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Five things Apple can do to bring gamers back
Apple is releasing games for the iPod. EA and id show up at the WWDC keynote. And the rumors say Nintendo may team with Apple for the iPhone. All signs point to an Apple that seriously wants to reenter the gaming market, an arena that has been dominated by PCs and consoles for quite some time. But exactly how can they do it?They're doing some of the right things already, and we can expect them to do more in the future. But here's five suggestions (or predictions, if you will) about what Apple can do to attract gamers back to the Cult of Mac.1) Put (even more) games on iTunes. Steam is a nice digital distribution system, and Xbox Live Arcade is a better one. But no one has done digital distribution like Apple has with iTunes-- first music, and now movies and television shows. What they need to do is add games to the software, and even go so far as to create a kind of "iTunes Arcade," where you can buy games for your iPod, your iPhone, your Mac or MacBook, and even your Apple TV. And I'm not talking dinky downloads like Lost-- I'm talking EA's Madden, Need for Speed, and even Battlefield 2142. Run patches and updates through there as well (EA's Link might not like that, but it hasn't been successful enough that they wouldn't consider joining iTunes if asked), use CoverFlow as a cool browsing and launching interface, and you've got the key not only to a solid revenue system, but also a promotion and distribution channel.
Apple GameTap 'Lite' launches June 28, Intel Macs only
Just a few scant weeks after revealing to Joystiq their plans to release a Mac client, GameTap has outlined the details of its branching service, which will debut with the free ad-supported "Lite" model for Apple users on June 28th. Like its PC counterpart, GameTap's Mac Lite client will feature a rotating selection of 30-40 games, but will not support newer Windows-based offerings like Tomb Raider: Legend. The "Deluxe" pay-to-play service will follow later in the summer, with a goal to provide a catalog of nearly 500 titles, including Saturn and Dreamcast games -- but again, Windows titles are out; so no episodic originals like Sam & Max or American McGee's upcoming Grimm. The Deluxe client will also support online multiplayer modes featured in GameTap's "Challenge" games category.Like Myst Online: URU Live and EA's forthcoming Mac lineup, GameTap for OS X will utilize Cider emulation technology, which is only compatible with Intel-based Macs. Cider will support cross-platform competition, allowing Mac and PC players to face off in Challenge games. Which will prevail: the one-button mouse or two?
EA employs Cider to bring games to Mac OS X
All of those "games" that Electronic Arts pledged to bring to the Mac? Well, they're not doing it alone, they've got some help. Transgaming, the folks behind the Cider portability engine, are going to do it for them just like they did with GameTap's Myst Online: URU Live. As Apple's marketshare (or, more importantly, mindshare) grows, giant publishers like EA will naturally see business opportunities there. Cider allows the financial feasibility of supporting a niche platform not geared towards gaming.There are some downsides of course. While Transgaming insists their software wrapper offers little to no slow-down, the reality is that there's still some translation happening. But if you can't notice it, no big deal right? Well, if you're running a PowerPC Mac, you won't be able to notice it at all since you won't be able to run these games. Part of Cider's magic comes from the software's Intel Mac requirement, so if you're running a machine more than a couple years old, you won't be eligible. But that's par for the course for PC gaming and just another way Mac gaming is growing up. [Via TUAW]
EA, id back gaming on the Mac
Well how about that. Not a few days after I announce that I'm going to be posting news about gaming on the Mac, we get the biggest announcement about exactly that since Bungie released Marathon: EA and id both showed up at the WWDC Keynote yesterday to promote 3D gaming on Apple's computers.id went so far as to announce and show a new game engine called "id tech 5" (usually engines are named after games, but apparently we're in uncharted territory here), and EA came on stage to say it was going to start selling its most popular franchises, including Need for Speed Carbon, which has never been seen on the Mac before. Apple Insider points out that this isn't necessarily what we were hoping for (that is, games running natively and uber fast in OS X)-- instead, the EA games will be wrapped in Transgaming's Cider engine, which means the games will have to run on Intel-only Macs.Tuncer Deniz, who's been covering Mac gaming for a long time at Inside Mac Games, says this is both good... and bad (figures, right?). It's good because EA using Cider means we'll see Mac versions come out faster. But it's bad because whatever EA expects to sell of these games, it's probably not as much as they want to. Still, id's engine looks pretty-- if gaming is going to make a comeback on the machine we love, this is as good a chance as it'll ever have.
GameTap's Myst Online: URU Live available on Mac OS X
GameTap announced today that the Mac OS X port of Myst Online: URU Live -- built using Transgaming's Cider technology -- is available for download. Rand Miller, CEO of Cyan Worlds and creator of Myst Online, offered this heartfelt sentiment: "Many of the original Myst fans were Mac users, so for GameTap to reopen the door to this audience really means a lot to Cyan on a personal level."Though we're sure there's lots of hugging going on in the Cyan Worlds offices this morning, we're just excited to test the Cider-built version and see how it compares to the existing PC client. A reminder: while your $10 monthly GameTap subscription buys you full access to the GameTap service, Mac users should know that Myst Online is the only GameTap offering that will work natively on your computer. Our recommendation for Intel Mac users: play URU Live natively, Boot Camp the rest.Already a GameTap subscriber and want to take the Mac version of URU Live online for a spin? Head on over to this login page, enter your GameTap login information and get downloading!
Freeverse product update (Macworld Expo)
Freeverse occupies a typical booth at the Macworld Expo in an atypical space; instead of joining the few Mac gaming companies located in the North Hall, Freeverse holds down a corner of the bustling South Hall. Brothers Ian Lynch Smith and Colin Lynch Smith gave us updates about the company. (Full disclosure: this writer has occasionally created trailers for Freeverse games.)The longtime Mac developer and publisher chose the South Hall because, like other Mac game publishers, Freeverse has diversified and sells "more than just games," according to Colin. (Indeed, vector graphic app Lineform, audio recorder Sound Studio, and comic maker Comic Life Deluxe are on display.)For games, the company is showing its nearly-finished Mac version of Heroes of Might and Magic V, the first game published using the quick-port Cider technology. Cider helps translate Windows APIs, but the resulting games require an Intel Mac -- which is itself basically PC hardware. As the Cider guinea pig, Freeverse is looking forward to charting the game's sales against its costs.Big Bang Brain Games -- Freeverse's take on Brain Training -- the latest Burning Monkey Solitaire, and other titles are also being showcased. The brothers remained cautiously optimistic about game sales, saying they expect 2007 to be better than 2006's transition to Intel hardware.
Holiday 2006 best bets for Mac gamers
With Apple's transition to Intel processors completed earlier this year, and emerging technologies such as Cider promising full compatibility with Windows games, the Mac platform is seeing even fewer native releases these days. But there are still some gems for dedicated Mac gamers this holiday season: Age of Empires III Big Bang Brain Games Call of Duty 2 Cars: The Videogame Civilization IV Dominions 3: The Awakening Quake 4 Sims 2: Nightlife Spongebob Squarepants Diner Dash WingNuts 2: Raina's Revenge World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (coming in Jan.) X-Plane 8.5 Apple's gaming page has additional information, and check out last year's holiday recommendations for a little more variety on your Mac.
Half-Life 2 on Mac, without Windows
A Mac gamer has been running Half-Life 2 on a MacBook using the public beta of CrossOver Mac, a tool to run PC apps on Intel Macs without Windows. Half-Life 2 and other games previously required booting into XP to work on Intel Macs. The CrossOver gamer documents his process and results; expect glitches and bugs.While CrossOver Mac is still in beta and may never acceptably run PC games, the future of Mac games is uncertain. Will tools like Cider, which let PC publishers quickly port titles to Intel Macs, cause more Mac games? Or will Mac releases slow down because gamers can play new PC titles by booting into XP?[Via Xlr8yourmac.com]
Heroes V hits Macs for the holidays
The Heroes of Might and Magic series has long been a mainstay of Mac gaming, and Freeverse plans to continue the tradition by delivering HoMM V for OS X this Christmas. However, it is uncertain if Ubisoft's popular strategy title will ship as a native Mac app, or if it will come wrapped in TransGaming's Cider emulation software.Freeverse's Colin Smith had previously indicated the game would be a full blown port, but at the end of last week, he told Inside Mac Games that his company is now "actively evaluating" Cider for HoMM V. This would be an interesting test for Cider, given Heroes V's hefty hardware requirements, and it could be just what TransGaming needs to get their new portability engine off the ground.See also: Cohen on Mac Pro's gaming prowess
Cohen on Mac Pro's gaming prowess
Macworld's Peter Cohen (author of the magazine's recently vanished GameRoom column) has posted an online idolatry to Apple's new Mac Pro workstation, in which he praises the G5 successor's potential as a gaming tour de force.Cohen summarizes, "With Leopard coming next spring, Universal Binary games here today and Cider-wrapped games coming within the next couple of months, Mac gaming is on the upswing, and the Mac Pro is a rig that should really be able to take advantage of everything that's offered." Do you agree? Some of the comments we received for our original post on the Mac Pro raised issues with the Xeon's shortcomings as a gaming chip (which Cohen also addresses), while other Joystiqers engaged in a healthy debate on cost comparisons with similarly configured PCs.
Cider promises Windows games in Mac OS X
TransGaming, makers of the Linux-based gaming virtualization software Cedega (née WineX), have announced an ambitious Mac OS X variant known as Cider (like Apple cider, get it?). Unlike Cedega, Cider is not being targeted towards end-users, but rather to publishers and developers eager to capitalize on the growing Mac OS X userbase but wary of investing in a niche platform. With Apple's new Intel-based Macs capable of running Windows natively, Cider's allure is from its ability to run Windows games from inside Mac OS X. No dual booting necessary. How does it work: "Cider is a sophisticated portability engine that allows Windows games to be run on Intel Macs without any modifications to the original game source code. Cider works by directly loading a Windows program into memory on an Intel-Mac and linking it to an optimized version of the Win32 APIs. Games are simply wrapped up in the Cider engine and they work on the Mac."Our spidey sense is alerting us to the grist-filled rumor mill called "the internet" which is currently vibrating with its semi-annual Mac expo buzz. Monday kicks off WWDC, which promises "the world's first look at Leopard," the next version of Mac OS X. And, if we were a betting blog, we'd put our money on Apple announcing some sort of built-in virtualization software (å la Parallels). But we're not, so we won't. Regardless, software like Cider promises another end to the Mac gaming doldrums, if Apple doesn't beat them to it. [Thanks, KBeat]
