This is the first of a multipart series to discuss BioShock, Feral’s recent Mac port of the PC and console hit. I’ve just received my review copy and I’m installing as I type.
Tag Archive for 'Mac OS X'
Arnold Kim at MacRumors:
Apple appears to be getting even more serious about gaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch. We’ve long known that Apple has been positioning the iPod Touch as a gaming device, and Steve Jobs even acknowledged to the New York Times the success of this initiative:
?Originally, we weren?t exactly sure how to market the Touch. Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine,? he said. ?We started to market it that way, and it just took off.”
Apple is now recruiting for a game developer with “3-4 years of video game development experience” who has shipped at least one high profile title. Apple did ship one game (Texas Hold’em) for the original App Store launch but has yet not released any other games under their own brand. Apple has also recently hired Graeme Devine a notable game developer who was also the lead designer for Halo Wars. While the purpose of these hires is unclear, it seems Apple is starting to take gaming very seriously.
Every now and then I look at the range of Macs you can buy. I weigh up the pros and cons of owning a laptop on a stand iMac. I look at the laptops, usually reasonably priced, but I don’t need their portability. I look over the the Mini, the cheapest Mac, but gasp at the paltry and expensive specifications. As always, I decide on the Mac Pro. It’s the only Mac that can be expanded beyond memory and hard drive. It’s the obvious choice for gaming, but the barrier is cost. Your ticket to upgradeability? £1899.
Peter Cohen and Chris Holt from Macworld have posted a simplistic look at Mac gaming in 2009:
Circumstances can change very quickly in the world of gaming. This time last year, for example, you didn’t hear from too many game developers when it came to their iPhone plans—there wasn’t even an SDK to plan for 12 months ago. And yet, mobile gaming turned out to be all the rage in 2008. Some would say that just proves attempting to predict where a market is headed is a foolhardy proposition. We say we’re just the fools to undertake the job.
I don’t mean to be a finicky arse here, but the article basically states that there’ll be more of some things and less of others. Not exactly an in depth prediction.
Jeff from Wolfire, the makers of Lugaru and the upcoming sequel Overgrowth, post some interesting thoughts on why you should support niche operating systems:
…if you’re not supporting Linux and Mac OS X from a philosophical standpoint or for the fans, at least do it for the money. If you don’t support non-Windows platforms, you’re leaving a lot of cash on the table. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in a position to just say f— it to a large community of people who want to support us.
I’d imagine that’s why many companies are now supporting niche operating systems - for the money. I guess that’s a good thing for the users, but it’s sad to see so much these days that is focused around the bottom line. Philosophies and fans seem more important and more real to me.
Interesting point though. Supporting a 5% operating system doesn’t necessarily mean only a 5% increase in sales. It depends on that 5% and who they are and what they do.
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