Apple Event Next Week Likely to Emphasize High-End Gaming on Mac

Apple yesterday announced that it will be holding an online event on Monday, October 30 starting at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, and there are several reasons to believe that gaming on the Mac will be one of the major focuses of the event.

Apple WWDC23 macOS Sonoma gaming 230605
Below, we have recapped Apple's recent gaming-related efforts on the Mac and other clues heading into the event next week.

Hardware-Accelerated Ray Tracing

Apple silicon chips often have architecture similarities. Like the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple's upcoming M3 series of chips for Macs will likely feature hardware-accelerated ray tracing for significantly improved graphics rendering compared to software-based ray tracing. M3 series chips are also expected to be manufactured with TSMC's 3nm process for faster performance and improved power efficiency compared to M2 series chips. These advancements pave the way for more AAA games to launch on the Mac.

Apple Hints at More AAA Games on Mac

Apple hinted at more AAA games launching on the Mac in a recent interview with gaming publication IGN. When asked if the new games that Apple announced for the iPhone 15 Pro last month would eventually be compatible with Apple silicon Macs, Apple VP Tim Millet said "the developers are going to work with us to do it." These games include a Resident Evil 4 remake, Death Stranding Director's Cut, and Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Capcom and Sony Hints

Japanese game developer Capcom recently announced that Resident Evil Village will be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and on iPad models with the M1 chip and newer starting October 30, which is the same day as Apple's event next week.

It's possible that the release date lining up with the event is merely a coincidence, but it could hint at additional Mac-related gaming news to come from Apple and Capcom, and perhaps other game developers. A source informed us that Apple is holding its online event at the unusual time of 5 p.m. Pacific Time because it will fall during business hours in Japan, and claimed that the event will include a major tie-in with a Japanese game developer, but we have not independently confirmed the accuracy of this information.

While the App Store says the Resident Evil 4 remake is set to launch on Macs with the M1 chip and newer on December 31, this date is a placeholder, and it is possible the release will be pushed up following Apple's event. The game was already released for Windows PCs, the PS4/PS5, and the Xbox Series X/S in March.

As for Sony, it plans to launch cloud streaming for PS5 games in North America on October 30. Could there be a tie-in with Apple?

Game Mode

macOS Sonoma features a new Game Mode that temporarily prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming. Game Mode also lowers AirPods audio latency, and reduces input latency with popular third-party game controllers by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate.

Game Porting Toolkit

At WWDC 2023 in June, Apple released a new toolkit that makes it easier for game developers to port Windows games to the Mac. The toolkit provides an emulation environment that allows developers to run their existing, unmodified Windows game on the Mac and quickly evaluate how well the game could run on macOS before writing any code.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...

Top Rated Comments

toobravetosave Avatar
20 months ago
Guess it’ll be a short one
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
20 months ago
Here's the needed announcements to actually bring AAA gaming to Mac:

* Apple is allocating an AppleTV+ like budget to a new unit focused on Gaming, like the AppleTV+ unit is focused on original programming... exactly like Microsoft and Sony.
* Apple has purchased 1+ Game Studios for Exclusive Games only for Mac. Or Apple has purchased Nintendo... or Sony.
* Apple is actively hiring substantial gaming staff for the gaming division to code games, just like Microsoft and Sony.

In other words, MONEY is the key to AAA gaming on Mac. The competitors put up big money to subsidize AAA game creation, buy major gaming studios, etc. That money buys them AAA games and major exclusives. AAA game developers go where the money is abundant.

If it's a lot of talk about chip POWER but no money, we've seen this same movie many times before. And we know how it ends... over and over again. Apple certainly has the money to do it... IF they will put that money to work on AAA gaming... much like they decided to put substantial money and resources to be Netflix Junior.

Very simply: talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is.

Cue the classic line from Jerry Maguire (you know the one).
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baryon Avatar
20 months ago
If the past is any indication, they're going to release 2-3 new AAA games for Mac for the hype, and then none ever again.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
20 months ago

Ugh, but I don't wanna simulate mass homicides, I just want my InDesign files to scroll in a non-jerky manner ?
You could have all the hardware in the world and Adobe would still produce crap products that don't run well.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple247 Avatar
20 months ago
Ugh, but I don't wanna simulate mass homicides, I just want my InDesign files to scroll in a non-jerky manner ?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soulreaver99 Avatar
20 months ago
Resident Evil 4 Remake will be coming to Mac. That should keep all the Mac gamers busy for the next 2 years before the next AAA title comes out :)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)