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I've often felt that true hard-core gaming machines were best thought of as a kind of high-end workstation, since, well, when you're a true "gamer", you're doin

I've often felt that true hard-core gaming machines were best thought of as a kind of high-end workstation, since, well, when you're a true "gamer", you're doing it in a nice dark room with booming sound, etc. Ergo, not mobile. Given that the trashcan Mac Pro was a mess when it came to upgrading, it's clear that Apple just didn't prioritize high end workstation environments. We'll see what the next Mac Pro brings, it might be a nicer platform, but it'll be such a minuscule part of the market, I find it hard to believe many game studios will jump on it. Otherwise, you're left with the typical Mac which often prioritizes good battery life, mobility, etc. So Macs are best left for casual gaming, but... well, phones are great at that too. I do notice that cross platform mobile games on iPhones are significantly better performing then Android devices. So it's not that Apple doesn't prioritize gaming, just hard core "workstation style" gaming environments.

jamesgeck0 9y ago
Most of the same games that run on high-end gaming machines also run on relatively low-powered consoles like the Xbox One and PS4. Heck, the Nintendo Switch uses mobile hardware and comes within spitting distance of Xbox One performance when docked. Raw power isn't the issue. It's Apple's poor drivers and API support.
- mr_tristan 9y ago
  It's just interesting that the Mac drivers / APIs are just so bad when the iOS story seems to be so different. Just today, I'm watching team mates suffer with Android freezes. This is far from the first time this has happened. There's just a ton of anecdotal evidence that indicates iOS is superior to Android for gaming. And it's not like Mac's are having to deal with this "massive ecosystem". I mean, Windows runs on everything. And Macs, like the iPhone and iPad, really are pretty much closed ecosystems too. So it seems there was some decision in the history of Mac OS development that has somehow screwed it over when it comes to providing drivers and APIs for game development, and, Apple can't rectify it effectively. I just wonder what that was.

jamesgeck0 9y ago

Most of the same games that run on high-end gaming machines also run on relatively low-powered consoles like the Xbox One and PS4. Heck, the Nintendo Switch uses mobile hardware and comes within spitting distance of Xbox One performance when docked. Raw power isn't the issue. It's Apple's poor drivers and API support.

mr_tristan 9y ago
It's just interesting that the Mac drivers / APIs are just so bad when the iOS story seems to be so different. Just today, I'm watching team mates suffer with Android freezes. This is far from the first time this has happened. There's just a ton of anecdotal evidence that indicates iOS is superior to Android for gaming. And it's not like Mac's are having to deal with this "massive ecosystem". I mean, Windows runs on everything. And Macs, like the iPhone and iPad, really are pretty much closed ecosystems too. So it seems there was some decision in the history of Mac OS development that has somehow screwed it over when it comes to providing drivers and APIs for game development, and, Apple can't rectify it effectively. I just wonder what that was.