People need to calm down and stop being so defensive. He isn't calling your iMac and MacBooks "bad computers", he simply means they aren't good enough in the pixel pushing department for the rift; and for what the rift is, he is 100% right, there just isn't a mac out there that can do it.
Reading these comments, there are a lot of people who don't understand what the Rift/Vive is vs other VR HMDs. The Rift is the high end/Mac Pro of VR HMDs targeted at a very narrow set of users. VR has had some false starts, mostly because they made cheaper under-powered and ultimately compromised products to try hit larger numbers of users, and they have been crap because of it. You have to make the case for VR before you make the case for mass adoption of VR. Mass adoption will come later.
Also, there is already a VR market that is aimed at low cost of entry and mass adoption. 360 degree video-type experiences are available with things like Google Cardboard.
Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Sony, nVidia, AMD, Samsung, HTC, and others are putting big money into VR. It's coming, and it's going to be big. If you know anyone who has a "good computer" and a Rift or Vive on preorder, give them a visit once they get set up. You need to try it to understand how big this is going to be.
Reading these comments, there are a lot of people who don't understand what the Rift/Vive is vs other VR HMDs. The Rift is the high end/Mac Pro of VR HMDs targeted at a very narrow set of users. VR has had some false starts, mostly because they made cheaper under-powered and ultimately compromised products to try hit larger numbers of users, and they have been crap because of it. You have to make the case for VR before you make the case for mass adoption of VR. Mass adoption will come later.
Also, there is already a VR market that is aimed at low cost of entry and mass adoption. 360 degree video-type experiences are available with things like Google Cardboard.
Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Sony, nVidia, AMD, Samsung, HTC, and others are putting big money into VR. It's coming, and it's going to be big. If you know anyone who has a "good computer" and a Rift or Vive on preorder, give them a visit once they get set up. You need to try it to understand how big this is going to be.
I hope this gives a good slap to Apple.
I want to play a game. a real game.
I want to play a game. a real game.
You sound like someone who does not know what he is taking about. Hilarious.
Mac GPU's are crappy ESPECIALLY FOR THE MONEY YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM!!!!
I'm aging myself, but I miss the Power Mac 9500 & 9600, as well as the Daystar Genesis. 6 PCIE slots & 12 RAM slots. Kinda wish desktop Macs had more 3.5" drive bays to do some serious RAID stuff. I'd probably never need all that, but would be nice to have.
It's important to note that anything Oculus says about required specs applies specifically to video game rendering at a high enough frame rate to prevent VR sickness. If you are interested in cinematic VR then even a 2013 MacbookPro can run a 4K stereo equirectangular at 60fps. We were able to do it in real-time out of AE, Premiere Pro or FCP X with zero latency. A dedicated GPU is better than the integrated Intel GPU, but we are still able to do it with the Apple drivers on AMD or Nvidia. See http://dashwood360.com
The thing is, computers will get better and catch up. You don't design your cutting edge new technology based on what's widely available today. You base it on what will be widely available in the future.
Just a specific example that I happen to know - in Quake 4, if you tried setting it to the maximum graphics settings, it would have a popup saying that at the time the game was developed, no computer in existence was able to run the game on maximum settings. But the game is now 12 years old. It runs on maximum settings just fine on most computers.
Similarly, I expect that in ~4 years, the Oculus Rift will run just fine on most PC hardware. Today, it's the cutting edge, and so you'll need a cutting edge GPU to use it.
So what? Atleast it's possible. At least I don't have to get a whole new computer.
I know, I was being half facetious, but only half. I occasionally will play WoW on my Retina iMac, but the sound of the fan struggling to keep the card cool makes me nervous, so I typically play on a machine that cost half of that machine, but was designed for gaming and most importantly, has the ability to upgrade the GPU. My GTX 970 is quite capable now, but eventually it will have to be upgraded.
I'm using my son's hand me down computer. The oculus test says it's fast enough.
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