Gaming MacBooks are no longer a joke thanks to major free update
Apple is finally getting serious about PC gaming – and it’s about time
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It looks like gaming MacBooks could be one step closer to actually being a thing, asApplehas just updated its Game Porting Toolkit, which should give games a serious performance boost.
TheGame Porting Toolkitwas announced atWWDC 2023as part of the updated Metal 3 developer suite, and was touted as a fast and reliable way for game developers to port their games to macOS – theoperating systemthat Macs and MacBooks use.
This announcement was certainly exciting, as Apple has been making hardware that should (in theory) be able to play thebest PC gameswell, especially with the powerful new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips found in theMacBook Pro 14-inch (2023)andMacBook Pro 16-inch (2023). However, gaming on Macs has continued to be a bit of a pipe dream due to the lack of games available on the platform compared to Windows (and even Linux, thanks in part to Valve, the company behind theSteamstore, and its support for the open-source operating system).
The Game Porting Toolkit, as the name suggests, aims to make it easy for developers to port their games to macOS – including tools to run Windows games in an “emulation environment”. In a similar way that Apple’s Rosetta 2 tool allowed apps built for olderIntel-based Macs to run on Apple’s own silicon (theM1andM2chips), without the need to rewrite the code, the Game Porting Toolkit should show game developers how well their games will run on Mac hardwarewithouthaving to port it first.
A welcome performance boost
Running games via emulation, rather than natively, does have performance implications, but with the latest version (v0.2) of the Game Porting Toolkit, it looks like performance has been seriously improved for some games.
AsApple Insider reports,Elden Ringgets a 20% improvement when running on the M1 Max, andCyberpunk 2077gets a doubling of framerates on the M2 Ultra. Both of those games don’t have Mac versions – so before the launch of the Game Porting Toolkit, there was no way for Mac owners to run these games.
So, the fact that the Game Porting Toolkit allows them to run on a Mac or MacBook – and more importantly, runwell– is certainly exciting. This update is free, which will hopefully encourage game developers to try it out – and the improved performance should give them a better idea of how their games will run on Apple hardware.
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While the Game Porting Toolkit isn’t meant for consumers to use, any tool that makes it easier for developers to bring their games to macOS should be encouraged. Combined with the recent announcement ofGame Modefor the upcomingmacOS 14 Sonoma, this will hopefully mean that thebest MacBooks and Macsbecome viable gaming devices in the future - by breaking the vicious circle of games not coming to macOS because gamers don’t buy Macs… due to games not coming to macOS.
Matt is TechRadar’s Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there’s no aspect of technology that Matt isn’t passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he’s reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.
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