Porting games to the Mac is a tricky business

Section: Software + Apps, GamesRemember back when Apple made the switch to Intel and it suddenly seemed as if all those PC games would be more easily ported to the Mac? So do I, and I’m still wondering where everything is. We saw some big name titles from EA, but after their initial release of four A-list titles (Madden, Need for Speed, etc.), nothing. Companies such as Aspyr and Feral continue to release popular games such as Call of Duty 4 and Tomb Raider Anniversary, but certainly no more so than when Macs were happily chugging away on PowerPC chips. So, what’s been going on? Alex McLarty at The Mac Gamer finds some answers from one of the best sources in Mac gaming: Glenda Adams, Director of Development for Aspyr Media: TMG: We’ve had Intel in our Macs for a few years now. Has how the switch changed game development for the Mac? Glenda: It’s lessened some of the work we have to do, but unfortunately the graphics side of games has just exploded. The amount of shader code and complex rendering is probably 2-3 times as much work as it was for games a couple years ago, so that has more than offset the efficiency gains we had from the Intel switch. TMG: Why hasn’t there been a flood of games for the Mac that some predicted? Glenda: I think there are several reasons - Mac game sales are still fairly constant, and haven’t expanded with Apple’s market share increases over the last two years.  So there isn’t loads of money to be made. And the complexity of games has made it more difficult to port them to the Mac. Lastly, the PC market has been really beat up in 2007 and 2008, and there just aren’t as many AAA PC games out there that make sense to bring to the Mac. And if you think that sounds depressing, hold on; it gets worse. TMG: How do you see gaming progressing in the next few years? Glenda: The shift to console is undeniable. There are just so many benefits to working on a stable and well defined hardware platform. This is a shift that has been taking place for some time now. More and more computer games are being released simultaneously with the console counterparts. The result of this is that computer games are being “dumbed down” to the console system(s) for which they’re developed. The days of taking full advantage of the WASD + mouse control system, which for many games is far superior to that of a traditional console gamepad (especially first-person shooters), are disappearing, leaving us with games that feel clunky on computer systems. Plus, with the advent of the Wii Remote + Wii Nunchuck system of the Nintendo Wii, there’s actually a control system out there that’s better than the keyboard/mouse combo of the computer. But the news gets still worse for Mac gamers: TMG: Thoughts on the iPhone? Will you be developing anything for it? Glenda: We’re actively working on several games for the iPhone, and it is a very exciting platform. We can’t wait to get our first apps out and in the store. This is something of which I’ve been hearing a lot from developers: “Exciting.” I take that to mean lucrative, as it’s apparently quite easy to develop for the iPhone, publishers don’t have to worry about packaging and retail space, distribution is easier, and there is (or will be) a much wider audience for iPhone games. I imagine that many Mac developers will soon shift their focus towards the iPhone, leaving us with even fewer options for games that don’t concern girls serving cake to impatient patrons. You can follow the link below for more of The Mac Gamer’s interview with Glenda Adams. Or, like me, you can just go hide yourself in a prolonged gaming session with Neverwinter Nights 2. Try bringing that to the iPhone, Glenda! Read [The Mac Gamer] Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

“World of Goo” for Mac released and you need to buy it

Having more or less fully committed to the iPhone, it’s rare that a game comes out for the Mac these days that catches my interest, and it’s even rarer that it plays well on my Macbook, but World of Goo does both. World of Goo is an incredibly creative puzzle-solving game that’s already familiar [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "“World of Goo” for Mac released and you need to buy it", url: "http://macenstein.com/default/archives/1775" });

Road to Mac OS X Snow Leopard: the future of 64-bit apps

Snow Leopard's across-the-board leap to 64-bits, from the kernel to all of its bundled apps, will make more memory available and boost performance. However, Apple will also need to manage its 64-bit lead and organize its developers. Here's why. ...

OpenCL gets touted in Texas

Attendees at the SC08 high-performance computing conference in Austin got a progress report on OpenCL, the the Apple-spearheaded parallel computing API that figures to be a prominent new feature in the upcoming Snow Leopard update to OS X.

Atari 2600 controller is USB, OS X compatible

Section: Software + Apps, Games, Mac + Computers, PeripheralsHard to get more old school than this: Legacy Consumer Electronics has released an Atari 2600 joystick with a USB port.It’s compatible with OS X, Windows, and Linux, and is sure to provide hours of enjoyment until your hands get horrible, crippling cramps from the harsh plastic edges. But I ask you, who really knew about ergonomics in those days? Finally - a controller to play video games the way they should be played - OLD SCHOOL STYLE !!! Tired of trying to play video games with a keyboard/mouse? Tired of trying to use a thumbstick, flight yoke, or other thumbpad designed controllers to play video games and they just don’t work right and your game play suffers? The answer is here at long last, the classic joystick controller! Note that Legacy isn’t mentioning the name “Atari” anywhere on their store page, so hopefully this beautiful piece of nostalgia won’t run into any licensing issues. Also no word on how to configure it for use with a particular game, although they state that it should work with “almost any game that can map and use a Standard Gamepad as a controller.” The controller costs $14.99 (plus shipping, discount if you buy more than one). Product [Classic joystick controller] Full Story » | Written by Bill Stiteler for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

EVE Online: Quantum Rise expansion coming Nov. 11

CCP Games has announced November 11, 2008 as the release date for the latest expansion to EVE Online, its Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.