Chart of Universal Binary Mac games, get your Intel on

The new Intel Core Duo iMac features an ATI Radeon X1600 with up to 256MB of RAM; it ain't Quad SLI but it makes for a pretty nice gaming machine... if only there was some easy way to figure out what games ran properly on the new architecture. Enter MacRumors' handy chart of Universal Binary games (for those not in the know, a Universal Binary is "an executable file that runs natively on both PowerPC and x86 (Intel)-based Macintosh computers.")

The chart lists the Universal Binary status of many Mac games as: Yes, No, or Announced. For those that don't have a Universal Binary, they list the performance under Rosetta, the emulation layer that allows x86 Macs to still run PowerPC code, with some games achieving impressive results regardless--Medal of Honor: Allied Assault hits 20-70 fps under emulation!

Sure, there aren't a lot of Mac gamers, but for the ones that do exist (all 5 of you! ROFL! There, I got it out of the way, eliminating the need for platform wars in the comments), the switch to Intel promises faster systems and a closer code base to their PC counterparts.

[Via TUAW]

Reader Comments (12)

Well, I guess I'm one of the 5. Lately, I've been playing more World of Warcraft than trying to find a new job. =X

(portfolio and resume on my site)

Hmm. All the Mac heads I know (and there are alot of us because over the years I've converted all my friends) are not that in to gaming on their Mac. If they were, they have/would have (like me) a gaming PC.

If I want to game, since swearing off all MMORPGs, then I use my consoles.

Nothing beats sitting on your couch and gaming. I think if I ever got back into to PC gaming, I would go ahead and hook my gaming PC to my TV, and use my Mac's wireless mouse and keyboard.

closer code base? the swop to intel isn't going to affect gaming, or pretty much anything other than with a bit of hacking an intel mac can run Windows.

anyways. I'm a 'hardcore' gamer (somebody who has a collection of rare games, collects only the best etc, at least the way I see it) and I'm a mac user. Primarily have a mac because I don't want games to interfere with uni work, and vice versa.

Jay:
au contraire, some major Mac game developers expounded on this pre-switch, saying things like, "this actually makes the job of moving games to the Mac easier...you're now dealing with moving code to Mac frameworks and not to an otherwise alien architecture."

Read more here:
http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=355

And before anyone gripes about the Intel Mac Mini's integrated graphics, let me dispel your FUD by saying it does play games quite well, especially the Universal Binaries, and that the integrated Intel chipset is far better than the 9200 in the previous Mac Mini, or the GeForce GO chips in some of the G4 PowerBooks/iBooks.

No, it's not as spiffy as a 6800, but it's certainly not a clunky chipset. Most games run well on the Core Duo with 1GB of RAM.

Now, if you're trying to play DOOM 3 on a Core Solo with 512MB of RAM, then you're an idiot and of course it won't work well. But jump that Mac Mini up to the Core Duo with 2GB of RAM and run the Doom 3 Universal Binary, and WHOOSH! You've got a nice game on!

Most Mac users aren't using their Macs for hardcore gaming, though. If I want super-fast frame rates and all the bells and whistles, I'll switch over to my Xbox 360 and play games that make the best-of-the-best in PC gaming look slow and ugly by comparison.

Mac Mini + XBox 360 = Perfect system.

This is great.
I would've gotten a mac a long time ago if they had the capability for games.
It looks like my next one just might be a mac after all.

So b/c old games will be able to play a new Mac is enough reason to pay for an overprice computer to play games that run better on a PC...riiiiiiiiiiiight.

And this isn't even considering WINE and what it could possibly do for the OSx86 systems.

Developers-- And I don't mean companies that port games, but first-party developers-- will be more likely to put new games on the Intel Macs, or make a dual disc for Win/Mac like Blizzard has been doing SINCE THEY STARTED MAKING GAMES. You know why World of Warcraft is so big and profitable and killing Evercrack? Mac users can buy the SAME DISCS from their local store and play online with the PC users. Blizzard was even on top of it when the need for a Universal Binary came along.

EA, Atari, Eidos, and all the other companies would be wise to look at Blizzard's model. Release games that work on Windows or Mac, and watch MORE PEOPLE buy your games and more people buying Macs.

Poor, poor Jago.

what?

"If I want super-fast frame rates and all the bells and whistles, I'll switch over to my Xbox 360 and play games that make the best-of-the-best in PC gaming look slow and ugly by comparison."

Consoles are not a substitute to PC when it comes to games. Their libraries are just too different.
And I've yet to see any 360 game that makes games like FEAR seem "slow and ugly". Come to think of it, most games that came for both the PC and the 360 look better on a gaming PC...

Well in all honesty...CoD2 runs smoother on the 360 compared to a beefy PC (i.e. AMD Dual Core, 2GB ram, SLI Geforce 7800GT cards 256MB

Chart of Universal Binary Mac games, get your Intel on

Reader Comments (12)

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 1:21PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 1:28PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 1:28PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 1:51PM chrisgrant said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 1:52PM ZeroCorpse said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 2:22PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 6:50PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 6:52PM ZeroCorpse said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 7:57PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 14th 2006 8:20PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 15th 2006 12:06AM Serious Kriss said

Posted: Mar 15th 2006 1:10AM (Unverified) said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Max Payne 3 ships 3 million units, PC launch pushed worldwide June 1

Featured Stories

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier review: More than just a soldier

Entering the Rzhev Meat Grinder in Company of Heroes 2

Now Playing: May 21-27, 2012

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW