href="http://digg.com/submit?url=http%3A//www.ismashphone.com/2010/10/five-reasons-gaming-on-a-mac-will-get-better.html">
For quite some time, the Mac gave PC and console gamers something to agree on: Playing games on a Mac is a joke. Agree with it or not, it’s hard to deny that there wasn’t a long dry spell between the times when Apple’s computers were considered a gaming platform (We will always remember Oregon Trail) but that all may be changing very quickly.
Think about it, right now, the Mac is becoming a true force in gaming. It will no longer be a victim to quick ports that are made with the sole intention of silencing the Apple users. These games are the real deal, and it’s only going to get better. Let’s take a look at what we’d like to see, and a look at some of the ways things are already improving.
5) Possibilities For Interesting Control Methods
Nintendo’s Wii console and their DS ushered in a new era of control methods, and the iPhone removed the stylus from touchscreen gaming and helped to popularize accelerometer-based control methods. Now there is room to create an interesting combination in which we may be able to use the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPhone as a controller, such as the demo videos we’ve seen with Choper 2. Ideas like these have already been incorporated with Apps such as Scrabble: the iPad can act as the game board while the iPhone and iPod Touch can act as the Tile Racks. Other Apps, such as Remote, or third-party mouse apps allow you to use the iPhone or iPad to directly control action on your computer over wifi. This could open up a world of possibilities for software to be used with an iPhone as a controller while the computer runs the game.
4) Compatibility Across Devices
It seems that we will eventually get applications that will be compatible across various devices. For example, we will take a simple adventure game. It’s something you play on your computer, then leave the house and continue the game on your iPhone or your iPad.
3) Easy Distribution Thanks to the App Store
Many people don’t like Apple’s approval process when it comes to developing a game on their platform. Yes, it can be strange at times, but it’s a great distribution method. We are also willing to bet that those same people who are complaining haven’t tried to secure a developer’s license for a Nintendo DS or a PSP–both great systems, but it takes a lot more than a simple, “Hey I wanna make a game on your system,” to get Nintendo listening.
It had to come sooner or later, the App Store. As said above, it makes for easy distribution, and now it’s available on a wider range of platforms. There is an endless supply of games on the App Store, and yes there are a lot of bad ones, but that’s the case with just about anything. It’s the good games you have to focus on. After all, they are the ones you plan to play, right? Now that the App Store is coming to Mac, many of those same games will be available, as well as a slew of newer games that users may enjoy better on their computer. Since the games are already built to run efficiently on an iOS device, a full-fledged computer shouldn’t have much of a problem. In addition to that, we are sure that there are a few users out there interested in playing a game like N.O.V.A. with a mouse and keyboard.
2) Developers Are Ready
Developers enjoy working with a platform they are familiar with. Many, who have already become familiar with iOS and the distribution method are already jumping at the opportunity to create games for the Mac App Store in hopes that their branding will carry over from their iOS device to the Mac operating system. Furthermore, developers already have the necessary tools, the Macintosh computer they used to create their iOS games. Many developers have already found success in iOS, so they are ready to develop more for the App Store.
1) Steam
Steam is here for Mac. Well, it’s been here for a while already, but just look at the great content that Mac users are getting. It’s wonderful content, and it’s not a half-hearted port made just to keep the Mac users happy. Mac users are getting great quality games and it’s happening faster than ever thanks to services like Valve’s Steam.
And that’s just the beginning
There’s a long way to go before we see where this can truly go. Heck, we haven’t even had hands-on with the Mac App Store, but there are tons of ideas out there just waiting to be cooked up by developers. Seriously, back in 2008, did any of us ever see the Unreal Engine 3 running on an iPhone. Well, it’s happened, and there are only more projects coming in the future that will amaze us. Our only hope is that these games don’t become too bloated…10-hour downloads are no fun.
Accessories & Apps: Beta Testers Wanted
iOS Firmware/IPSW Download Guide
Legacy iTunes Download Archive
App Store Top Charts
iPhone and Android Resale Value Charts
USA iPhone Carrier Plans Compared
Complete iPhone Jailbreaking Guide 
Complete iPhone Specification Matrix 
Reasons why it does, and still will suck:
1. Little hardware options, zero that are affordable (compared to other manufactures).
2. OS X only support OpenGL 2.1. Either Apple is lazy or they actually don’t think Mac users want the lasted version of OpenGL (4.1), available on windows BTW (along with DX11). Games will never look like this could on Windows or Linux.
3. App Store 30/70 split. As if ANY developer wants to give up 30% revenue to Apple.
Casual games will of course be popular on OS X, but not anymore than they already are. The App store doesn’t change much, besides increasing distribution costs of games.
1. Seems like many people are willing to pay the prices..
2. OpenGL 4.1 is now supported .
3. Who said you need to share your revenue with apple? Game developer can still sell the games exactly the way they are sold for Windows. Apple provides a service that makes it possible for people to sell their products, even the common man/woman.
some very good points. thanks for the feedback
on Compatibility across devices I would call that one very iffy. Every time they put out a new phone an older version of a phone gets the shaft. the OS 4 made our 3G users complain so much at work we had to upgrade them to Iphone 4′s…the damn phones were only a couple years old. Forced hardware upgrades like that are not a plus to a distribution model.
on Steam yes some are actually putting games out at the same time but for the most part you are waiting to see if the Game does well on Windows before it comes out.
As for the controls. OMG play games for the most part on the Iphone sucks. hey look my fingers ..block a good portion of the screen. There are very few good quality games as well. heck most of the games are copies of other games. Znyga = Storm 8 = omg so many copies of the same not actual game. seriously. Mobwars, Imob, Mob this ect are all the same dam game and saying game is very loosely.
Technically Steam and Itunes Store are almost the same point. an online distribution model.
photoshop?
I’ve played Crysis, Assassins Creed 2, Dead Rising, Kane and Lynch 2, Fallout 3/New Vegas, Oblivion, and Splinter Cell: Conviction all recently on my 27″ iMac, and you know what? It kicks ass. Runs them all beautifully.
Gaming Mac hardware isn’t a problem – It’s simply getting more developers to contribute to the OSX operating system.
Just use Bootcamp. Done.
Im pretty sure no mac can run crysis that is one of the most demanding games i know………..
My 2 year-old iMac runs Crysis 2 just fine at 40 fps on high settings which is decent for all but the guys willing to pay 500 on a graphics card.
YEAH he Said crysis. not crysis 2. the original is actually much harder to run. in your original post you said crysis.
Dead rising 2, that is. Along with Prince of Persia: TFS, Borderlands, Fear 2… The list goes on. Point still the same.
>>3. App Store 30/70 split. As if ANY developer wants to give up 30% revenue to Apple.
You’re kidding, right? 70% of retail price is an incredible slice. Publishers currently get around 30% of retail at store. What you’re wondering is why anyone would want to get a 230% increase in revenue….
_loosh_
It requires a $2000 Mac to compete with a $700 PC, but yes Macs can play games now.
If you’re point is that Windows can play games(you stated you used boot camp), than you missed the point of the article completely. Their discussing OSX and gaming, not Apple hardware+Windows and gaming.
as the MAC gets popular so will the virus’s, think about it why would a person create a virus for a mac when sensitive data is protected on a windows based system ohh you just wait, and ps they do get virus’s and they do crash maybe not as many times but you can re-format to windows lol. and as for games i have to agree with bob dole
haha, funny joke…
sorry not buying it man. You are one of the rare people who have a mac with a decent video card. Everyone else is left in the dust. Your system is triple what my gaming pc costs and mine does better.
thank you…
yes macs are cool but to play the games its ridiculous in price
This won’t catch on quickly since 80% of macs are laptops and portable devices that are way more expensive then hardware of the same type but without the apple logo. Though if someone has a $2000 Mac desktop that they use for video rendering and they want to play a few games this is a great idea and is finally pushing gaming out of windows and on to other OS’s, hopefully linux can get some support next, then I won’t have to use windows anymore. Also, a mac is a PC, I wish people would stop saying that they are 2 different things.
I use both platforms. OpenGL sucks, bad. Games like World of Warcraft are much better on a PC due to DirectX.
Until that problem is solved, gaming on a Mac is going to play second fiddle.
Oh, and the small problem of outdated and underpowered video cards.
#6:
Bootcamp allows Mac users to play games in windows
Word.
Zeus so… in the end…you still need…Windows…
That Engineer Turret to Portal Turret comparison is horrible. Portal Turret only shoots lazor beams at a moderate speed. What can the engineer turret do? ROCKETS. Plus you can upgrade it.
wouldn’t that be a god comparison then?
I agree but also in a little video about the turret its actually filled with bullets but still ROCKETS and bullets and remotly controlled for the TF2 turret :L no contest TF2
that is simply not true. retail stores actually make a very very small margin. this is why they have to depend on used game sales.
If you think about it, it’s the perfect comparison. One’s shiny and half decent at shooting things. One doesn’t look that pretty, but it explodes everything that crosses its path.
Have you ever seen a gaming pc its pretty awesome and in my eyes blows away the plain look of macs
Mac is far more for games than it ever was before these days. But as much as i love my Mac to work on (yes, it is THAT much better to do work, fully woth the price) OSX and the hardware arrent for highend gaming.
I can run Civ V, Sim3 and SC2 but the settings are low (i don´t mind to much) so i am fine with this. But if you want to go into Crysis with state of the art hardware this issent your platfrom and the OS (at least for now, big update comming) just issent don well for 3D in gennerel on top of that.
Fun sidenote though. Windows works much better on a Mac, Apple provides you with all the Downloads you require for your hardware. Esp. for casual users thats pritty neat.
I play most of my games on a PS3, thats technicly as shitty as a mac wen it comes to hardware but i just like it wen it works without me building, patching, backdoreing, driver hunting and so one.
Only after you’ve banged on it for awhile with additional resources. Otherwise it’s shitty at shooting and can’t even kill a scout. :p
I really can’t see gaming on that mac becoming huge just yet nor being particularly affordable.
one thing i hate gaming on imac is because it will get overheated and it will freeze when putting in to max setting but PC desktop performance does not i prefer PC better it will run any games nice and smooth with out any glitch.
Which imac do you use and what game are you playing when this happens?
Here’s a vid of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim being played on iMac thru bootcamp, ultra high settings as well.
iMac 3.4ghz Quad Core i7-12Gb Ram-Windows 7-1Tb 7200rpm HDD
Two years later, you are still very wrong. No one games on macs because they don’t want to pay more money for less performance. Generally, you pay more for better performance. Screw Apple and their “we’ll control everything for you because you’re too stupid to do it on your own” mentality.