The MacBook as a Gaming Laptop? This AAA Game Could be the Breakthrough
Apple includes some fairly fast components in its computers. However, Macs are not very popular with gamers. This is set to change in the future. Cyberpunk 2077 is touted to be the first title that is already playable. Beyond that, however, the plans remain unclear.
Demanding gamers have long been loyal to the classic (gaming) PC when it comes to playing video games. However, laptops designed for gaming, which place high demands on the computer, are also becoming increasingly popular. This trend is reflected not least in the current sales figures: While gaming PCs worth around $27 billion were sold last year, sales of gaming laptops already amounted to around $31 billion within the corresponding time frame, with the trend being on the rise.
A total market volume of $79 billion is forecasted for 2029. Basically, there is hardly any notebook manufacturer that does not have a corresponding gaming model in their range. Only Apple has been rather reserved towards the gaming community.
Appeal to gamers with Cyberpunk 2077?
However, this could change this year with what Pawel Sasko, Game Associate Director at CD Projekt Red, suggested. The Polish development studio is known for AAA successes such as “The Witcher” and “Cyberpunk 2077”. Sasko has now demonstrated the latter running on a MacBook Pro (read review), apparently equipped with the new M4 Max chip. Even at the highest graphics settings, a frame rate of up to 120 FPS is said to have been possible.
No further details have been given so far, apart from the prospect that the game could be officially released for Apple computers later this year.
Technical requirements: Fulfilled
To date, AAA games have been launched almost exclusively for Windows PCs. Valve also established its own Linux-based system with SteamOS. If Apple also wants to play in the PC gaming world in the future, it is not only the hardware that has to impress; the current incompatibility between hardware and software would also have to be overcome.
This challenge could be solved through emulation, among other things. Apple has extensive experience in this area since switching from Intel processors to its own ARM chips. The Rosetta translation software, developed for this purpose, is considered to be a powerful one. Apple’s current hardware now also offers the necessary performance capabilities. The new M4 Pro should have enough reserves even for demanding games despite featuring an integrated GPU.
Apple Arcade: competition for Steam & others
The question of the distribution channel will also be exciting. Apple Arcade is a dedicated platform for games that was launched back in 2019. However, it has not seen any significant development since then. Although Apple advertises having “over 200 games” there, most of them belong to the casual games category and cannot compete with the big titles on the PC or console.
In comparison, according to Valve, there are now more than 30,000 games available on Steam, ranging from simple puzzles and indie gems to elaborately produced AAA games.
So far, Apple has lacked the necessary commitment in this area. It will probably take some convincing to persuade die-hard PC gamers to consider an Apple computer as a serious gaming alternative. What do you think?