Okay , Steve Jobs really freak a lot of biz developers and gamers out with his promulgation on Monday . Now that the dust has settled a bit , I ’m take heed to tell you that while change are surely coming in the Mac game space , it ’s not the death of the world .
First , rent ’s go over what we recognise for sure : Apple ’s switch to Intel is going to create some headaches and some extra employment for existing Mac game developer . The architecture of Intel and PowerPC chips are unlike enough that it ’s not going to be an easy electrical switch . But I have n’t talked with any Mac game developer of consequence who ’s quick to startle ship over it . They know it ’s sound to be more work , and who would n’t rumble a bit over make to do more work ?
This next point is utterly crucial : For at least the next year or so , PowerPC - based Macs are going to make up the entire Macintosh user base , and after that , Intel - based Macs will in all likelihood take a while to get up to PowerPC - base Macs in overall marketshare . erstwhile timer will tell you : It took a honest long while for everyone to transmigrate from 680×0 - based Macs to PowerPC - based Macs a decade ago .
So any Mac secret plan publisher with any desire to see prescribed short or middle - terminus revenue is going to have to continue to substantiate your Mac and the millions of other Macs that are already out there . Anyone who ’s enunciate this Intel deal is effectively killing Mac gaming just ai n’t thinkin ’ straight , folks .
Reports from WWDC are coming forth that suggest Windows can be installed on the Intel - found trial run units Apple is showing off this week and will be sow to developer . Apple ’s careful to manoeuver out that these systems are n’t representative of their last blueprint , though , so it ’s still a enigma as to how the ruined production will operate or what it will look like .
presume the output units Apple finally industry are the same , that may intend that Mac user can buy a Macintosh that boots into Mac OS X and Windows . Hardcore gamers certainly would be interested in such a corner . Even without Apple ’s verbatim reenforcement , it ’s not a lot of money to get a copy of Windows XP Home and a second hard drive . It ’s a substantial motivator for gamers to be able to go the latest and greatest games on their Macs without having to look six month , deal with online gaming compatibility exit , middleware drama and more .
But even if that ’s the font , all Leslie Townes Hope is not lose . That may encourage Mac exploiter who are also hard-core gamers to utilise Windows for some of their gaming needs , but it ’s wholly unlike that mainstream consumers will need to jump through such hoops just to play games — particularly if it spread them to the possibleness of infection by viruses , malware , trojan horses , spyware and other such dilemma presently face our Windows brother .
To that closing , there will remain a market place for Mac games — hopefully , one that will originate if Apple can attract raw substance abuser to the platform . At this point I ’ve talked with execs from every major game publisher in the Mac marketplace , and all of them agree that they ’re blend to continue to back the Mac game market place disregardless of what Apple does with its ironware . They ’re all babble out about focus efforts on pee a unruffled modulation to Intel - found Macs as well .
Interestingly , an Intel - based Mac will finally ( and this really is a foresighted time down the road ) make Windows to OS X biz changeover less difficult , because Mac secret plan developer wo n’t have to grapple with the same byte - parliamentary procedure exit that they do now ( Intel and PowerPC processor handle strand of datum otherwise ) . That is , once developers are freed from having to support PowerPC chips . Years from now .
A look down the road
Realistically , there are changes coming in the Mac game business sector , but that does n’t have intimately as much to do with Apple shift to Intel as it does with the nature of the game market itself continuing to develop .
Macs and personal computer alike are progressively being shoved to the rear when it number to triple - A list releases , in favor of the much more lucrative , larger and more stable console game market place . And with that food market about to undergo a sea change thanks to the initiation of three new console table , that is n’t snuff it to change — in fact , it ’ll probably speed up in the fresh consoles ’ favour , once they ’re all released .
What that mean is that you ’ll see historically Mac - centrical game publishers continue to diversify by publishing their own original titles . Destineer stepped up to the crustal plate with Close fighting : First to Fight , which MacSoft actually ship before the PC version take out the door . And Aspyr Media is plan its first original tone ending this declination with Stubbs the Zombie . Similar efforts will continue in the future .
MacSoft , Aspyr and Feral Interactive are all firmly attached to bringing new plot and game conversion to the Macintosh market place today and for the foreseeable future . Based on my conversations with them , they ’re actually excited , not discouraged , about this change of direction for Apple , because all of them are hoping it intend that Apple can make more aggressive moves into wresting meaning marketshare from the clutches of Microsoft .
And Apple could n’t have pick a undecomposed clock time to do it , really : Between Mac OS X v10.5 “ Leopard ” and Intel - based Macs , Apple should be attain on all cylinder when Microsoft finally obtain around to releasing “ Longhorn , ” its next major Windows upgrade . With some deft marketing kung - fu , hopefully Apple will be able to turn the ears of consumers and businesses that are turned off by the idea of jumping yet another major Windows hurdle .
And for World of Warcraft fan , I ’m entranced to report that Blizzard Entertainment is certainly in no danger of leaving the Mac chopine , either . allot to a messageon their own forum , Blizzard ’s Mac engineers ( who are at WWDC this week ) are reassure Mac user that their PowerPC systems wo n’t get little shrift as a result , as well — in fact , they ’re even see out how their World of Warcraft code works with the young Intel compiling program .
So recreate up , folks . If anything , this Intel electrical switch will in all probability put us in good shape to win the hearts and nous of future game developers , and will lead to the creation of even libertine Macs that will dally games heaps better than today ’s system can . The future of Mac gaming is shiny indeed .
For more Mac game newsworthiness , reviews and information , please chew the fat Macworld ’s Game Room .
