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With the release of current-gen AAA titles such as Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage for Apple Silicon Macs, Mac gaming is no longer a pipe dream. With recent developments in the Macintosh gaming space (and the advancement of ARM-based technologies present in Apple devices), Windows and Linux may soon have a competitor amidst them.
Read on to learn more about the same, and of these recent developments that have propelled Mac gaming to even greater heights.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinions.
Mac gaming could soon be a real competitor to Windows and Linux
As detailed within the App Store Preview page, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released for Apple Silicon Macintoshes on the same day as its console and PC counterparts. The game requires macOS 14.4 or later, with an M1 chip or newer at the very least, to be able to run on these systems.
The game is currently up for pre-order for $69.99, with additional system requirements and such being unknown currently.
With the first major day-one release of a AAA title on Apple Silicon, this is an incredibly exciting time to be a Macintosh gamer - and perhaps, the first time in years that Mac gaming has been poised as a real alternative to Windows PCs.
This is largely because of Apple's hardware transition toward ARM-based technologies, which brought with it a complete overhaul to existing x86 software and hardware. Apple Silicon is faster than ever with incredible power efficiency offered in the M4 chip.
While admittedly far less capable than the highest-end GPUs from Nvidia and AMD, the M-series of Apple chips can manage to hold their own, offering acceptable graphics performance with the use of technologies such as MetalFX and Rosetta 2.
The future is ARM, and we are very likely to see a transition to the same in the upcoming years.
iPhones could go toe-to-toe with handheld gaming PCs in the near future
Perhaps a curious implication of the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Macs is its potential release on the Pro models of iPhones - the 15 Pro and Pro Max, in particular. These devices possess the A17 Pro chip, which has been demonstrated to be capable of playing AAA titles like Resident Evil: Village with relative ease.
As such, iPhone models possessing A17 Pro or newer chips should, in theory, prove to be actual competitors to x86-based handheld gaming PCs, such as the ROG Ally and Steam Deck. While it does admittedly involve a lot more work to bring about AAA gaming on mobiles, the benefits cannot be overlooked - having an all-in-one device for socials, gaming, and day-to-day productivity is a massive boon for most people.
The gaming hardware landscape is set to change forever, and Mac gaming could, in theory, be a powerful third alternative.
