Steam on OS X?

[Oil]

Kotaku
Steam forums

So does this mean that Valve will most likely make their future games compatible with Windows and OS X?

 

[Dorkenstein]

This should be interesting. I've never ever thought of macs as capable gaming machines, but who knows. If they do it and for some strange reason it causes problems for the PC aspect, I'd be annoyed. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

for what? like 5 games?

somehow those dolts on kotaku think that a steam client for mac means that all games will be available on mac too.

 

[Dorkenstein]

Yeah, that would be a pretty big undertaking.

 

[fatpat268]

for what? like 5 games?

somehow those dolts on kotaku think that a steam client for mac means that all games will be available on mac too.

There's some speculation that the source engine is going to be ported.

Now, if this is true and you get a couple of the half-lifes and other source games on the mac, then gaming will probably pick up a little.

 

[MStele]

Actually its kinda smart. Limited shelf space and a small user base means marketing OSX games in brick and mortar stores is an expensive proposition. However, if developers can bypass the stores, Steam can offer a greater profit margin, even if the amount of available games is limited. They can also sell OSX games that aren't in stores anymore, thus squeezing additional profit out of them. This could also stir up some Indie developer support if they have an avenue for distribution.

It won't bring any real competition to PC gaming, but for Apple users who want a few more options than what the stores offer it's a great thing. Kudos to Valve/Steam

 

[sourceninja]

They could start using cider to "port" a large amount of steam games to osx.

 

[SunnyD]

They could start using cider to "port" a large amount of steam games to osx.

Yeah, that's more of a job for the game devs rather than the Steam devs. I can't see most devs letting anyone let Valve look at their code let alone muck around with it.

 

[Acanthus]

I'm sure you'll be able to access the whole arsenal of steam games...

With bootcamp

 

[Inspector Jihad]

i think steamworks on macs would be interesting. they could surely sell MW2 on macs and that would sell like hotcakes.

 

[mfenn]

Actually its kinda smart. Limited shelf space and a small user base means marketing OSX games in brick and mortar stores is an expensive proposition. However, if developers can bypass the stores, Steam can offer a greater profit margin, even if the amount of available games is limited. They can also sell OSX games that aren't in stores anymore, thus squeezing additional profit out of them. This could also stir up some Indie developer support if they have an avenue for distribution.

It won't bring any real competition to PC gaming, but for Apple users who want a few more options than what the stores offer it's a great thing. Kudos to Valve/Steam

This.

You take all of the cost advantages of digital distribution in the PC games market and multiply them by a large factor because the Mac games market is that much smaller.

Also, the average GPU in a Mac is far superior to the average PC GPU, esp. in recent years because of Apple's focus on OpenCL.

 

[fatpat268]

This.

You take all of the cost advantages of digital distribution in the PC games market and multiply them by a large factor because the Mac games market is that much smaller.

Also, the average GPU in a Mac is far superior to the average PC GPU, esp. in recent years because of Apple's focus on OpenCL.

I wouldn't go that far.

You have quite a bit more flexibility with a PC in being able to choose your GPU.

As far as laptops go, there's really only two options: The 9400m and 9600gt. The 9400m performs admirably in anything that's 3 years old or older and some newer games. It's ok for integrated, and it's a lot better than Intel's offerings for sure.

The 9600gt is a pretty nice GPU and can play most games on the market with respectable settings. That said, it's no powerhouse either.

(I'm leaving out the iMac's GPU because I'm not that familiar with it)

 

[MStele]

This.

You take all of the cost advantages of digital distribution in the PC games market and multiply them by a large factor because the Mac games market is that much smaller.

Also, the average GPU in a Mac is far superior to the average PC GPU, esp. in recent years because of Apple's focus on OpenCL.

With the exception of the Mac Pro, the entire mac lineup is based off their mobile chipset. They all use integrated graphics (except the Mac Pro. Superior is hardly what I would call it lmao.

 

[Oil]

With the exception of the Mac Pro, the entire mac lineup is based off their mobile chipset. They all use integrated graphics (except the Mac Pro. Superior is hardly what I would call it lmao.

The 2nd level and above Macbook Pros (15-17") and iMacs have dedicated graphics. Not replaceable GPUs but they are definitely not integrated nVidia or ATI GPUs

 

[manimal]

Remember apple bought up all those 4000 series gpus from ati a few months ago? I could see apple using some of that 40 billion they have on hand to start a gaming initiative. If they subsidize development or the porting of some high visibility titles they could do very well.

Just so they can take the you cant game on a mac argument away....

 

[Inspector Jihad]

well one good thing about mac is the limited configurations available which would let developers optimize their games much more.

 

[mfenn]

With the exception of the Mac Pro, the entire mac lineup is based off their mobile chipset. They all use integrated graphics (except the Mac Pro. Superior is hardly what I would call it lmao.

Aha! You (and others) have been caught in my trap.

Remember, the VAST majority of PCs sold today have Intel integrated graphics. The 9400M far superior to those chips (ie. it can actually play games), giving the Mac platform an installed base of competent GPUs. Not great GPUs, but competent. Sure, the Mac is only like 10% of the US market, but every single one of those sold in the past 18mos has a competent GPU. That's where Valve can make some money.

 

[tokie]

Remember apple bought up all those 4000 series gpus from ati a few months ago? I could see apple using some of that 40 billion they have on hand to start a gaming initiative. If they subsidize development or the porting of some high visibility titles they could do very well.

Just so they can take the you cant game on a mac argument away....

Nope, Apple detests the gaming market. Steve Jobs' vision is a place where computers empower ordinary people to do things they couldn't before. He doesn't like people wasting time playing video games. I recall there was a quote from him about he was disappointed the iPod touch had become such a large gaming platform.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Nope, Apple detests the gaming market. Steve Jobs' vision is a place where computers empower ordinary people to do things they couldn't before. He doesn't like people wasting time playing video games. I recall there was a quote from him about he was disappointed the iPod touch had become such a large gaming platform.

what a pretentious asshole.

 

[mfenn]

what a pretentious asshole.

Yeah, fuck Jobs. The Mac is a good platform though, especially for sys admins. You get the flexibility of UNIX, but everything is nicely optimized for battery life (unlike Linux ).

I'm just happy that I will soon be able to install Steam directly on my Macbook and utilize the 1GBps connection at work (I work for a university) to download games. Currently I use a Windows VM to download the games and then back them up to my gaming box. The VM is kind of a PITA though, and it'll be nice to be able to dump it.

 

[fatpat268]

Aha! You (and others) have been caught in my trap.

Remember, the VAST majority of PCs sold today have Intel integrated graphics. The 9400M far superior to those chips (ie. it can actually play games), giving the Mac platform an installed base of competent GPUs. Not great GPUs, but competent. Sure, the Mac is only like 10% of the US market, but every single one of those sold in the past 18mos has a competent GPU. That's where Valve can make some money.

Not really.

Most people who game on a PC, don't do it on a laptop with Intel Integrated Graphics. The vast majority who play the demanding games that require GPU horsepower will do it on a desktop where they have the flexibility to choose whatever video card they want.

I see what you're saying though. Apple has a line up of computers that have all the same baseline components. That said, most people who buy Apples (including myself) didn't buy them to play games.

 

[TheStu]

Not really.

Most people who game on a PC, don't do it on a laptop with Intel Integrated Graphics. The vast majority who play the demanding games that require GPU horsepower will do it on a desktop where they have the flexibility to choose whatever video card they want.

I see what you're saying though. Apple has a line up of computers that have all the same baseline components. That said, most people who buy Apples (including myself) didn't buy them to play games.

Gamers aside, a lot of computers still come with subpar integrated graphics, many more than there are gaming systems out there. I mean, how many laptops with decent graphics do you think sold last year? Now, how many netbooks? Which had better graphics?

If I am gaming, I am doing it on my desktop, which even if it doesn't have a great, current gen GPU, still games well. But, it is also my hackintosh, if I could play some more games without rebooting... I will.

 

[cbn]

Actually its kinda smart. Limited shelf space and a small user base means marketing OSX games in brick and mortar stores is an expensive proposition. However, if developers can bypass the stores, Steam can offer a greater profit margin, even if the amount of available games is limited. They can also sell OSX games that aren't in stores anymore, thus squeezing additional profit out of them. This could also stir up some Indie developer support if they have an avenue for distribution.

It won't bring any real competition to PC gaming, but for Apple users who want a few more options than what the stores offer it's a great thing. Kudos to Valve/Steam

What graphics library would these OS X steam games use?

 

[cbn]

Nope, Apple detests the gaming market. Steve Jobs' vision is a place where computers empower ordinary people to do things they couldn't before. He doesn't like people wasting time playing video games. I recall there was a quote from him about he was disappointed the iPod touch had become such a large gaming platform.

These days it seems GPU technology is moving at such a fast rate though.

I'm sure some type of productive simulation (Farming, Alternative energy) could be produced that might have *some* game-like and puzzle-like qualities.

There are so many different ways a person, group or organization can accomplish a task. Why not include all these different variables in a format that makes learning and accomplishing an objective fun?

 

[manimal]

Nope, Apple detests the gaming market. Steve Jobs' vision is a place where computers empower ordinary people to do things they couldn't before. He doesn't like people wasting time playing video games. I recall there was a quote from him about he was disappointed the iPod touch had become such a large gaming platform.

While Jobs openly dislikes the gaming market if there is money to be made they will make it.