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MW: Improved iMac Graphics Not the Key to Games
by , 4:55 PM EDT, May 8th, 2008
Apple has improved the graphics card in the latest iMac, but that won't make much difference for die hard gamers, and Apple doesn't seem to be anxious to fix that perpetual problem, according to Peter Cohen at Macworld on Thursday.
"Apple’s build-to-order configuration features both a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo chip and Nvidia GeForce 8800GS graphics," Mr. Cohen noted. "And those are nice features—you can also get the Nvidia card as a $150 add-on to the top-of-the-line 24-inch 2.8GHz iMac if you want.
These cards can make a difference in the frame rate for first person shooter games, but they don't address the need to have even stronger graphics support for hard-core gamers. In addition, many gamers are not fond of the mandatory glossy screen.
In the final analysis: "Just adjusting one variable in this equation doesn't fix what’s wrong with Mac games. The fastest iMac in the world won’t change the fundamental truth that we need more game developers making games for the Mac, and more consumers buying Macs need to buy those games for the ecosystem to be healthy," Mr. Cohen explained.
"Ultimately, the buck stops in Cupertino—Apple needs not only to build better and faster hardware, but it needs to offer developers more incentives to create stunning, best-in-class and truly unique games for the platform," the Macworld gaming expert noted. "Maybe then the Mac will be taken seriously as a game system."
TMO notes that Apple has created for itself an eternal dilemma: consumer Macs must always be inferior to the professional level Macs. However, professional users who aren't in the video content creation industry seldom play games on their "Pro" computers. That has relegated consumer iMacs to second tier when it comes to games, and developers know it.
One way out of the dilemma may be simply to move on to another platform, the iPhone and the iPod touch, which have some great potential as game machines. There are indications that that is exactly what Apple is thinking.
Observer Comments
Thu May 08, 2008 5:45 pm Subject: Not that important...
Apple doesn't need to listen to the hard-core gamers, or game developers. Apple continues to expand its market share for Macs. Across the board it has reached some 7%. In the consumer space, I wouldn't be surprised it has hit 10% already, and the number will continue to grow. Three months from now, back-to-school sales will push Mac portable into the stratosphere. All this means that Macs will probably represent one out of every nine computers of the market that is the target demographic of game developers.
Now, if you are a game developer, are you willing to give up one out of every nine dollars you can make? It doesn't matter in the least bit that Mac hardware is (arguably) inferior gaming platform compared to whatever. The bottom line is just that - the bottom line. If it makes them money, they'll develop for a Commodore 64.
I'm wondering if the absolute best graphics are really that important. A game has to be fun. Seeing every drop of blood spatter doesn't make the game any 'funner' for me. IMO game graphics have really gone into the relm of diminishing return. 10X more triangles doesn't do that much for me when you're starting from such a high grade. It isn't like the iMac runs 8bit color.
Look at the Wii. It's outselling just about everything while it's very weak compared to other gaming systems. That's because the games are fun.
Amen to that. In my house there's Mac and PC gaming, Wii, PS2, PS3, and a Gamecube and an N64 somewhere.
Some of my fondest gaming memories are from the N64 days, when my daughter and I would play Mario together for hours. It was fun. I mean, it was really fun. And the Wii carries the tradition forward, although lately I've been pre-occupied with GT5 on PS3.
Quotegeoduck wrote:
I'm wondering if the absolute best graphics are really that important. A game has to be fun. Seeing every drop of blood spatter doesn't make the game any 'funner' for me. IMO game graphics have really gone into the relm of diminishing return. 10X more triangles doesn't do that much for me when you're starting from such a high grade. It isn't like the iMac runs 8bit color.
Look at the Wii. It's outselling just about everything while it's very weak compared to other gaming systems. That's because the games are fun.
Quotegeoduck wrote:
Look at the Wii. It's outselling just about everything while it's very weak compared to other gaming systems. That's because the games are fun.
Amen, geoduck! It’s more important for games to be fun than pretty. Just like movies have to have a good plot or the glitzy CGI is all for naught.
My family recently added a 2.4MHz 24” iMac with the maligned ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO graphics driver. It is extraordinary with our bevy of games including Star Wars Battlefront and Knights of the Old Republic, Halo, Civ IV, AOE III, F/A18 Hornet: Operation Iraqi Freedom, and many others I can’t remember (note: all paid for and registered, not pirated like so many PC games). This weekend my 14 and 16 year old sons are hosting a gaming party with friends that are bringing over their PCs for a networked tournament. BTW, our iMac will be the most powerful gaming machine of the bucnh.
The graphics on the iMac seems wholly appropriate for a home computer at its price point. As other have observed, if you want to keep up with the high-end gaming PCs, then you need to shell out the additional wedge and get the Mac Pro that TMO casually dismissed above.
Tue May 13, 2008 7:55 pm Subject: iMac is not the problem
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