Game developers react to Boot Camp
Inside Mac
Games has a nice roundup of reactions from various Mac
OS X game developers on the news of Boot Camp. Reactions on the whole are positive concerning the opportunities
that Boot Camp offers, and speculation from the likes of Aspyr, MacSoft, Freeverse and Ambrosia are hopeful that this
will help boost the Mac gaming platform even faster.Check out the roundup, as there are some great comments from individuals at these companies that touch on where they think the market is headed, and what we can expect in the not-too-distant future of Mac gaming.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
adam said 6:32PM on 4-05-2006
I think it's crummy about this. While Mac's really have been pretty poor for gaming relatively.. this will dry it up near entirely. Game development costs are cut-throat, and I see it as an easy excuse for a lot of Mac s/w game developers to just drop Mac OS support all together.
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maximum said 6:49PM on 4-05-2006
Wow? game!! :)
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Jack Brewster said 6:53PM on 4-05-2006
As an avid PC-gamer and half-switcher, I don't see why this is the death-knell for Mac gaming.
I have no expectation that WinInMac is going to provide as optimal gaming environment as native OS X or Windows on a PC. If nothing else, I bet the drivers are only "adequate" at best. Sure, there will be hacked drivers available eventually, but only bleeding-edge folks will run them.
Not to mention the burden of shelling out cash for a copy of Windows.
My hope is that Mac game developers will have an easier time porting their apps to the MacIntel platform and reduce or even removing the release lag that is so common now.
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Scott F said 6:55PM on 4-05-2006
I don't see how this will boost tha mac gaming network. If games will run on a mac without poting, then they won't be ported, and they'll end up running under Windows.
That's too bad. Like most Mac users, I'd rather not use Windows than use Windows. With a Macversion of a game I ahve access to OSX's menus, file system, open and save dialogues, multiple monitor controls, print system, Quartz, ColorSync, and everything else that makes macs superior.
Most of the conversion is rewriting source code for Mtorolla/IBM processors. With that headache gone, game conversion will be easier. Now, thanks to Boot Camp, fewer game makers will bother, and we all end up with games sooner (yay!) but crapier (damn).
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Jeremy said 6:56PM on 4-05-2006
I'm not sure I understand why their reactions would be positive, I can't think of any reason why this would help gaming on OS X and not hurt it. And that's fine with me, when I get my MBP I plan to install XP on it for the sole purpose of gaming. The Mac does a lot of things right but gaming has never been one of them and I for one have no qualms about conceding that to the PC. I'm just glad I'll be able to have my cake and eat it too now.
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mike said 7:41PM on 4-05-2006
I'm not sure I understand why their reactions would be positive, I can't think of any reason why this would help gaming on OS X and not hurt it.
--
Jeremy. Apple is releasing this NOW.. knowing that many are waiting for Windows Vista to be released in January 2007.
That's where MS can potentially make a KILLING on OEM Windows sales...
But here we are in April...
...and suddenly, there's an alternative: Get a Mac... you can run all your old XP apps... and enjoy a superior OS ... and..
Leopard is coming late 2006, that will make VIsta look pathetic in 2007...
In other words.. since Apple hardware sales will grow, therefore, the game makers are optimistic about the move. They know the Mac marketshare will increase.
And with intel chips.. the dev is easier for dual platforms..
IOW,
In the long run, Mac marketshare is going UP.. that's why they're happy
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Randolph Lee said 7:56PM on 4-05-2006
It will be very interesting to see how a state of the art PC game Like Oblivion Elder Scrolls IV plays on a Mac using Boot Camp... While the 20" Core Duo IMac with 256 meg video 2 gig ram I guess will be the fastest of the 3 the real test will come with the replacment for the G5 Quad tower this fall... if a well equiped Intel Mac of that type will run a game like this as well as price comparable PC desktop computers... well then I will be selling my Xbox 360 that I just bought only to play Oblivion
Oblivion is a perfect example of a game that would never have even a tiny chance of being ported to the Mac... the developers have said so many times going back to the days of Morrowind and before... so if Boot Camp means that I can play games like this I will put up with Microsoft's OS and all of the problems that will entail... but only if the performance is there
Has anyone seen a report of Oblivion rinning on the CoreDuo iMac 20" under todays release of Boot Camp and the firmware update? and how does it relate to say a Dell Core Duo of the same speed in terms of how the game looks and plays?
inquiring minds and all that
Cheers
Windy
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David Chartier said 9:35PM on 4-05-2006
I'm sorry: "Game development costs are cut-throat."
You believe that story? Same story like "wireless phones are sold at a loss, that's why the carriers lock you into a contract - so they can recoup the costs?"
These stories are circulated by their respective industries to bolster support and loyalty, among other things, in their users. The gaming industry is making money hand over fist; they're making so much they don't know what to do with it. Hell, they've been raking in more money than Hollywood for a couple years now.
Mac gaming is going to explode because people are and will be migrating to OS X in larger and larger groups by the month. Windows isn't going to flourish on Macs; Base Camp is a transition step for those who are tied to using Windows for one or two apps that most likely are going to have OS X equivalents developed as soon as it's economically feasable.
Things are gonna get a lot better and much more interesting for Apple and Mac OS X over the next year or so. Hold onto your joysticks.
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Alex said 12:22AM on 4-06-2006
I installed XP on my iMac a few hours ago and already feel sick to my stomach about doing it.
I couldn't get Windows to connect to my Airport Express, and World of Warcraft couldn't connect at all. I'm keeping it on my computer for now because of Steam and Day of Defeat, but I really feel ashamed for putting it on my system. OS X is so much more welcoming, and I'll really miss Mail and iChat if I stay over on the dark side of my HD for too long =(.
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rubens said 1:17AM on 4-06-2006
The marketshare may be going up, but a whole new world of possibilities are opening for mac users (with windows).
Why wait for a game to be ported, when it's only a quick boot away?
It may be a hassle, but running games usually means to be away from other tasks anyway...
And there're also doubts regarding the OS (microkernel) architecture and it's effects on gaming (G5's are fast, tho they never shone while running Mac games)...
The mac fanatics seem to be pretty lost today.
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