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TransGaming Launches Mac Game Portal
Gamasutra is reporting that TransGaming, maker of Cedega, has announced the launch of the new Mac video game distribution portal, "GameTree." "GameTree Online hopes to replicate digital distribution offerings for Windows-based PC, enabling consumers to purchase and download Mac games, read gaming news, participate in promotional opportunities, and write game reviews. TransGaming plans to continually add new titles from a mix of genres to its online portal."
Very few two-year-old computers get any gaming love at all.
And of course, it's actually just Intel-based Macs
What? are you serious?
Transgaming/Cedega is basically an enhancement/fork/product based on the WINE project that lets you run Windows apps on the *nix OSes. As I'm sure you know, WINE is one one of those recursive acronyms... Wine is not an emulator. Meaning that it lets you run Windows software by implementing the Windows API, and then running the code against.
Given that Wine is not an emulator, and the software running on it was compiled for x86 by its respective makers, why exactly would you expect it to run on a G5?
If I had an Intel Mac, I'd just put Windows on a partition.
The point of transgaming/cedega WINE is to run software -without- buying a copy of windows. It doesn't let you run windows software without x86 machines, it lets you run windows software without windows.
Kind of pointless, if you ask me.
If saving you having to buy and install windows to run a game on your Mac is pointless. Then yes, it is pointless. Most people however think there is a clear and obvious point.
Not every Mac user buys a new computer every time Apple comes out with a new product line.
If you wanted/expected to ever run Windows games on that computer, you would never have selected a G5 in the first place.
I know you think that. We all think that. It's not reality.
Gaming was one of the things I wanted to do when I got my MacBook Pro. I tried doing some gaming through Parallels. Even with it's 3D support, it can't do much. I'm not sure how well it would run Half-Life (not 2... the first). If you want to play Bejeweled, Chuzzle, NetHack, or other relativly simple games you're fine. If you want to run some special Windows only program you're golden. If you want to play Mass Effect you're dead.
So I have a Windows partition. I have used it for three things at this point. Half-Life 2, Sam & Max, and Team Fortress 2.
I play TF2 quite a bit. That said, I'd play it at least twice as often if I didn't have to reboot to Windows. I ran into the same problem (but stronger) with HL2 and Sam & Max.
So I have to quit any open applications, save my progress in all of them, no matter how small, close all windows, whatever. Then I have to reboot. Then I have to hold down Option, then select Windows. Then I wait for Windows to boot. Then I wait for Windows to finish loading. Then I wait for the game to load. Then I wait to get into a server.
The whole process (complicated a tiny bit by the fact I use an external drive because my Windows partition is small) means it takes a good 10-15 minutes of my time to get into and out of Windows.
That's bad enough. What if I want to stop what I'm doing, play a game for a while, then go back to what I'm doing? I have to go through all that. I have to re-open everything. It takes a ton of time.
If I want to quit the game, check my email, and go back I have to use webmail because it would take so long to get over to OS X and back to Windows. I have to basically plan when I want to play a game that needs Windows. I have to really want to play. It just takes enough time that I can't drop what I'm doing for a half-hour session, because I'll lose a large chunk of that to rebooting and such.
It's a testament to how much I wanted to play HL2, Sam & Max, and how much I continue to want to play TF2 that I continue to bother. Those people who say "Boot Camp will kill Mac gaming" obviously aren't trying to use Boot Camp for gaming much. I like it much much better than nothing (I wouldn't try HL2/TF2 on a console), but it's no substitute for native gaming.
While not as good as native, being able to use something like Cinega is a huge plus for me. I would gladly use it if I thought I could get good performance out of the game I want to play (and I didn't think I might get kicked for cheating due to Valve Anti-Cheat).
I would gladly purchase all of Orange Box again just to get TF2 native for Mac if they offered it.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I'd be the first to bash a Mac, especially in the realm of gaming, (I actually came here to post something along the lines of "ROFL it's gonna flop!") but you're completely wrong in your statement (with the exception of the Mini + Air). Out of the box, Macs have:
iMac: ATI HD2400, 26000, or nV 8800GS
Mac Pro: ATI HD2600XT
MacBook: Ok, crap integrated on this one
MB Pro: nV 8600GT
Not too bad, especially considering most off-the-shelf Windows PCs have crappy integrated graphics....nV 7150, ATI x1150, Intel X3100, etc...garbage. Even nicer $800+ desktops or so don't usually come with video horsepower (nV 8300 is still shit) unless you buy a gaming PC. Laptops are even worse. There are a plethora of large (15"+) $1500k+ laptops out there that could have good GPUs that don't.
Now if you get into stuff on places like Newegg, yes, you will find a better ratio. But Newegg is not the bulk of the Windows PC industry. (D)Hell, Worst Buy, and Circuit Shity are.
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