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When most gamers imagine the best systems to play their games on, PlayStation consoles or PCs immediately come to mind. Almost never, however, do we think, “a MacBook.” Gamers seek out features and capabilities necessary to run current titles, and Apple’s MacBook line up, for the most part, has always been considered productivity focused — catering more to work, creative and academic activity.
Apple has been working to change that perception, and the company has made significant progress in recent years, improving performance on its hardware thanks to its investment in powerful Apple Silicon chips.
Today at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2023), Apple further solidified its push to capture the attention of gamers, making some significant announcements including integrations with other platforms as well as a sleek, new AR/VR headset.
Let’s take a look at what gamers must know about Apple’s updates!
Apple Gaming
The latest version of Apple’s operating system, macOS 14 Sonoma, introduces a new Game Mode specifically designed to optimize CPU and GPU performance in games.
The new Game Mode automatically adjusts the computer’s settings to ensure optimal performance in Mac games. This mode prioritizes CPU and GPU usage to achieve greater frame rate stability. The Bluetooth sampling frequency has also been doubled to enhance compatibility with PlayStation and Xbox controllers.
To facilitate the adaptation of PC games to Mac, a new Game Portability Toolkit has been unveiled for developers. This toolkit simplifies the process of converting shaders and graphics code to the Metal API, significantly reducing the time required to adapt games to the Mac platform, meaning Mac gamers can get the latest titles faster.
To help hype the gamer-related changes, Apple tapped legendary game creator Hideo Kojima, who famously designed the “Metal Gear Solid” video game series, to announce that his popular “Death Stranding” series will be made available on macOS this year. He also mentioned that other titles could soon come to Mac!
Vision Pro for Gamers
One of the most anticipated announcements at WWDC 2023, Apple officially announced its augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) headset, Apple Vision Pro.
The new headset has a lot of gaming functions, including supporting gaming controllers from other consoles, as well as providing an extensive library of over 100 Apple Arcade games.
According to the company, this virtual reality experience will be completely immersive and will involve collaborations between renowned game developers and independent directors to create exciting titles.
The presentation showcased a demonstration of the game NBA 2K23, with a player using Sony’s DualSense controller.
Apple hinted that this is just the beginning of gaming experiences on the Vision Pro device, suggesting that there will be more updates in the future as the platform evolves. Furthermore, the permanent collaboration between Apple and Disney was confirmed, with the presence of Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, endorsing this partnership.
While it’s exciting to see Apple delve deeper into the realm of augmented reality, it is important to note that other competitors such as Oculus, PlayStation with its VR, and Meta Quest continue to dominate the market. These established players have already captured a significant portion of the market and have a loyal base of developers and gamers who have invested in their virtual reality platforms.
Challenging these competitors will not be an easy task for Apple. The augmented reality market relies heavily on the support of developers and gamers, many of whom have already aligned themselves with other brands. Convincing them to switch to Apple’s Vision Pro will require compelling features, a robust game library, and seamless integration with existing virtual reality ecosystems. What’s more, at an initial price of USD $3,499, attracting users away from other headsets with a much lower starting price may be difficult.
Apple’s success in this venture will depend on its ability to offer unique experiences and differentiate itself from the competition. While the Vision Pro headset shows promise, Apple will need to continuously innovate and deliver captivating content to win over the gaming community, as their new headsets appear to be more focused on work productivity at first glance.
By Stiven Cartagena, GeekTime
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