GeForce Now game streaming vastly improved on M1 Macs

AppleInsider

With a new update, the GeForce Now game streaming service will now run better on a Mac, and RTX 3080 members can play at native 1600p on their M1 Macs.

GeForce Now improved for M1 Macs

The GeForce Now update brings a few new perks for members like linking Nvidia and Ubisoft accounts for fast sign-in. Mac users get a treat with improved streaming performance and new gaming modes for the M1-based Macs.

Along with streaming improvements, players on the M1 MacBook Pro and M1 MacBook Air can now run games at their native resolution -- 1600p. This is restricted to RTX 3080 members and enables streaming sessions for up to 8 hours.

Set RTX on for both RTX 3080 and Priority members to experience real-time ray tracing without the need for a PC. Of course, players will need robust network connections for great streaming sessions.

Nvidia also notes that there is a fix for streaming in the correct aspect ratio when gaming on a MacBook Pro with M1 Max.

GeForce Now is a cloud gaming service that gives players access to their PC library over Ubisoft connect, Steam, and other platforms. Players can enjoy their games on any supported browser from Macs to Safari on iPhone.

Updated 1:50 P.M. Eastern: Removed statement saying GeForce Now is Apple Silicon native, when it is actually Intel-based running on Rosetta 2.

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OutdoorAppDeveloper

How badly do you have to fail at games for a streaming service like GeForce Now to be the best option on your computers? This is proof that Apple does not have users' best interests at heart when it makes its developer rules. Here are some of the reasons why Macs suck at games:
Lack of support for industry graphics standards like Vulkan.
Lack of support for 32 bit software.
Lack of support for third party graphics drivers.
Open hostility towards game platforms like Steam and Epic.
Open hostility towards NVIDIA.

Wesley Hilliard

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

"How badly do you have to fail at games"

Nothing you listed has anything to do with developer rules. They are platform limitations, especially now with M1. I don't know why people believe the Mac needs to be a gaming machine when there are much better options. Just buy a Playstation or Xbox to play games, or god forbid get a gaming PC.

Macs don't need to service every market, just the professional ones it has always served. Besides, we can't ignore the games you can play on the platform just because they aren't what you want to play.

I do wonder if Apple will ever push for more Apple Arcade games specific to Mac, or if that will stay focused on mobile experiences.

libertymatters

The right tool for the right job.  Macs just aren't for gaming.  That's ok.

auxio

libertymatters said:

The right tool for the right job.  Macs just aren't for gaming.  That's ok.

Exactly.  If your main reason for purchasing a machine is playing games, it would be foolish to buy a Mac when you could get a dedicated gaming machine like a Playstation or Xbox for much much cheaper.  The overwhelming majority of people buying Macs are doing it for professional uses like software development, video/audio editing, graphic design, etc.  Being able to play some games on the side is a bonus, but not a requirement.  Apple Arcade and services like this give you that bonus.

auxio

Wesley Hilliard said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

"How badly do you have to fail at games"

I do wonder if Apple will ever push for more Apple Arcade games specific to Mac, or if that will stay focused on mobile experiences.

IMO, the Apple TV would be where Apple would have more success with gaming (as a competitor to other game consoles).  Just need to create a high end Apple TV with a powerful GPU and get some top game development shops to port their games over.

rmoo

Wesley Hilliard said:

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

"How badly do you have to fail at games"

I do wonder if Apple will ever push for more Apple Arcade games specific to Mac, or if that will stay focused on mobile experiences.

Market share will dictate the latter. 2 billion iPhones versus 20-25 million macOS devices sold a year. Honestly there isn't anything that Apple could do to make a bigger dent in gaming. An 11th gen Intel Core i7 gaming PC with 16 GB of RAM and an Nvidia RTX 3060 costs $1400. A comparable macOS device is going to be at least $2000. In about 6 months a laptop with a 12th gen Intel/Nvidia RTX 4060 will still cost about $1500, but it will be roughly equivalent to a MacBook Pro that costs $2500. And in 9 months when the next-gen AMD Zen 4 CPUs and GPUs come out? You get the picture. And that is talking about a midrange gaming PC. A Zen 4 low end gaming laptop will be capable of 1080p gaming without even needing a discrete GPU, and will under $500. Note that the Steam Deck's Aerith SOC has an integrated GPU and is capable of 720p gaming, and it is only a Zen 2+ on a 7nm process (Zen 4 will be on a 5nm process). Apple Silicon can only fight back against Intel and AMD-powered devices that are going to be cheaper, more powerful or both by achieving superior power per watt, but unfortunately the gaming crowd is the one that cares about such things the least. Also, AMD Zen 4 is going to make heavy strides in power power per watt when they reach 5nm in 2022 and when their Zen4+ gets released on Samsung's 3nm in 2023.

So a combination of market share, price and steadily improving CPUs and GPUs from Intel, AMD and Nvidia is going to prevent Apple from being able to gain traction in any area other than mobile gaming.

fastasleep

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

How badly do you have to fail at games for a streaming service like GeForce Now to be the best option on your computers? This is proof that Apple does not have users' best interests at heart when it makes its developer rules. Here are some of the reasons why Macs suck at games:
Lack of support for industry graphics standards like Vulkan.
Lack of support for 32 bit software.
Lack of support for third party graphics drivers.
Open hostility towards game platforms like Steam and Epic.
Open hostility towards NVIDIA.

What "open hostility" towards Steam and Epic? Both of those run just fine on my Mac. I have a bunch of Steam games, very few of them are 32bit but if I wanted to run those I'd just run Steam in a Parallels VM. 

tht

rmoo said:
So a combination of market share, price and steadily improving CPUs and GPUs from Intel, AMD and Nvidia is going to prevent Apple from being able to gain traction in any area other than mobile gaming.

My belief for why there isn't a thriving gaming ecosystem for macOS is largely due to Apple not being a game publisher and not having Mac models in the right price range. It's not an issue of CPU/GPU performance, especially now in the Apple Silicon era. PC games typically run on $600 to $800 boxes, or on sub $500 game consoles. Apple doesn't sell anything for under $1000 and they have Mac ASP of about $1300. They priced themselves out of the largest market of people who buy computers to play games. Then, they seem to rely on game developers making ports without much help from Apple themselves. They need to have Direct3D to Metal conversion tools, provide monetary support, in addition to becoming a game publisher and developer. They need to have internal teams developing games for Macs.

So, they don't have the right hardware at the right price and they don't support a gaming ecosystem. Hence, their market position is essentially zero for gaming. I think they know it. They need to sell the Mac mini with M1 for $500, a Mac mini with an M1 Pro for $700 and probably an M1 MBA for $800. Then, they have to buy a few game developers to make games for macOS and become a game publisher. They haven't really tried. Haven't really felt the need to try.

MacPro

OutdoorAppDeveloper said:

How badly do you have to fail at games for a streaming service like GeForce Now to be the best option on your computers? This is proof that Apple does not have users' best interests at heart when it makes its developer rules. Here are some of the reasons why Macs suck at games:
Lack of support for industry graphics standards like Vulkan.
Lack of support for 32 bit software.
Lack of support for third party graphics drivers.
Open hostility towards game platforms like Steam and Epic.
Open hostility towards NVIDIA.

This rant reminds me of the days when people vented about Apple's lack of support for Windows Media.

fastasleep

tht said:

Hence, their market position is essentially zero for gaming. I think they know it. They need to sell the Mac mini with M1 for $500, a Mac mini with an M1 Pro for $700 and probably an M1 MBA for $800. Then, they have to buy a few game developers to make games for macOS and become a game publisher. They haven't really tried. Haven't really felt the need to try.

I really don't understand why people think Apple needs to make first party games. And despite what you and others seem to think, there's quite a large library of games available on macOS — go browse around the App Store and Steam, there are tons of games. macOS doesn't get a lot of first run AAA titles, but that doesn't mean there's a dearth of gaming to be had.

I think with the massive improvements in GPUs at the entry level with M1 (and soon to come M2) over Intel's integrated chips, we've got an even brighter future in Mac gaming to come. Another factor is the fact that iOS and iPadOS games can now be easily made cross-platform with macOS. There's definitely a higher incentive than there was previously to embrace Metal. One more thing — Unity3D is native for Apple Silicon, but Unreal Engine isn't yet. I'd expect that comes next year at some point, and with it even more incentive to develop for the Mac on their new platform.