How Apple’s Gaming Ambitions Are Accelerating Quickly

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Arsalan Shakil

As a Hardware Expert at Tech4Gamers, I bring my decade-long expertise in electronics design, embedded solutions, and prototyping. My knack for exposing misconceptions in the tech world finds a perfect outlet here.

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I wasn’t exactly impressed when I started paying attention to Apple’s gaming efforts. I remember sitting in a room, playing The Witcher 3 on a MacBook. But fast forward to today, and everything has changed quickly.

Recently, I had the opportunity to demo several games, including brand-new titles like Resident Evil Village, running seamlessly on Apple devices. What struck me wasn’t just the performance, though that was impressive, but the clear direction Apple is heading in.

Apple’s gaming ambitions are accelerating with custom Silicon and the Game Porting Toolkit, reshaping industry standards. The App Store might not yet rival Steam, but the gap is closing faster than I ever expected. They are no longer experimenting but poised to impact the gaming industry significantly.

Noteworthy Games On Apple Devices

Apple is making significant strides in ensuring popular games look and perform well on their Mac devices. Further, Apple believes the iPhone 15 Pro will be the best gaming console. However, this seems more of a strategic win for Apple than something that would immediately excite gamers.

Games like Hades and Valheim are mentioned as looking great on Apple devices. This is important for Apple because it helps attract more gaming partners.

Apple’s devices can run recent games. Still, the real test is whether Apple can secure partnerships to release new games on its platforms simultaneously with other major platforms, such as PCs or consoles.

While it’s nice to have the Resident Evil series available on Apple devices, the bigger question is whether Capcom will launch their following big titles, such as Monster Hunter Wilds coming in 2025, on Mac at launch simultaneously with other platforms.

Apple seems aware of the importance of securing new and high-profile games. For example, Palworld, currently available only on PC and Xbox, was seen running on a MacBook Pro M3, hinting at Apple’s growing success in securing gaming partnerships.

Another pivotal moment is Frostpunk 2’s coming on Mac alongside PC, a significant win for Apple. This showcases Mac’s ability to handle the game’s demanding visuals and highlights Apple’s rapid progress in gaming.

Apple’s Next Gaming Hurdle

Frostpunk 2 is the first significant test of Apple’s ability to secure big game releases simultaneously with other platforms. However, landing a game like Frostpunk 2 is significant, but it’s not enough.  

Further, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will launch on iPads and MacBooks simultaneously with PS5 and other platforms. It is crucial for Apple because Apple must consistently secure simultaneous releases of big games on its platforms to promote its gaming ecosystem.

Despite Apple’s devices’ capabilities, there’s doubt whether players will buy into gaming on Apple platforms. It’s uncertain whether gamers will be drawn to seamlessly switching between Mac and tablet for their gaming.

While Apple’s progress in gaming has been rapid, for this growth to be sustainable, the size of Apple’s gaming audience must expand at a similar pace. Apple wants to attract more players to its gaming ecosystem, and it will become a significant force in the gaming industry.

Arsalan Shakil

[Errors Troubleshooting Expert]

Arsalan Shakil (aka GuyThatDoesEverything on YouTube) is a PC Tech Enthusiast and Electronic Geek. With over 10+ years of experience in Electronics, he then decided to explore Software Engineering to design embedded products and automate existing hardware solutions. 

When he started tearing down old cameras to understand how they worked, he was shocked (literally, when he got zapped by a flash discharge capacitor), giving him the power (debatable) to fall in love with videography/photography. He also started making some fun videos that later became YouTube tech reviews.

Skills:

• 10+ years of experience in Electronics design, embedded solutions, and prototyping
• Majored in Software Engineering
• Research paper publication in IEEE for Embedded Military Uniform & LoRa WAN wireless technology
• Specialized in IoT Solutions
• PC Enthusiast & PC Modder

In his local region, he’s known to expose cheap PSU brands, often claiming fake certification or false claims on the box. He’s a true nerd and needed some friends in his life. Then he met some guys who work at Tech4Gamers, and they also came out to be equal nerds who suggested he join Tech4Gamers as a Hardware Expert.