Valve offering parts of its Mac graphics code to Steamworks devs

@TheMichaelJackson

Macaulay Culkin?

@The Habbler

NO! IT NEVER HAPPENED, DAMMIT!

@(Unverified) :: They are a great company, but they are also doing this for profit, they aren't some charity (even though it often seems like it).

@Sidebuster Just want to add that I think it's cool of Valve to do this and I do think Mac deserve games as much as any platform. I just don't get why everyone and their mothers think Apples are so great.

@Sidebuster If you're doing any sort of creative work (film/video editing, design, etc), it's really hard to move back to a PC after using a Mac. Just ask my wallet.

@Sidebuster

I'm a Windows PC guy, for the sole fact that there is just more software and such available for it, and since I grew up using Windows, it's more user friendly to me.

But having used Mac's for work before, yes, they are that much more expensive cause they are more stable and generally if you take a Windows PC with the same specs as a Mac, the Mac outperforms it in a very noticeable manner. There is a reason why the majority of every music studio, audio-visual companies and multi-media company run with Mac's.

That said, there is just more support for PC, that and the lower cost made it a more viable option for me to go with. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Sony Vegas 9. Solves. Everything.

Oh, and who cares? Linux owns them all.

@Adam Dorsey

I asked mine and it said you got ripped off.

@MystileArmor More Stable LOL that made me laugh, I own both a Mac and a PC (With Linux and Windows on it) and they all have their problems. It just has to mostly do with the devs of either the software or hardware.

@MystileArmor

Do you have any benchmarks to back up that claim that Macs are more stable and are faster than Windows computers? I'm sorry but the common claim of Macs for audio/video/photo editing being better than PCs is just a made up justification from mac users who need to make themselves believe that lie. Could it just be the fact that since the macs are for work that they don't have all the misc programs running in the background that a home computer would?

@Sidebuster You're forgetting the free $1200 Ips monitor that comes with an iMac and yes ips monitors are expensive

@Sidebuster Well not $1200 but I don't think there are many ips monitors that are also led backlit even for sale.

Not to mention the wifi built in plus the camera.

iMacs really are proceed well.

@Chrisness That's true. The monitor is the bees knees. I'm always tempted to get one, but I'd rather just upgrade. Maybe if I had started with blank slate I'd get a mac.

@Sidebuster Have you ever had to call tech support for your computer, or get the company to fix a well-known problem with it? In my mind, that goes a long stretch for the extra money spent on a Mac.

I'm not saying it justifies every dime of it, though your $2,000-to-$700 comparison is ridiculous being that an iMac comes with a monitor, wireless keyboard and bluetooth mouse, and the Dell comes with no monitor and cheapest damned keyboard and mouse in existence.

You also have to consider the quality of parts. I've bought a PC and had the network card die on it within a week. I look up info about it online and it's a well-known common problem. Know how much of a pain in the ass it'd be for me to ship my system off to the manufacturer just to get a network card replaced? So I ended up spending $20 on a new one. I've had this happen with RAM as well upon purchasing a cheaper PC.

If you've ever even glimpsed the inside of a Mac Pro you'd understand. The whole case is SOLID, THICK aluminum. To install a harddrive you slide out a damned tray, screw in four screws, slide it back into place. No mucking with wires and taking 20 minutes to hook the thing into the right spot because your case was designed by a monkey with a tackhammer. Their RAM, by company policy, all has heatsinks on it. The case is designed to provide the best airflow across all components. There are no wires dangling all over the inside of it so it's a breeze to clean out with an air canister when the time comes.

To be clear, I own a PC, it is my home computer and gaming rig, but damned if I don't wish it were a Mac sometimes after using one for 8.5 hours a day, 5 days a week for the last 7 years doing graphic design. Especially every time something breaks on it since I could just take it to a nearby Apple Store, for free, and have them look at it, no matter the age of the thing, and even moreso if there were more decent games for it.

@Sidebuster

Well, the hardware is all the same since the switch to Intel so it just comes down to the OS and software programming.

I'd also wager that most professional companies put more time into developing the Mac versions since that's where most of its customers are and for that reason alone the programs run better on the platform.

There really aren't many arguments against the fact that Windows is less efficient than the Mac OS, though.


Mac gaming succeeding could do a few things. It could make PC and MAC gaming thrive again. It could kill PC gaming even more by stealing the limelight and customers. It could dumb down PC gaming since most Macs are underpowered in the graphics department thus the common denominator will be quite low.

Ultimately, I don't think much will change. At least for the next 4 years.

@(Unverified)

"Have you ever had to call tech support for your computer, or get the company to fix a well-known problem with it? In my mind, that goes a long stretch for the extra money spent on a Mac."

No I haven't. I build my own computers. If one of the components go bad I'll replace it or RMA if it's under warranty.

"I'm not saying it justifies every dime of it, though your $2,000-to-$700 comparison is ridiculous being that an iMac comes with a monitor, wireless keyboard and bluetooth mouse, and the Dell comes with no monitor and cheapest damned keyboard and mouse in existence."

I agree, that the monitor really turns the table in terms of value.

"You also have to consider the quality of parts. I've bought a PC and had the network card die on it within a week. I look up info about it online and it's a well-known common problem. Know how much of a pain in the ass it'd be for me to ship my system off to the manufacturer just to get a network card replaced? So I ended up spending $20 on a new one. I've had this happen with RAM as well upon purchasing a cheaper PC."

A lot of the time, parts are made by the same Company and then another company (say Kingston) will put their name on it. My sister had her mac book main board go out and they turn down fixing it for her because they claimed some one spilled coffee on it (she doesn't drink coffee). Mac are not higher quality internally, maybe the case is though.

"If you've ever even glimpsed the inside of a Mac Pro you'd understand. The whole case is SOLID, THICK aluminum. To install a harddrive you slide out a damned tray, screw in four screws, slide it back into place. No mucking with wires and taking 20 minutes to hook the thing into the right spot because your case was designed by a monkey with a tackhammer. Their RAM, by company policy, all has heatsinks on it. The case is designed to provide the best airflow across all components. There are no wires dangling all over the inside of it so it's a breeze to clean out with an air canister when the time comes."

The computer I built is very clean and has good air flow too. You don't need heatsinks on RAM unless you are going to overclock them.

"To be clear, I own a PC, it is my home computer and gaming rig, but damned if I don't wish it were a Mac sometimes after using one for 8.5 hours a day, 5 days a week for the last 7 years doing graphic design. Especially every time something breaks on it since I could just take it to a nearby Apple Store, for free, and have them look at it, no matter the age of the thing, and even moreso if there were more decent games for it."

I do own an iPhone and love it to death (and hate iTunes to death too). Too each his own I guess. I'll say I lost the argument right when some one mentioned the high quality monitor. I forget I'm a little biased towards PC's because I build my own and if I were to buy a new PC I would just use the monitor I already have.

http://jasonjeffrey.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/awjeeznotthisshitagain.jpg

Tech support? whats a tech support ?

When my PC is having issues (which I can't really recall the last time that happened) I go online and look up the fix myself. Most of the time that takes less time than it would to look up and dial a support number.

And if it comes down to it, I pop open my case, preform a bit of technojigerpokery and poof, working PC.

I mean this is stuff I would rank down with knowing how to switch out your car tire for the spare in the event of a flat. I just can't see why someone would pay a premium for such simple tasks.

Hey as long as we're on the topic I'd like to ask: are MacBook Pros a good deal? I've been using one for a while and I personally think it's really awesome, but I'm curious about wether I should get another one or look into other options when it's time to upgrade.

@Sidebuster it really is something you have to experience if you're an advanced pc user. i mean on paper the pc is the clear winner, but theres just something about having the os and computer married together that makes everything feel silky smooth and seamless.

@Sidebuster Do you really think the quality of a complicated piece of computer technology can be judged by a handful of numbers?

The answer is "no," in case you weren't aware.

@Sidebuster In your iMac vs Dell example, you forgot to match the systems. Sure, you got all the raw computing specs right, and the Dell even looks a smidge better with more RAM but worse on the GPU front. But you forgot one major component here, a display.

The $1999 iMac you quoted includes a 27 inch LED lit screen at a resolution of 2560x1440. Dell offers a similar screen (same panel), but with older CCFL lighting for $1099. Add that to the cost of your Dell system, and you have a price of $1998, a $1 difference between the iMac and the Dell.

For what Apple offers, they are price competitive with the rest of the industry. However, they don't offer a bargain bin big box PC, nor does Apple ever sell a computer with some low end Celeron or Atom processor.

And up front cost is only one piece of the whole computer experience. Bundled software, support, warranties and even just general ease of use is something most consumers should factor in, but they rarely do until after 4-5 visits to Geek Squad to fix their cheep systems.

For the hardcore gamers here who enjoy building your own systems, good for you. I too was once like that, really enjoyed tinkering at a low level and doing my own thing. If it works for you, then great. There is however a market outside the Frys crowd for people who just want to buy a system and use it. In that space, Apple excels above the rest of the industry. I know if I buy one of their systems, I can unbox it and be up and running in a matter of a few minutes. No crapware getting in my way, no strong urge to reload the box with the stock OS, and knowledge that if something is broken out of the box, it will be quickly fixed. Leaving me with more time for other interests.

As for the base story, 15-20% is impressive. Really goes to show the whole PC vs Mac marketshare numbers don't line up with gaming numbers, since a large portion of the PC share is either cheep low end boxes that people never use for games, or that sit on corporate desks also never playing games. Macs are far more likely to be in an environment where people will want to game, IE home use or colleges. 15-20% increase in sales is nothing to sneeze at, and hopefully more developers consider bringing their games over with more effort then wrapping it in wine.

@drakino

Damn, I kinda want an iMac now.

@Mach

I'm voting for this too! I've got a download code and I want some more games on my macbook.

Also, how does PlantsVZombies not work on Mac when they run awesome on iPhone and iPad?

@S0lid Sn4ke If I could game on Linux, I would install Ubuntu in a heartbeat.

@S0lid Sn4ke

Ditto!

@S0lid Sn4ke It's coming! ...but you'll have to compile all the games yourself from tarballs, debug library dependency issues, and write your own hardware drivers.

Joking! Sort of. ;)

@The Nth Doctor You mean the Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition? It's already released, just not on Steam, but on Aspyr's GameAgent, or whatever it's called.

@Scuffles

If they released Episode 3 they sure could!

@Gamerzworld

Lol... That'll never happen...


...


... Sadly :(

@liquidsoap89
I know, one can dream though. :(