Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Neutral Gamer

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Having read all the recent (justifiably) angry discussions on the new underpowered ATI graphics cards, I keep coming across the same suprising advice along the lines of:

"I use my Mac for work and my 360 for gaming"

or

"Gaming? That's what my 360's for"

I'm about to buy a new Mac (as soon as I decide which one) and having read comment on various Apple related websites, I was under the impression that all Mac users hate everything MICROSOFT with a passion - http://www.MacDailyNews.com seems to be the biggest culprit of this (staff and users).

So I ask, are Mac users really Microsoft haters; shouldn't you all be using and recommending PS3's rather than 360's and Microsoft Wireless Keyboards? Or is it just a minority who portray this fundamentalist image?

Cheers :)
 

Grimace

macrumors 68040
Feb 17, 2003
3,568
226
with Hamburglar.
I think it's because the 360 has more (+ better) games. They hate MS computer software (mostly windows). The XBOX is actually a pretty good system with some fun games. It's Microsoft's best division in my view. Most Mac people separate evil Microsoft from gaming Microsoft.

I use my Mac for computer stuff
Xbox 360 for gaming
PS3 for Blu-ray movies.

Now that the mac is back on the gaming track (rather, developers are back on the mac track) -- the future Macs may be able to fulfill all three roles when BD drives start appearing.
 

slffl

macrumors 65816
Mar 5, 2003
1,303
4
Seattle, WA
I don't hate corporations or brand names. That's for anti-Apple zealot fanboys.

Does MacDailyNews say they hate the 360 because it's made by Microsoft? There's a difference between hating crappy products which happen to be made by the same company (which is what I see from Mac users), and hating a product because it's made by a certain company (ie anti-Apple zealots).
 

Flowbee

macrumors 68030
Dec 27, 2002
2,943
0
Alameda, CA
It's a myth that all (or even most) Mac users hate Microsoft or Windows. However, the ones who do are much more vocal than the ones who don't.
 

Dont Hurt Me

macrumors 603
Dec 21, 2002
6,055
6
Yahooville S.C.
Apple has put themself into this position because lets face it graphics on Mac are low end. Then Apple killed off its developer base again with machines that cant game because of crapa.. video. Why make games for Mac OS if Apple isnt going to sell hardware that can run them. Even the brand new &$1799 iMac has a video system in it that my year old Dell 7600GS matches. Then look at the integrated graphics in Macbook/macMini and its clear Apple doesnt want you to game on your Mac.Apple was so busy crippling 1 model for another none but the MacPro could "game"

Thats why we have MacRumors littered with PS3,Xbox,Wii threads because Apple has nearly killed off Mac gaming. Blame Apple.
 

jimsoff

macrumors member
Aug 8, 2007
48
0
I have an xbox 360, which is why I'm not concerned about the new imac not having the most amazing graphics card ever.

As Grimace said, I use my imac for computer stuff, and my xbox 360 for gaming. The few games I will play on my imac, will run excellently with the specs it has.

As to hating microsoft, I don't like them, but I personally think the xbox 360 is one of their best products, and I've seen vista, it's actually pretty neat.

But it's nothing compared to os X.
 

GWN

macrumors newbie
Jul 13, 2007
10
0
I game on a PS3... Sold the XBOX after having to get it repaired twice. Blu-ray is a nice bonus too... :)
 

Neutral Gamer

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
I'm liking what I'm hearing so far; it's good to see open minded people who don't discriminate against a whole brand for the sake of one particular product it makes. :D

I read and contribute to various gaming related sites and there we have loads of PS3 vs 360 obsessed fanboys a lot of whom do actually hate the entire company and not just one product.

And don't get me started on the Blu-ray vs HD DVD fanboys ...

Although it does look like everyone on MacRumors always talks about wanting BR drives in upcoming Macs and never mention HD, although considering the sales of HD that's hardly a surprise!

P.S. Should have said I have a PS3, 360 and Wii and love them all. I use Linux (Fedora), Windows XP and Vista and with my soon to be bought Mac I'll be able to maintain my neutrality. :)
 

Neutral Gamer

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Why is this specific to iMac owners?

I suppose it ain't, but it applies more to iMac users at the moment because the old iMacs had such a decent graphics card, the GeForce 7600GT. And now we seem to have gone backwards forcing people to give up on Mac/PC gaming and use their console instead.

EDIT: Looks like we've been moved to the Console Games forum. A pity, I think iMac users would have found this thread interesting with all the debate on the current graphics card. :)
 

mustang_dvs

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2003
694
13
Durham, NC
Apple has put themself into this position because lets face it graphics on Mac are low end. Then Apple killed off its developer base again with machines that cant game because of crapa.. video. Why make games for Mac OS if Apple isnt going to sell hardware that can run them. Even the brand new &$1799 iMac has a video system in it that my year old Dell 7600GS matches. Then look at the integrated graphics in Macbook/macMini and its clear Apple doesnt want you to game on your Mac.Apple was so busy crippling 1 model for another none but the MacPro could "game"

Thats why we have MacRumors littered with PS3,Xbox,Wii threads because Apple has nearly killed off Mac gaming. Blame Apple.
Actually, I blame developers first. While Apple did turn a blind eye toward game development in the Amellio/Scully eras, the root cause of that was developers who groaned about having to port DOS or Windows (essentially the same back then) games to the Mac, with it's much more complex and competent graphics support. They also griped about supporting more than 16 or 32 colors when the Macs were the first desktop machines to sport "thousands of colors" and they griped about Apple's choice to use the highly-intuitive QuickDraw3D/RAVE API as opposed to Microsoft's then-fledgling Direct3D, which was equally proprietary and significantly more difficult and costly to develop for. Now, they complain that Apple insists on OpenGL, rather than the hand-fed DirectX9/10 that Microsoft insists upon.
 

Sdashiki

macrumors 68040
Aug 11, 2005
3,529
11
Behind the lens
I bought a 2nd hand original XBOX because I knew M$ lost money on them.

And, because of the warranty and hardware issues, they are STILL losing money.

So, if you dont like M$, buy one!

LoL!
 

r1ch4rd

macrumors 6502a
Aug 5, 2005
980
1
Manchester UK
...Then look at the integrated graphics in Macbook/macMini and its clear Apple doesnt want you to game on your Mac...

I don't think this is a good indicator of whether or not Macs are good gaming machines. Most entry level computer (which is what the mac mini and macbook are) have underpowered graphics cards.

I am another mac user with an xbox 360. It's a good machine for playing games on.
 

plinkoman

macrumors 65816
Jul 2, 2003
1,144
1
New York
I really don't much care for Microsoft in general, but hardware issues aside, 360 is a fine console, I'm not going to hate it just for the sake of hating it. What would the point be in that? Granted, I still prefer Wii...
 

GFLPraxis

macrumors 604
Mar 17, 2004
7,152
460
So I ask, are Mac users really Microsoft haters; shouldn't you all be using and recommending PS3's rather than 360's and Microsoft Wireless Keyboards? Or is it just a minority who portray this fundamentalist image?

Cheers :)

We hate Microsoft for two primary reasons:

1) Their software generally sucks.
2) They've got a monopoly that hurts us, the consumers, and allows them to gouge us on the price if we give in to it (see ridiculous pricing on Windows Vista and Office).

When Microsoft is on a market where they are not the monopoly, and they actually make a good product, I'm willing to buy.

I don't like Microsoft because I don't like their flagship products and how they conduct themselves as a company, but if they actually DO put out a good product, ignoring it would just make me a hypocrite now, wouldn't it?

Really, Mac users know to buy things for software. The XBox 360 has software.

That said, I don't own a 360. I'm not willing to spend $400 on any console.

Now, this doesn't mean I'm indifferent to Microsoft. I have a strong dislike for Microsoft because of the way the corporation monopolizes the industry; I consider them bad for competition, bad for the market, bad for innovation, and bad for me. This has even been proven in court. I'm just not blinded by it. And if they DO innovate, I'll see it.
 

GFLPraxis

macrumors 604
Mar 17, 2004
7,152
460
Then look at the integrated graphics in Macbook/macMini and its clear Apple doesnt want you to game on your Mac.

Please just stop. Find me another retail $1299 or under notebook that DOESN'T have integrated graphics from a major brand; that's Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, IBM/Lenovo, or HP.

And find me a RETAIL $599 or under PC that DOESN'T have integrated graphics.

Trust me; you won't find one. From a retail perspective Apple's hardware lineup is not unusual in the slightest.

And the iMac's GPU could be better but it's really not so horrible as you make it out to be; you act like it CAN'T play games, when in reality there is not one game on the market that it cannot handle at at least medium settings. Okay, by next year it may be running new releases at low-to-medium settings. It can still play them. Yes, it could be a lot better, but no, it is not incapable of playing modern games.

The reality is that Apple is simply missing a spot in their lineup. The Mac Mini is a budget, small-form-factor computer. NOTHING in that category EVER has a decent graphics card. The iMac is again a small form factor computer with a large screen, but is designed for higher performance (desktop-sized hard drives), especially for video editing. It's graphics have to be good but not great; casual gaming and video editing (FCP real-time effects) are the uses. What Apple is missing is a "Conroe"-based desktop using cheaper desktop-based graphics cards; you can get a lot more for the price than using mobile chips to fit in small enclosures (iMac, Mac Mini).
 

Shotgun OS

macrumors 6502a
Dec 18, 2006
505
4
Ohio
I own an iMac and don't own an XBox360. I do hate Microsoft because everytime I go near one of their products, it doesn't work right. No one else seems to have this problem, though.
 

Dont Hurt Me

macrumors 603
Dec 21, 2002
6,055
6
Yahooville S.C.
Please just stop. Find me another retail $1299 or under notebook that DOESN'T have integrated graphics from a major brand; that's Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, IBM/Lenovo, or HP.

And find me a RETAIL $599 or under PC that DOESN'T have integrated graphics.

Trust me; you won't find one. From a retail perspective Apple's hardware lineup is not unusual in the slightest.

And the iMac's GPU could be better but it's really not so horrible as you make it out to be; you act like it CAN'T play games, when in reality there is not one game on the market that it cannot handle at at least medium settings. Okay, by next year it may be running new releases at low-to-medium settings. It can still play them. Yes, it could be a lot better, but no, it is not incapable of playing modern games.

The reality is that Apple is simply missing a spot in their lineup. The Mac Mini is a budget, small-form-factor computer. NOTHING in that category EVER has a decent graphics card. The iMac is again a small form factor computer with a large screen, but is designed for higher performance (desktop-sized hard drives), especially for video editing. It's graphics have to be good but not great; casual gaming and video editing (FCP real-time effects) are the uses. What Apple is missing is a "Conroe"-based desktop using cheaper desktop-based graphics cards; you can get a lot more for the price than using mobile chips to fit in small enclosures (iMac, Mac Mini).
Apple hates great graphics. Just admit it. Its written all over the products they make. Whats in a MacPro? 7300GT and thats sitting in a $2,000 or more machine.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.