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> I don't think we're going to see like an Apple Switch device, but they do seem to care about console/PC-quality games in a way they never have before. I thin

by izacus 3y ago

> I don't think we're going to see like an Apple Switch device, but they do seem to care about console/PC-quality games in a way they never have before. I think we see this sentence said every few years (or at least a similar one, related to iOS). It'll slowly be as evergreen as "the year of Linux desktop". Meanwhile, the amount of games that actually are available and running in ARM64 mode on macOS is still miniscule. Honestly, Game Porting Toolking doesn't seem like a product built by company that's serious about gaming - it's a developer tool that still needs the developer to do extra work to actually publish the game for Macs. Compare this to approach Valve took on Steam Deck and you'll see just how a company that takes games seriously works.

smoldesu 3y ago
Exactly. Game Porting Toolkit is an awesome showing, but the intention is in the name; it's not a compatibility layer, it's a porting tool. Eventually it will go away, and you'll be stuck with the same Mojave/Catalina-style cutoff for all your old games. Apple could make things so much easier by just shipping MacOS with a native Vulkan driver and letting the community maintain the DXVK translator like all the other GPUs. It wouldn't diminish the demand for Metal (it's still the only option on many platforms) and it would bring Mac back up to parity with other OSes. Maybe a renewed commitment to supporting Rosetta would also help seal the deal.
DistractionRect 3y ago
Things like Proton aren't something that shipped overnight, it's a teething process. In fairness, Valve originally did take the same approach. Proton was born from the ashes of Steam Machines - Linux boxes that developers had to create a port for. Similarly, WSL, WSL2, WSLg, and WSA are born from the ashes of Windows Phones and Project Astoria. They aren't quite there yet, but I expect another shot at mobiles in the future. Apple will have to go through the same teething process. Their rendering pipeline is wanting in some ways, and that'll only be sorted through painful experience. Console emulators (E.g. Yuzu/Ryujinx) are in the same vein as Proton, so if you want a health check on what problems something like Proton for Apple would face, you can see what problems the emulators are currently dealing with//hacking around.

by izacus 3y ago

smoldesu 3y ago

Exactly. Game Porting Toolkit is an awesome showing, but the intention is in the name; it's not a compatibility layer, it's a porting tool. Eventually it will go away, and you'll be stuck with the same Mojave/Catalina-style cutoff for all your old games. Apple could make things so much easier by just shipping MacOS with a native Vulkan driver and letting the community maintain the DXVK translator like all the other GPUs. It wouldn't diminish the demand for Metal (it's still the only option on many platforms) and it would bring Mac back up to parity with other OSes. Maybe a renewed commitment to supporting Rosetta would also help seal the deal.

DistractionRect 3y ago

Things like Proton aren't something that shipped overnight, it's a teething process. In fairness, Valve originally did take the same approach. Proton was born from the ashes of Steam Machines - Linux boxes that developers had to create a port for. Similarly, WSL, WSL2, WSLg, and WSA are born from the ashes of Windows Phones and Project Astoria. They aren't quite there yet, but I expect another shot at mobiles in the future. Apple will have to go through the same teething process. Their rendering pipeline is wanting in some ways, and that'll only be sorted through painful experience. Console emulators (E.g. Yuzu/Ryujinx) are in the same vein as Proton, so if you want a health check on what problems something like Proton for Apple would face, you can see what problems the emulators are currently dealing with//hacking around.