Via its support webpage this week, Valve has announced that it will drop support for macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave in early 2024. As explained by Ars Technica, this change essentially marks the end of the road for a number of 32-bit games for macOS.
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As Apple has been trying to show that macOS is a platform for gaming, many developers have also been showing interest in the platform. Now Steam has announced an important update for its Mac app, which now supports hardware acceleration – and that should enable better performance when users are browsing through Steam’s catalog of games.
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Almost two years after being released for iOS and tvOS, the official Steam Link client is finally available for Mac users through the Mac App Store. With Steam Link, Steam players can use a computer as a host to stream and play games on any device.
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Apple might position itself as the champion of privacy when it comes to personal data, but court records showed that the company demanded hugely sensitive data from game distribution service Steam to help in the battle with Epic Games.
The reason? Epic previously criticized Steam’s cut from game developers, accusing platform owner Valve of “sucking out a huge fraction of the profits from games.” Apple wanted to understand more about Valve’s business model with Steam in order to help it make its own case for the App Store. The data that Apple demanded from Valve – which is not even a party to the case – was pretty insane…
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You may remember when Apple announced at WWDC 2017 that macOS High Sierra would be the first version of Mac’s operating system with support for virtual reality. In a big move, Apple worked with Valve, Unity, and Unreal to bring their VR SDKs to the Mac. Today, however, Valve announced that SteamVR for macOS will be discontinued as the company now focuses on tools for Windows and Linux.
The Steam Link app allows you to stream games from your Steam library on your PC to your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. You can use touch controls or connect a compatible controller. The newest update to the Steam Link app makes that experience even better.
Just a week after Steam Link finally came to iOS, allowing players to stream games from their Mac, Steam Chat for iOS and Android has also been released.
Steam Chat offers most of the key features of Steam chat on the Mac, but not all …
Valve has announced that beginning on January 1st, 2019, Steam will officially drop support for macOS 10.10 Yosemite and earlier, dating back to Lion. The change is due to features in Steam relying on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older versions of macOS.
Ahead of the public release of macOS 10.14 Mojave this fall, Steam has finally updated its Mac application to be 64-bit. This is incredibly important for Steam users as macOS Mojave will be the last version of macOS to support 32-bit applications….
Update: Valve told Reuters that it disabled purchasing in its iOS app, which would seemingly put the app in compliance with Apple’s ‘store-within-a-store’ rule.
Earlier this month, Valve announced the impending release of its Steam Link application for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. The company touted at the time that the app would allow users to experience their Steam library on their Apple devices. Now, Valve says that Apple has rejected the Steam Link app…
Next week Valve is bringing its Steam Link app to iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Steam Link will allow users on the aforementioned devices to stream their Steam game libraries while connected to a host system (Mac or PC) via a 5GHz network or wired Ethernet connection.
Valve reports that Steam Link will support both MFi controllers like the SteelSeries Nimbus, along with its own Steam Controller. In preparation for next week’s launch, Steam has enabled Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity for its controller via the Steam Client Beta. It means that users can now connect their Steam Controllers directly to eligible devices, bypassing the need for its USB wireless receiver.
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Steam announced today that it will be rolling out its Steam Link and Steam Video apps on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV soon.
Update, Apr. 8, 2016: XCOM 2 is now available on the Mac App Store for $50.
XCOM 2, a sequel to the popular XCOM game franchise’s original release, is launching today worldwide for both Mac and PC users, 2K and developer Firaxis announced.
Valve has announced in an email to customers that its new hardware accessories, the Steam Controller and the Steam Link are not yet fully compatible with OS X. The hardware, which was marketed as cross-platform ready, started arriving in customers’ hands this week.
The company says software issues are at the heart of the delay, and it will be pushing out firmware updates to enable support very soon. In the case of the Steam Controller, users can already start using the gamepad on their Macs by switching to the beta version of the Steam client in the app’s preferences.
In order to make up for this problem, Valve has gifted every single affected pre-order customer with the Valve Complete Pack, which includes every game the company has ever made, or will make in the future. Buyers who still want to get a refund on their hardware are able to do so.
Borderlands: The Pre Sequel, the latest installment in the popular Borderlands series, launches today for Mac on the same day as the console and PC release. The Mac version of the game is developed by Aspyr and includes cross-platform multiplayer and a promise of all future DLC:
Discover the story behind Borderlands 2 villain, Handsome Jack, and his rise to power. Taking place between the original Borderlands and Borderlands 2, the Pre-Sequel gives you a whole lotta new gameplay featuring the genre blending fusion of shooter and RPG mechanics that players have come to love… Float through the air with each low gravity jump while taking enemies down from above using new ice and laser weapons. Catch-a-ride and explore the lunar landscape with new vehicles allowing for more levels of destructive mayhem.
The game is available starting today for $59.99 through GameAgent (the web store run by developers of the Mac version, Aspyr) as well as through Steam. Aspyr said previously that it’s planning a Mac App Store release of the game for October 16.
The game requires a Mac running OS X 10.9.4 (Mavericks) or later and at least a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, and 13GB of hard drive space. Supported video cards include NVIDIA GeForce 8800, ATI Radeon HD 2600, or Intel HD 3000 with 256 MB of Video Memory.
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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, a spinoff in the popular Metal Gear franchise that was originally released for consoles in 2013, is today arriving for Mac users. Unlike most previous installments in the series, Revengeance replaces the game’s usual stealth-based gameplay for a sword-slashing cyborg ninja named Raiden. It’s technically part of the Metal Gear series and universe, but the incredibly unique hack and slash gameplay mechanics in this title are quite the departure from what Metal Gear fans are used to with previous games in the series.
METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE, originally developed by Kojima Productions and Platinum Games, expands the METAL GEAR franchise into exciting new territory with its frenetic action experience. The game seamlessly melds pure action and cinematic storytelling that surrounds Raiden, a child soldier transformed into a half-human, half-cyborg ninja, who uses his high-frequency katana blade to cut through anything that stands in his vengeful path
The game is available starting today on the Mac App Store and on Steam for $24. That’s a promotional price that will increase to the regular $30 after the first 5 days of release.
A few years after hitting consoles, Aspyr announced today that it’s bringing a couple of the most popular games from the Call of Duty franchise to Mac, including: Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 as well as all DLC for both titles.
The games aren’t available in the Mac App Store, but Aspyr is making them available through Steam and its own GameAgent online store today alongside all maps packs and other DLC. SteamPlay support means you’ll be able to pick up the title up once and play it on both Mac and PC.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 picks up immediately following the historic events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, with players facing off against a new threat dedicated to bringing the world to the brink of collapse. And Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 continues the series’ epic storyline with even bigger and more explosive action.
While the release is already a few titles behind the console releases, it does bring Mac gamers some great new Call of Duty content including multiplayer for both games. The games are certainly an upgrade from the last COD release to hit the Mac: 2010’s Black Ops.
Both games feature:
The Deluxe Edition of Sim City 4 is now exclusively available on the Mac App Store, some weeks ahead of availability elsewhere, priced at $19.99.
The special edition includes the functionality of the Rush Hour expansion pack, which includes a monorail system and a ferry, along with two new disaster scenarios …
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From 9to5toys:
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In case you missed our last mega deal for Mac gamers, we’ve once again teamed up with our friends over at GameAgent to get an exclusive deal on one of the hottest Mac titles around. This time you’ll be able to get 75% off Borderlands 2 Game of The Year Edition for Mac. Here’s what you’ll get with the GOTY edition:
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The much anticipated Season 2 of Telltale’s official Walking Dead game, which some of you might have picked up for free in our bundle earlier this month, has today finally landed on both Mac and iOS. Telltale confirmed on its blog that the new season is now available to download for Mac and PC through Steam ($24.99), and the iOS version for iPhone and iPad is now available on the App Store for $4.99.
The sequel to 2012’s Game of the Year continues the story of Clementine, a young girl orphaned by the undead apocalypse. Left to fend for herself, she has been forced to learn how to survive in an unforgiving world. But what can an ordinary child do to stay alive when the living can be just as bad – and sometimes worse – than the dead?
Experience what it’s like to play as Clementine, meet new survivors, explore new locations and make gruesome decisions in this five-part game series of choice and consequence.
Episode one is available now for Season 2, but Telltale notes that you can “Save 25% on additional episodes in The Walking Dead: Season Two by purchasing the Multi-Pack [Episodes 2-5 bundle] via in-app in the ‘Episodes’ menu.”
Steam Mobile, the iOS app that lets you buy games and stay in touch with the Steam community from your iPhone or iPad, has been given a new UI for iOS 7. It also adds some new features (notably offline chat) and stability improvements.
The user-interface retains the dark color scheme, but has a flatter feel and cleaner typography in line with the iOS 7 look. The revamp is a partial one, however – the app still has the iOS 6 keyboard and some non-flattened elements such as the 3D chat bubbles seen above.
The full change-log is:
– New look and feel
– Offline chat
– Improved push notifications and icon badging
– Moved invites to a separate screen
– Streamlined interface for responding to friend invites
– Display friend nicknames
– Added iconography to indicate that friends are on mobile or using Big Picture
– Include Facebook suggested friends in invites list
– Improved stability and performance
The app is a free download from iTunes.
If I could only make one game recommendation for Mac users, at the moment it would have to be BioShock Infinite. The game received amazing reviews from critics on the consoles and our friends at Aspyr quickly followed up with a flawless Mac version back in August. If you’ve yet to pick up a copy, you now officially have no excuse: GameAgent and 9to5Toys are offering BioShock Infinite for Mac for 75% off from now until Sunday.
That means you’ll get BioShock Infinite for $10 instead of the usual $40, and we’re also throwing in the $4.99 Columbia’s Finest DLC for free. Best price on Amazon: $31
On top of that, GameAgent is giving away some crazy prizes to celebrate its brand new site redesign. The new site has a “Mac Match” feature that lets you setup profiles for your Macs to easily find supported content, and also a new Wish List feature to get automatic deal alerts when games you’re interested in go on sale.
Go create an account on GameAgent.com and make sure to put a name and legit email when completing the contest entry page to win a fully loaded 27-inch iMac with a 3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, 16GB of RAM, 1TB drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4GB GDDR5 graphics. It will also come loaded with every BioShock, COD, Duke Nukem, Quake 4, Civilization and Star Wars title GameAgent sells, along with a long list of other titles and DLC, and there are many other prizes too. Full details of the contest rules can be read here (contest rules).
To get your 75% off BioShock Infinite, click here and enter promo code “9to5Mac” at checkout. Deal expires 11:59pm CST, Sunday, November 17. Note: BioShock Infinite through GameAgent is the Mac version of the game and authenticates on Steam.
GameAgent also announced the release of the BioShock Burial at Sea- Episode 1 DLC yesterday with a same day release as the PC title.
Update: GameAgent ran into some “inventory issues” because so many of you are trying to take advantage of this awesome deal. Everything is sorted now and the deal is still live, but if you ran into issues, GameAgent will sort you out:
[tweet https://twitter.com/GameAgentStore/status/401009258348961793]
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Update 2: The deal site PC gamer spambots have officially ruined the fun for everyone. GameAgent had to shut the deal down due to a high amount of fraud from bots eating up all the inventory on the deal code. We’re working with GameAgent to bring the deal back. Stay tuned.
Valve has been teasing announcements surrounding its much rumored Steam Box platform on its website, and today the company revealed “SteamOS” as the first of three announcements. There aren’t many details available just yet, but Valve says the Linux-based platform will be available soon as a “free stand-alone operating system for living room machines” and “freely licensable operating system for manufacturers.”
Steam is not a one-way content broadcast channel, it’s a collaborative many-to-many entertainment platform, in which each participant is a multiplier of the experience for everyone else. With SteamOS, “openness” means that the hardware industry can iterate in the living room at a much faster pace than they’ve been able to. Content creators can connect directly to their customers. Users can alter or replace any part of the software or hardware they want. Gamers are empowered to join in the creation of the games they love. SteamOS will continue to evolve, but will remain an environment designed to foster these kinds of innovation.
Not too long ago Valve’s Gabe Newell expressed that the biggest threat to bringing Steam and PC gaming to the living room would be if Apple got there first:
“The biggest challenge, I don’t think is from the consoles,” Newell said. “I think the biggest challenge is that Apple moves on the living room before the PC industry sort of gets its act together.”
Valve says that game developers are already optimizing new releases set for 2014 that will take advantage of “significant performance increases in graphics processing” and “audio performance and reductions in input latency” in SteamOS. Although Apple has been beefing up its Apple TV with new content recently, it looks like Valve could beat Apple when it comes to bringing its ecosystem of games to the living room.
The webpage for SteamOS also mentions four new features coming to SteamOS and the Steam client soon, including: In-home streaming, music/TV/movies, Family Sharing, and Family options. Family Sharing will let users “take turns playing one another’s games while earning your own Steam achievements and saving your individual game progress to the Steam cloud.” The in-home streaming feature will allow users to stream games from their Mac or PC to a SteamOS machine over their home network, and Family Options will provide customizable libraries for different members of your household.
The company also says it’s working with “media services” to help bring music, TV, and movies to SteamOS, so we could be looking at more of a direct Apple TV competitor than simply a game console.
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A couple of big new games are landing today for Mac users. We told you about BioShock Infinite earlier this month, the third instalment in the popular 2K/Irrational Games series that originally launched in March to rave reviews on consoles. Mac gaming heavyweights Aspyr have been working on porting the game to Mac since its initial release, and today the game is finally going on sale through Aspyr’s GameAgent store and other retailers. Aspyr sent over a beta of the title last week, and we’ve had nothing but positive first impressions from our time with the game since. The other big Mac title launching today, SimCity, might have had some major issues in its beta, but we’re happy to report you won’t run into similar performance problems with BioShock Infinite.
As usual, the title will support SteamPlay, allowing users to purchase the game once and play on both PC and Mac through Steam. It’s also available on the Mac App Store. However, Aspyr’s own distribution service, GameAgent, is offering some pretty enticing pre-order bonuses if you pick up the title through them…
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