Apple's latest Mac and MacBook computers are equipped with Apple silicon chips that greatly improve the performance of these computers, which is why many people think of playing video games with these powerful computers.
To that end, Apple created the Game Porting Toolkit, which it unveiled at its annual WWDC 2023 conference, to help developers make their games fully compatible with Mac computers. However, Mac and MacBook computers are still not ideal for playing video games, and we explain why:
1- Expensive Macs and MacBooks:
Macs and MacBooks are expensive, and while the MacBook Air's performance is affordable, the M1 model costs $999. While you can get a Mac mini for just $599, it doesn't come with peripherals like a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, which will cost you $150 to $200 more.
In return, you get one of the best gaming laptops under $700. For gamers who play video games but don't want to spend a lot of money, buying a computer with an Intel or AMD processor is better than a Mac.
2- You can't update Mac computers with Apple Silicon:
The chipset (Apple silicon) gives Mac computers more power and better performance, but it is also one of the major obstacles to upgrading these computers because these chips from Apple are SoC chips.
SoCs pack all the major components of a CPU, GPU, RAM, and even an SSD into a small package, and because they're closer together, they're more efficient.
But it also means you can't upgrade the computer running these chips, and gaming PCs are often notorious for being upgradeable. So even if you started out with a $500 gaming PC, you can still upgrade it. If you want the dollar computer, you can upgrade it to the $5,000 level of access.
Even gaming laptops without upgradeable CPUs and GPUs often offer upgradeable RAM. However, if you have a MacBook Pro with 512GB SSD and 16GB unified memory, you can't change that unless you buy a new laptop.
3- Some game apps are not available for macOS:
Many games depend on other apps to function properly. Example: Many games rely on DirectX 12, but Mac computers do not support DirectX.
Instead, Apple has its own Metal API. To play games that don't support Metal API, you need a compatibility app like CrossOver.
4- You get a limited number of video games on macOS:
Although Mac computers are compatible with many video games, few compare to other computers. Example: Many video games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Company of Heroes 3 are not available on Mac computers.
Even popular old video games like Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 are not compatible with macOS. So if you want to play these games, you need to use a compatible app like CrossOver or Wine.
Although you can enjoy these games with these apps, you will not get the best gaming experience because the games are not designed to run on Mac computers.