In the minds of many Windows users, Mac computers cannot play large-scale games. This seems to be a deep-rooted concept, and it has become an embarrassing point that is difficult to avoid when users from the two camps argue.
A brief intersection of gaming history
Apple computers have absolutely nothing to do with games from the beginning. Looking back at 1977, the Apple II computer led by Steve Jobs was designed to be very close to the public and open. It could support color displays and had built-in BASIC language, which attracted many developers to make games for it.
Among the classic games of that period, such as "Mystery House" and "Witchcraft", they were all popular on the Apple II. It can also be said that in the initial stage of personal computers, the products produced by Apple were also one of the carriers of the gaming experience. They were not completely a desert of games. This is the situation.
Microsoft’s key layout
As Apple subsequently shifted the positioning of the Mac towards the design and creative fields, Microsoft took a key step in the gaming ecosystem. In 1995, Microsoft launched the DirectX interface in the Windows 95 system.
This interface unifies access methods for graphics, sound, and input, which greatly eases the difficulty of game developers developing games for Windows systems. Such measures laid a solid foundation for PC to become a mainstream gaming platform, attracting almost all major game manufacturers.
A leap in performance for Apple chips
For many years, Apple has been in a state of silence on gaming for a long time. It was not until 2020 that it launched its own M-series chips. Starting from M1 and continuing to the latest M4, its performance has been significantly improved, especially in terms of energy efficiency and graphics processing capabilities, which left a deep, profound and unforgettable impression.
The powerful chip provides the basic hardware conditions for running large-scale games. At present, high-end Macs can already meet the needs of many AAA games in terms of theoretical computing power. Hardware is not the only limiting factor.
Technical bridge for ecological transplantation
After the hardware reaches the standard, a greater challenge exists in the software ecosystem. The vast majority of PC games are developed for Windows systems and DirectX interfaces. In view of this, Apple launched a game porting toolkit.
This toolkit can convert DirectX commands into Apple's own Metal graphics API, which is like building a conversion bridge for games. Developers can use it to port Windows games to the macOS platform more efficiently.
The reality of current gaming experiences
For those who already own a Mac, there are indeed more ways to try games. There are a few games on the Steam platform that natively support Mac, such as "Baldur's Gate 3", but the frame rate is often low at high resolutions.
By paying a fee to use CrossOver, or using free open source tools, you can run a larger number of unadapted games. However, this is a translation running method and there is a performance loss. The experience of playing AAA masterpieces with the M4 Pro chip is often described as "barely playable".
uncertainty about the future
Even though technology continues to advance, Mac's game market share is still very low. According to Steam data in December 2024, macOS accounted for only 1.61%, even lower than Linux systems.
For Apple, it spends a lot of resources to compete in the game market, and its business return rate is questionable. Therefore, playing 3A games on Mac will, in the short term, be more like an "extra topic" used to demonstrate chip performance, rather than its core development orientation.
Have you ever tried to play large-scale games on Mac? What is the actual experience like? Will it surprise you, or will it make you feel that it is not as good as expected? You are welcome to share your experiences and opinions in the comment area.
