Will Steam revitalise Mac gaming?

mossy_11

I've just had an article published on Australian Macworld that discusses whether Steam for Mac is really a game-changer (my angle was no, not yet).

But I'm curious what everyone here thinks. Will Steam make a difference to the Mac gaming scene, or is it just another distribution platform?

And how do you feel about Valve treating the Mac as a "tier-1" platform?

Mucx

I agree not yet.
It has had a pretty solid debut over the last month or so but, right now, it is just an interesting distribution portal.

If it is to become a way of life, break into the Mac blogsphere and the Mac communities conscious, it needs to single handedly show Mac users that not only is gaming as exciting as on the PC, but their offering is where it's at.

So, hard work still ahead.

vitaflo

No, and not because of Steam, but because of Apple. Apple just is not serious about creating a viable gaming computer or gaming tools. Until that happens, Mac gaming will always be a fringe thing. Unfortunately I don't see that changing any time soon. Their OpenGL implementation, while just updated, is still out of date. The fact that the only machine you can buy from Apple and a replace the video card in is the Mac Pro which is overkill (and for which there aren't even many vid card options for) severely limits gamers flexibility. Not to mention that Apple is always behind in video card tech on their machines. You just can't really take Macs as serious gaming platforms for these reasons (even if the games were available).

I do like Steam games being "tier-1". In my mind, either you make the games native or you don't make them at all. So overall I like Steam, but the issues with Mac gaming are much larger than the games themselves.

IUG

Maybe. But this ties in with my theory that if the OS sales continue to decline compared to Apple's phone business, and people try the Hackintosh scene. I have to say I'm floored with how much better Portal looks on my computer that I built, than the Xbox 360's Orange Box. It's so smooth compared to what I've seen on a TV screen, that maybe this is why PC gaming is so popular.

seanstar

I'd say it's not a game-changer, but it is a few more excuses voided. There ~is~ now a popular distribution channel for ma, and there ~are~ numerous high-profile developers on-board making games, and thus there ~are~ more engines getting press as Mac-compatible. I'd say give it time- we may not get a huge cut of the gaming scene, but at very least there will be more gamers on Macs (a) buying games and (b) bugging the publishers of all the games that you can still see on Mac Steam that you can't play on OSX.

jetboy

I think it will help. What it's doing is giving developers a cheaper way of publishing and distributing games for the Mac. While it doesn't mean we will get every random hot new PC/Xbox/PS3/Wii game in HD... etc, I think it will deliver on 2 fronts:
- Valve now makes Mac games (a big developer has entered the scene... not that I care for their games.)
- I think we will see more Mac games at better prices, particularly indie games.

Re: my second point, as we are seeing, steam isn't all about rad new 3d games. I don't think PC gaming is these days either since M$ decided that Xbox gaming is where it's all at (they are getting the same treatment as Mac gamers... if you publish for Xbox only then M$ will give you a puck load of money... so the PC is now being neglected just like the Mac.)

What's great to see with Steam is lots of cool, creative indie games and retro games being given a run. I think this is what will ultimately separate the PC from consoles in the future. I still think 1st person shooters suck without a keyboard and mouse, but nowadays it's normal to play them using a big fat awkward game controller plugged into your HD television. Personally I love keyboard and mouse games. Lots of indie games use the keyboard and mouse... so I love how Steam is packaging them all together in one place... A little like how the iTunes App store has given smaller development houses a real chance and scared Sony/Nintendo regarding the amount of games created and people playing them.

Edit: (Everything above was typed on my iPod... I can type a little better with a real keyboard.)

Just wrapping up... prices have already changed for the better. Examples:
- Torchlight, Braid, Zuma and much more = $9.99
- We're now seeing $19.99 "indie pack(s)" where Steam is bundling things together.
- For the first time ever, Mac & PC prices are EXACTLY THE SAME!! (I remember buying Diablo for $90AUD, while the same store had the PC version in a $2 bargain bin.)

Mac gaming was never equal to other platforms (and I doubt ever will be) but will a BIG new developer, and a bunch of smaller indie developers joining the Mac band wagon with prices that are exactly the same as their PC versions revitalise Mac gaming? I think it will definitely play a part. I guess that's assuming that Mac gaming's in a slump right now too. I'd argue it's not in a slump.

Gaming is changing... I think gaming on your PC is being cannibalised by the Xbox (in an attempt to slay Nintendo/Sony... which sux... already killed out Sega consoles.) This trend will continue, and I will never be part of it. I'm a "hardcore casual gamer" if that makes any sense? Now that I have the money to buy an HD television with whatever console/games I want, I don't want any of those things. Even if I did, with a wife/kid I simply can't go off into another world killing bad guys for 10+ hours a day down in the den with a huge TV, phat sound system and lots of geeky gear.

The kind of Mac gaming I like is erupting though. On my MacBook Pro/iPod Touch I can emulate ANYTHING I want (bar an Xbox... on damn... I love them so much...) Also, I can play lots of re-makes of retro favourites that have been modernised (thank you Lucas Arts!) To put the icing on the cake... there's a bunch of great new indie games coming out.

Steam's going to be a big part of gaming for me, and I have no doubt will revitalise my interest in Mac gaming as we see more classic remakes, indie games and big name developers on board. Maybe the new Dreamfall? ;) (Or am I dreaming? ha... ha... okay not funny.)

Edit #2: Shameless plug... I just had a rant about this topic at Rant a Day.

mossy_11

IUG wrote:

Maybe. But this ties in with my theory that if the OS sales continue to decline compared to Apple's phone business, and people try the Hackintosh scene.

I think the Hackintosh scene needs to get a little more accessible and mature first -- there are so many hardware component and driver issues that you need to chase up to get it working right. In another year or two this may very well develop into a larger issue.

jetboy wrote:

For the first time ever, Mac & PC prices are EXACTLY THE SAME!! (I remember buying Diablo for $90AUD, while the same store had the PC version in a $2 bargain bin.)

Us Aussies should be used to this by now, what with years of paying a premium on console games.

Steam's going to be a big part of gaming for me, and I have no doubt will revitalise my interest in Mac gaming as we see more classic remakes, indie games and big name developers on board. Maybe the new Dreamfall? ;) (Or am I dreaming? ha... ha... okay not funny.)

Oh yes, a Mac version of the new Dreamfall would be great.

I was so sad when adventure games stopped getting Mac releases.

Here's another question: will the people who left the Mac gaming scene ~10 years ago ever come back? Does it even matter?

EDIT: one more. What if Apple finally threw its weight behind Mac gaming? (ads/marketing support, up-to-date drivers, better tools and libraries for developers, etc.)

jetboy

mossy_11 wrote:

EDIT: one more. What if Apple finally threw its weight behind Mac gaming? (ads/marketing support, up-to-date drivers, better tools and libraries for developers, etc.)

I guess that's a good question, but I think they can only do so much. Most people don't buy a Mac for games, and I think Apple's focus reflects this.

I'm not all that sure how Apple can help out developers more. They've provided Xcode for free (which is awesome) and have delivered the most common, portable API's. One might argue that their OpenGL implementation is bad, but I think that's a chicken or egg issue, and if developers spent as much time optimising their games for Macs as they did for PC's, Macs might even be better for games. My guess is we'll never know.

Ads, marketing and support. I kinda feel it's up to the developers to advertise their products. Apple could have done some interesting strategic things historically... for example they could have bought Bungie early, while it kept faithfully building Marathon for the Mac. I think Apple's best chance at getting some gaming going is their iPhone/iPod Touch though. Sure it's not Mac gaming, but they've captured a real market there.

Of note, Apple hasn't been all that good at supporting iPhone/iPod developers... most are outright pissed about Apple's approval system. Do they need to actively support people, or do they just need good products and a good marketplace? I think Microsoft's a good example of how the market just decides (original Xbox burned through 5 billion dollars, not including how much they spent buying out game companies and forcing them to only produce for the Xbox.) Or the Zune... Microsoft threw billions at its "social"... they threw millions at their "iPad Killer" (which was quietly cancelled recently.) So I don't think advertising creates social networks, or necessarily makes people use/like things. It can force them (in the case of M$...) but I think it is best to focus on making your own quality products so that people want to use them.

speedofmac

I think it's an awesome step in the right direction. If Fallout 3 is one of the Steam games that gets ported to OS X, I'll delete my Windows partition without hesitation!

jack59splat59

I think it won't catch on because a lot of people use Intel Macs and they don't support it for many of their games.