Apple wants to take gaming seriously on the Mac

(Image: Kojima Productions)

We all know how it goes, gaming has long been seen as something meant for consoles and Windows PCs. While it won't be accurate to say Apple hasn't bothered with gaming at all, the company has been slow in jumping on the trend. With macOS Sonoma, that might change.

Historically, the company has never really been known for gaming prowess. In fact, they have been very picky with the games they release on the platform. It took the company a year to bring Resident Evil 8 to the Mac, and similarly, No Man's Sky and Stray made it on to the system well past their release dates.

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Part of the problem is Apple's insistence on a closed hardware ecosystem and with the move to in-house silicon, the gap only seems to have widened but with macOS Sonoma's new addition of gaming modes, it looks like Apple is finally taking gaming seriously on the platform.

Game Mode on macOS Sonoma optimises the GPU and CPU performance for smooth, consistent frame rates in games. Though nowhere near as powerful as Nvidia's RTX GPUs, the advancements in M2's GPU cluster makes it at the least, extremely competitive for mainstream gaming.

Apple is also reducing latency for Bluetooth paired Xbox and PlayStation controllers on the Mac by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate. Sonoma also lowers audio latency with AirPods. All this works with any game available on the App store, and all future titles.

Then there is the game porting toolkit. The kit will help developers port existing games to the Mac ecosystem easier using the company's Metal API.

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As a final show of commitment, Apple surprised everyone by bringing Hideo Kojima on the stage. The video game industry veteran is best known for his work on the Metal Gear Solid franchise that he helped create for Konami. He announced that Death Stranding: Director's cut will be coming to the Mac.