Is it true that the Mac 'are not good for playing'?

[Blexfraptor]

Whenever we talk about PC gamer, computer for video games, we talk about a computer with Windows operating system. There is never any talk of Mac computers for video games, and there is a widespread belief that they do not work for video games. But what is true about it? Because if you look at eSports, for example, or youtubers that are dedicated to video game content, we will also always find that they use a computer with Windows operating system, if this is for reference.

Apple uses a very specific hardware on their Mac computers, much more limited - by variety, simply - than the one available for Windows systems - or with another operating system -. And above all, Apple uses a very select hardware in the graphics section. And of course, in terms of software, on Apple computers we have macOS. And both one thing and the other are determining factors in the gaming environment.

MacOS has software compatibility limitations that affect video games, but not all
If you access Steam, which is the largest computer game platform for computer, you can see that there is a specific videogame catalog for Mac computers. Yes, there are, and besides, there are few that are available, then serve -these computers- to play. Another thing is that they are not the optimal option, besides that the catalog is much smaller. This problem is due precisely to the compatibility limitations of Apple's operating system for computers. There is no support for DirectX, so only video games based on the OpenGL API are available, and they are much less.

he reason why developers use DirectX and not OpenGL is because of the performance of one and the other API. There is an eternal debate on this issue, but obviously those who choose DirectX because they consider it the right choice. And taking into account the market share of Apple computers, and more in the gaming environment, is not something that worries too much developers, that their game can not work in macOS.

The hardware is not the biggest problem of the Mac, but it is also another barrier for the world of video games
In a gaming computer always used dedicated hardware for graphics, dedicated graphics cards and high performance. A large number of Apple computers do not have dedicated graphics. Although the macOS operating system is optimized for the creative environment, for video and photography, a specific graphics processor is necessary for video games, and Apple only includes high-performance dedicated graphics cards in some of its products.

Therefore, although in a Mac Mini, for example, we have next-generation processors that are more than valid for video games, in the graphics section we have an Intel UHD Graphics 630, that is, integrated graphics even in the model that exceeds the 1,200 euros. In an iMac, however, we already have a Radeon Pro 555 with 2 GB of VRAM, which in a game like Overwatch is only 31 fps average in 'ultra' quality over Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. That is, its performance is very limited.

But then can you use a Mac computer for video games?
The computers of Apple itself, certainly can be used for video games. But without any modification, the availability of titles is very limited. And if we choose to virtualize Windows, or use Windows in some way or another to expand the compatibility with video games, we will find limited hardware in the factory settings offered by Apple in the vast majority of its products, simply for the relative to the graphics section.

And we can use a dedicated graphics card with an external adapter. But we would be increasingly away from playing with a Mac. The issue is that, with a Mac, as it comes from the factory, we do have a computer suitable for video games, but very limited software and hardware. For all this is a better option a Windows computer if what we want is to enjoy video games to the fullest.