Apple's M2 MacBook Air for Gaming?
Apple said Mac gaming was ready at WWDC 2022. Craig
Federighi, Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering, said the company's
in-house silicon "changed everything" by giving Macs the power to
"run the most demanding games, with ease." He then claimed the Mac's
popularity gives an opportunity for developers.
What's the reality of Mac gaming, and can Apple's M2 MacBook Air handle the finest games? Complicated.
This article covers casual gaming (where Apple
excels) and AAA titles. Apple's M2 MacBook Air was our test unit (8 GB RAM, 512
GB SSD, and 10-core GPU, so not quite the entry-level model). We often used
external controllers like a Sony DualShock and a GameSir T4 Mini.
iPhone, Apple Arcade Games
Apple Arcade has a solid assortment of games,
including Apple-optimized mobile classics. Simpler games are still fun on
desktop. Sneaky Sasquatch's interactive cartoon and Oddmar's platformer are
delightful.
Racing gear provides richer sensations. Club
Stradale and Adventure Beyond a Steel Sky stress the hardware more than
previous Apple Arcade titles, but not to an M2 Mac's detriment.
If a developer gives permission, Apple Macs can run
iPhone and iPad games. Rarely. To play GRIS on your Air, you'll need to get the
Mac version.
Touchscreen games aren't suited for Mac and aren't
universal programs. Multitouch input fails. Unreliable GamePad support. Find
the right games for a good experience. Baba Is You and Dungeons of Dreadrock
perform wonderfully on the keyboard, and Asphalt 9's racing is amazing with a
DualShock.
Emulation, Streaming
Streaming threatens to replace digital game
purchases, just as CDs and cartridges. Streaming overcomes difficulties on
MacBook Air. Computer specs and architecture are immaterial because servers
handle the heavy work and the Mac interprets input. And that adds games.
AAA titles on Xbox Cloud Gaming in a browser are
jaw-dropping. Lag, visual fuzz, and missing frames are drawbacks. On a large
external monitor, this might be a bigger issue, but a 13-inch screen didn't
concern us.
Antstream Arcade features hundreds of classic
titles, leaderboards, and bespoke challenges, including Space Invaders with one
life. Despite the outdated games, a fast connection is needed to avoid errors.
Emulating classic games is another approach. You'd
expect an M2 Mac to go further than a Raspberry Pi 4, which can play Sega
Dreamcast titles. Mac emulators are few. OpenEmu works with many older systems,
notably in its "experimental" form. Redream is available for the Dreamcast.
Modern (and legal) territory is more flexible. Our
Xbox emulation experiments had inconsistent frame rates. AetherSX2 was better,
despite visual wobbles. Buy a console if you want anything newer.
Mac games' flaws
The lack of Intel in newer Macs hinders native
games. It's no longer feasible to transfer Windows titles to a smaller market
that hasn't cared about games. Many developers (of all sizes) don't bother, and
there weren't many to begin with.
Apple said at WWDC 2022 that No Man's Sky and Resident
Evil Village will be arriving to Mac later this year. However, the former
released on Windows in 2016 and may launch on Switch before Mac. Resident Evil
Village is newer, but older.
Also, space. When new AAA games are optimized for
Apple hardware (Baldur's Gate 3) or work in Rosetta, they can be large.
Baldur's Gate 3, Metro Exodus, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider use nearly 190 GB
of disk space—most of an entry-level M2 MacBook Air's 256-GB SSD.
If you want AAA games or high-quality indie stuff,
skip the Mac App Store. It has minimal perks, a small selection, and exorbitant
prices. Steam frequently gives Windows copies of Mac games you buy.
B- Performance, AAA Game
The M2 MacBook Air's speakers are superb, the keys
are responsive (assuming you don't use external controllers), and the screen is
brilliant with great color reproduction. It's power-efficient. Without a fan
and with sustained-performance games, it gets hot.
Even with complicated shaders, Minecraft works
smoothly. It's old, though. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, a 2019 Mac release, is a
tougher test (and 2018 on Windows). It's utilized for benchmarking because it's
rigorous and includes a built-in system. We averaged 42 fps at default settings
(1440 x 960 resolution; medium graphics preset). 51 fps on 1152 x 768 (low
graphics) but 24 fps on 1440 x 960. (highest).
Metro Exodus launched after a year and ran at 30 fps
on 1920 x 1200 and medium graphics quality, although early scenes decreased to
15 fps. Reducing quality didn't alter graphics much, but added frames where it
mattered. Baldur's Gate 3, at 1470 x 956 and medium resolution, ran at 30 fps.
The frame rate plummeted into the 20s when the resolution was set to 1080p.
Baldur's Gate 3's performance impressed and could
improve in future iterations. The Mac's performance dropped as it was left on.
Tomb Raider benchmarks and frame rates dropped by 10 fps after an hour. You
must accept this or rest the Mac. Poor performance after switching AAA games
was fixed by rebooting. We assume a 16-GB MacBook Air wouldn't have this problem
due to larger RAM space.
Mac games Windows
Apple ditching Intel complicated running Windows on
a Mac. No good choices remain. Because these games don't run natively, you add complication
(where your games live; installing various versions of Steam).
Parallels Desktopeasily is user-friendly and
powerful and quickly installs Windows 11. CrossOver doesn't need Windows, but
games take more work. PlayOnMac is a free alternative to CrossOver.
Finding games that function on Parallels Desktop and
CrossOver is challenging. 2D titles are most likely to work. Testers enjoyed
Death Ray Manta and Pac-Man Championship Edition 2effort. Pinball FX3's 3D
failed in CrossOver and ran slowly in Parallels Desktop.
Depending on your games, you may have better luck.
On the M2, GTA V runs at over 50 fps. The game's
old. If you want to run Windows games on your MacBook Air, choose simpler or
older titles. PCs have newer Windows games.
Is Apple's M2 MacBook Air excellent for gaming?
The M2 MacBook Air's gaming capabilities depend on
the games you play. AAA games have issues. The hardware is capable, but the
ecosystem and throttling are weaknesses. Too few games are optimized for Apple
silicon, sustained performance is uncertain, and Apple's WWDC statements recall
the late 1990s, when Mac users snatched whatever scraps they could – usually
Windows titles years late and for more money.
You could buy a gaming PC for the price of an M2
Air. So getting an Air for games is odd. If you want more power, moving from an
M2 Air to an M1 Pro or M1 Max would buy you a PS5, Xbox, or Steam Deck. These
are more AAA-friendly.
AAA titles aren't all games, and as we've shown, an
M2 MacBook Air can run many fun games. If you want to play casual games,
stream, or aren't finicky about AAA games, the Air will do. OpenEmu is the most
polished and user-friendly desktop emulator for old games.