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>It turns out that Apple added DirectX 12 support via something it is calling the Game Porting Toolkit, a tool Apple is offering to developers to see how their

>It turns out that Apple added DirectX 12 support via something it is calling the Game Porting Toolkit, a tool Apple is offering to developers to see how their existing x86 DirectX 12 games work on Macs powered by Apple silicon. That toolkit largely takes place as a 20,000 line of code patch to Wine, a compatibility layer designed to bring support for Windows games to platforms such as Linux, BSD, and macOS. >This is my hope for Mac gaming. In an ideal world, Apple would be in talks with Valve to bring the Apple Game Porting Toolkit to the Apple silicon macOS version of Steam (I am not as hopeful that Apple will bring it to the Epic Gaming Store) and that it will actively work to update the toolkit to support more games and even add-in patches when necessary. I like the sound of this. Are there reasons why Apple would not want to go down this road? Apple silicon in an iSteamDeck sounds pretty enticing.

TillE 3y ago
> iSteamDeck Apple just doesn't make game controllers, at all. They made a big deal about game controller support in iOS way back when, but it's always been third-party stuff. I think they've had multiple opportunities to directly compete with Nintendo consoles. They could have evolved Apple TV into a serious Wii-style console, but they didn't. They're not interested. If Apple ever makes game-specific hardware, it would be a radical change in their approach to games.
- lxgr 3y ago
  I've used an Apple TV with a PS controller and Apple Arcade for a while, and it was actually a pretty decent experience: Seamless synchronization of save games to iCloud, responsive controller input, good performance etc. This use case has also been specifically called out at some past keynotes, including the one where Apple Arcade was announced, as far as I remember. What would you say is missing for Apple to be (seriously) interested in that market?
  - goosedragons 3y ago
    A controller in the box?
    - lxgr 3y ago
      That would probably irritate all buyers not interested in the game console aspect. A bundle would be nice, though.
smoldesu 3y ago
> Are there reasons why Apple would not want to go down this road? Well, the Steam Deck is no small feat of maintanance. Even with Apple's new DirectX translator, playing Windows games takes multiple steps to set up and doesn't bundle a runtime like Proton does. Valve constantly maintains scripts to auto-install dependencies on Steam and make gaming "just work" when you hit play. I don't think Apple has the patience or willpower to make such an effort, even if they went with their proprietary approach. This new toolkit mostly looks like Apple sweetening the deal for the leagues of Windows devs that don't want to port to Metal. It's not a bad move, but it still requires a conscious porting effort that most devs won't bother with. Even with this feature, your best shot at a Steam Deck-like experience is when Asahi starts expanding their Vulkan coverage.
- TheLoafOfBread 3y ago
  > Apple sweetening the deal for the leagues of Windows devs that don't want to port to Metal. It's not a bad move, but it still requires a conscious porting effort that most devs won't bother with. I agree with this 100%. Most devs does not bother with recompiling to ARM and that's usually just selecting one more target in Visual Studio.
lxgr 3y ago
>> [..] bring the Apple Game Porting Toolkit to the Apple silicon macOS version of Steam [...] >> [...] bring it to the Epic Gaming Store [...] > Are there reasons why Apple would not want to go down this road? I can think of approximately 30(%).

TillE 3y ago

> iSteamDeck Apple just doesn't make game controllers, at all. They made a big deal about game controller support in iOS way back when, but it's always been third-party stuff. I think they've had multiple opportunities to directly compete with Nintendo consoles. They could have evolved Apple TV into a serious Wii-style console, but they didn't. They're not interested. If Apple ever makes game-specific hardware, it would be a radical change in their approach to games.

lxgr 3y ago
I've used an Apple TV with a PS controller and Apple Arcade for a while, and it was actually a pretty decent experience: Seamless synchronization of save games to iCloud, responsive controller input, good performance etc. This use case has also been specifically called out at some past keynotes, including the one where Apple Arcade was announced, as far as I remember. What would you say is missing for Apple to be (seriously) interested in that market?
- goosedragons 3y ago
  A controller in the box?
  - lxgr 3y ago
    That would probably irritate all buyers not interested in the game console aspect. A bundle would be nice, though.

smoldesu 3y ago

> Are there reasons why Apple would not want to go down this road? Well, the Steam Deck is no small feat of maintanance. Even with Apple's new DirectX translator, playing Windows games takes multiple steps to set up and doesn't bundle a runtime like Proton does. Valve constantly maintains scripts to auto-install dependencies on Steam and make gaming "just work" when you hit play. I don't think Apple has the patience or willpower to make such an effort, even if they went with their proprietary approach. This new toolkit mostly looks like Apple sweetening the deal for the leagues of Windows devs that don't want to port to Metal. It's not a bad move, but it still requires a conscious porting effort that most devs won't bother with. Even with this feature, your best shot at a Steam Deck-like experience is when Asahi starts expanding their Vulkan coverage.

TheLoafOfBread 3y ago
> Apple sweetening the deal for the leagues of Windows devs that don't want to port to Metal. It's not a bad move, but it still requires a conscious porting effort that most devs won't bother with. I agree with this 100%. Most devs does not bother with recompiling to ARM and that's usually just selecting one more target in Visual Studio.

lxgr 3y ago

>> [..] bring the Apple Game Porting Toolkit to the Apple silicon macOS version of Steam [...] >> [...] bring it to the Epic Gaming Store [...] > Are there reasons why Apple would not want to go down this road? I can think of approximately 30(%).