Steam on OSX

Steam...one of the goldmines of gaming....the reason why many individuals refused to go Mac...is going to be on OSX

http://www.macnn.com/articles/10/02/24/could.represent.major.win.for.mac.industry/


Which will bring popular titles such as Team Fortress 2

http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=3578&p=1

Is this a game changer for native mac (OSX.....no bootcamp shmootcamp)?

 

It's not really Steam moving to Webkit that's the story. The real news is that Valve is moving to OpenGL.

Now, we can go for days with DirectX v. OpenGL, but basically this means that current and future Valve games (L4D, HalfLife, Portal) can be played natively on Windows, Macs, and Linux systems.

 

hard to say, they have not ported many games over yet, and it is hard to say how many developers will ... I rather doubt any of the older games I love will be changed over though.

once they hit a couple hundred games then they wil certantly have my interest but intiill then I really dont see me getting too excited over steam.

That and it eats a huge amount of bandwidth for downloading / playing and patching games ( I am a current steam user )

 

Will this be only for Steam (Valve) Games? Like games like Call of Duty MW2 is made by activision but hosted by steam.

 

This could sway a few gamers on the fence about it. Though from my experience, hardcore gamers use Steam more than others, and they won't be satisfied with a weaker GPU that Apples offers anyway.

 

I'm a pretty serious gamer, and I have a desktop for the real gaming, but I also have a laptop, and won't accept a mammoth 17" machine. I need the thing to be usable and very portable.

And this macbook pro has a decent graphics card (9600m gt). I could play Left 4 Dead 2 online on medium shaders / high other settings and push out 60 frames each second and be perfectly competitive. That would be great. No complaints here from serious gamer #4.

Hardcore gamers shouldn't buy laptops for gaming. But if you need a laptop, and you want a macbook pro anyway, I think this whole thing is really positive.


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At first, it looks like just Valve games will be available (of course, details are slim). Valve games will be available for free for owners of the PC versions, which is nice.

It may be that some games are available on the store, but my guess is that games like CoD4 and RA3 would have to be repurchased to get the mac versions.

 

I beg to differ. The laptops out there today offer very high performance at a not-so-bad price. My M17 suits my gaming needs perfectly; and yet it's a laptop, and I'm a hardcore gamer.

Anyway, on topic...

The one thing I WOULD be worried about with this is the cooling. MacBooks aren't exactly well known for having good cooling, and putting stress on those components isn't exactly going to help that problem. Luckily, the 9600s don't have the same defects the old 8000 series had but I'd still be wary if they were going above 90C-which I believe they do very easily in a MacBook Pro.

 

I've used windows on this machine in the past to play games without any problems.

I think the hardware is capable of being used.

I agree that there are more than capable DTR laptops which are way more portable than desktops of course, but don't serve the traditional laptop purpose- ie. using it out and about. you need to be set up at a desk with the power cord, which is fine, just part of the beast. Then you have the other type of laptop- portable and thin, less powerful. Hardcore gamers shouldn't buy that type of laptop, is what I meant.

My point is that there are plenty of serious gamers who happen to have apple laptops, and they (and I) all welcome steam.

 

Yeah I can't wait for steam, I already have all valves games but L4D2, and It's been a while since I have play TF:2 since Win 7 RC has expired.

 

I think this is a great idea, I love the idea and concept of Steam! I play Empire Total War on my Windows PC over Steam .

 

Yeah and look at Alienware and other high end laptop. They have purposes.

From what I am seeing Macbook Pro isn't just a toy to play with. It aims total professional users that required durable, long lasting hardware with good support. I am speaking in general of all Mac computer hardware. They are great for film production, graphic, media designs and etc.

And yes of course it may be powerful enough to play some decent games as well. I'll be happy if they have option for Quadro GPU.

 

Quadro gpu? That would cost some major $$ on an apple machine. Macbooks today are less professional and more status symbol, dcc and cad programs run just as good on PC's as they do on Macs, plus high end prossionals benifit from professional warranties and high performance hardware in PC's, that Macs do not provide. Macs offer a pretty solid non-windows os, and a unique design. But I wouldn't think they appeal to gamers, who know where to find good hardware.

 

there is actually a lot to consider about Macs vs. other PCs, but it doesn't really add to the discussion of Steam on OS X.

 

The lowest common denominator on the Mac is the 9400m and the core 2 duo. it isn't too shabby and is plenty for games, not at highest resolution and detail, but still plenty for most games, and certainly valve games.

Steam on OS X is a good thing and will drive other developers to the mac.

 

What new graphics cards do Mac users have available?

I think OnLive is the platform for Mac users.

 

OnLive isn't a platform for anyone right now as far as I know.

(New) mac users either use the 9400m, the 9600m gt, 4670, or 4850, depending on the model. Obviously these are not high end chips, but they are still capable of playing modern games at high frame rates.

 

Why play on a 9600m (slightly faster than a desktop 7600 gt) when you can buy an xbox 360 or ps3? World of Warcraft is the only notable game that's pc only, but that can already be played on mac. The whole point of pc gaming is to play games at higher resolution and detail than on counsels. What is the point of spending $2000+ on a mac to play MW2 at 1280×800 on low, when you can play it at 1080p on an xbox? I prefer PC games because of the superior controls, and my comp can handle most of them at 1920x1200 in full detail. But it wouldn't be worth it to me on a mac, because I would have to turn down all the graphics.

The only people who would use Steam for mac is the small minority of iMac users who happen to have a 4850, but that's still a $2000 desktop. If your on a macbook pro, do yourself a favor and get an xbox 360 or ps3.

 

Thanks for spoiling the party...

Can't wait for steam to come to OS X/10! I don't need 1920x1200 res 32xAA 128xAF to enjoy TF2! I play it on my Geforce 6200 @ 420x640 (something like that) on the old desktop and it was plenty of fun! That and I'm still enjoying Starcraft.

Plus if you don't own or plan to buy a mac why bother coming in this thread...

 

Again, everyones definition of "hardcore gamer" is different. To some, they want the fastest rig to get the most fps. To others it depends on skill and time, and graphics arn't the goal.

Why play on a 9600? Because you can, theres no reason not to. Atleast there is the option to.

I've played tons of games on my laptop, sure I dont get 1920x1080 on all of them, but the graphics and resolution arnt what games are about, its about actually playing them.

like unnamed01 said, I dont think you really need to be commenting in this thread about how mac users shouldnt playing games, or how its a waste of money. Can we have this thread for useful information, and comments, not just mac hating?

Do I have an imac? no. Will I be getting steam? yes. And I will do myself a favor and play on pc, instead of console.

 

Consoles suck, I don't want to start a console vs pc/mac argument, but they do. All they get are games that are gimped so they can work on the console and have all these limitations. People that will play on the 9600 are more then you think. Just because you won't doesn't mean others won't. I would rather play games on a 9600 with low graphics then on my xbox. I don't get why I can't game on my 9600 is OS X when I can do it fine in bootcamp. I can't wait for steam to come to OS X, and I will have fun playing TF:2, and Half life Ep 3 on my 9600.

How about this Xhibit, why don't you do us all a favor and GTFO.

 

Just as an aside, the reason i heard in the past was because apple's drivers in osx for videocards wern't the greatest compared to the windows counterparts.

It kinda makes sense, when nvidia is releasing new updates constantly, always either improving or sometimes lowering framerates, when we have to wait for apple.

Although, supposedly in 10.6.3 theres supposed to be an update for the videocard drivers.

It would be interesting to see how blizzard games compare in windows and osx, as blizzard is one of the few companies releasing big budget games on both platforms (but most of their games are a few years old atm, so it may be minimal)

 

Lol I'm just saying, Xbox is $1000 worth of PC graphics for $300, I wouldn't spend money on steam mac games. I'm just being realistic before people go out and buy a bunch of bad steam Mac games. Macbooks are great for a lot of things, but for gaming I think a counsel is way better, and I didn't mean to offend..

Seshan, what exactly is 'gimped' about counsel games? And you can already play hl2 and tf2 in wine on osx...

 

1. Let's consider it. The following reasons:

2. This is not the only notable PC game. There are too many to list. I'll note Crysis. I'll also note that there are a variety of games like RA3 which are great on the PC and unplayable on the consoles (in my opinion). There are also a TON of classic games that run only on the PC.

3. This is not the only point of PC gaming. My macbook pro can play MW2 in 720p on high settings in windows. The xbox plays MW2 in 600p. At least you have the option to turn down the graphics on the PC. On the xbox, if there is too much action onscreen, you just have to deal with the slowdowns.

4. So, obviously, beating the consoles in performance is not the only point of PC gaming. You have customizability. When selecting a console, you can pick between the Xbox 360 and PS3 (and wii). When selecting a computer, you can get pretty much anything. You can get a mammoth desktop or a small form factor desktop machine, or a desktop replacement notebook, or a smaller, more portable notebook. the mac is one of those choices. the machine is built to be sleek, and it runs a unique operating system.

5. These are not the only people who would use steam. People with a 9400m can and will run at least source games when steam comes out for the mac.



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(Again)

The point of having the macintosh should not be to play games. Almost everyone who buys a macintosh does not buy the thing for gaming purposes. Nevertheless, the macintosh is about as powerful as an xbox 360 or ps3 in terms of graphics power, and infinitely more useful in terms of doing anything not related to gaming. It is also portable. Again, keep in mind that you were mistaken about the resolutions the xbox and mbp (9600m) can run CoD in, fluently.

So, for someone who already owns this device, why not let them play games on it? If someone wants an xbox, this shouldn't change their mind and have them get a macintosh instead... but for people who already have macs that could run games, why buy ANOTHER box to play games? It is way more convenient and cost effective for mac users to be able to play games on the box they already own as opposed to buying another one to do the same thing. Plus- they get other benefits of the PC, like better control.

 

"Steam mac games" wait....I already own many steam games I bought to on my PC (Orange Box, CS:S, DoD:S, LFD1/2 etc.). Now when Steam comes out for mac OS I can just play it on my mac now right? Some valve games go both ways now or am I confused?

 

I only have the 9400m, but a friend has the 9600m ft, he can only run mw2 at low Res and settings, hooked up to his hd TV looks significantly worse than his Xbox 360 does. Mw2 looks only slightly better on my desktop at 1200p. Any higher settings and the 9600 m can't run it at the needed frames for a fps. But i dont think mw2 will even be ported to mac so its kind of pointless. As for older games, you can already play them in emulation. And all other notible PC games (like crysis lol ) aren't going to be running on your Mac, its only valve games.

I guess you could play valve games on the go, but in my experiance, unless you have a desktop PC or gaming laptop, the counsel version plays better, and they are cheap.

 

Masterchef's argument kind of shows my situation. Bought my Macbook for the OS and productivity not gaming. But, since I am using it so much, why not game?

I realize the 9400m is nothing special, but on Bootcamp (and soon OS X) I run my steam games just fine. L4D2 and TF2 run especially well. Obviously it can't compete with my gaming desktop PC in any sense. But on the road I don't happen to have it with me. Don't feel like buying a XBOX/PS3/Wii to bring with so I use my Macbook.

Point being if you have it at your disposal, why not fire up a game you like and have some fun?

Also what is this "counsel"? j/k

 

From early reports, everything you bought for pc from valve, will be free on mac (everything on source engine, which should be all games you listed)
Not sure about dod, as im not sure if that is an official release? or is it still a 3rd party mod kinda deal?

and xhibit, just play on your "counsel", theres an option now for mac users to play the games they bought on steam, and not have to pay another $300 and buy an hdtv if they dont have one. And crysis a notable pc game? lol..

 

You don't say...

 

DoD:S is a Valve game. I'm not sure if it is being ported, but it may be.

I think the "for sure" ones are

L4D/2
HL2+episodes
TF2
CS:S
Portal

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Another simpler way to think about this. Tons of mac users already use windows to play games on their mac. It is a giant PITA. This is more streamlined. This will allow such users to play games without windows, and will push people on the fence about gaming on their mac (since they don't want to deal with multiple operating systems) over.

Of course, if you haven't made a purchase and want a gaming box, the xbox can be more economical, but that has nothing to do with gaming on a mac. People aren't buying these things specifically as gaming boxes. They get them to do A LOT. I have a pre-amp and record tracks from my guitar onto this laptop. I also develop apps for the iPhone. And I browse the web, listen to my music, edit my photos, type papers, and do web development stuff. Good luck doing that on your xbox. Basically, I NEED a computer, I don't NEED an xbox, and so, since my computer is capable of playing games, I'd like to not have to buy another box.

 

Lol, Everything? Just look at BC:2 for PC and Consoles. You can see the differences. That's not the only games.

Yeah I can play HL:2 and TF:2 in wine, but I would rather play them natively in OS X with steam.

 

Console games have their graphics tuned down to accomodate the lower hardware. You often miss things like anti aliasing. In addition, many console games don't run at native 1080p. Rather, they upscale 720p, which is less desirable.

The 9600GT is perfectly acceptable for running games. My old X1600 ran Counter Strike Source at 1440x900 all high just fine. Sometimes people underestimate the power of midrange cards. That's not to say I don't appreciate my FX3700m (which I do). It's far from a hardcore gaming card, but it can hold its own.

This opening of the Steam platform is a good first step, but I can see Macintosh gaming taking off (or at least increasing) when server side processing takes off. Basically, a server somewhere on the Internet processes everything for you, and you just see a video of what is happening, and send controls to the server. There already has been demos of this, showing Crysis running on a Samsung Omnia smartphone. Not only will this be good for Mac users, but also for gamers in general. Games that PCs normally wouldn't be able to run would be no sweat for a powerful server, prompting prettier, smarter games. However, the bad side effect is that a subscription is sure to follow.