Steam beta signup for OS X

Don't worry man. I'm sure it'll be front page on all the Mac blogs once the first person gets their invite.
 
Given that Steam was supposed to be publicly released this month anyway, I wonder just how worthwhile this beta is to begin with. Of course, it could be a closed beta, who knows.
 
I'm getting anxious... :p

My hackintosh and Mini want to play Steam games.
 
Terpfen said:
Given that Steam was supposed to be publicly released this month anyway, I wonder just how worthwhile this beta is to begin with. Of course, it could be a closed beta, who knows.
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I'm willing to bet the public release will be the beta.
 
If i recall it wasn't supposed to be released to the public ( per steam forums)


* the link that is, not the beta. Besides isn't the new pc ui still beta too?
 
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The Windows UI is beta, yes.

Its great too, such a massive improvement over the old version.
 
Perhaps mac will get beta with the roll out of final release of the new windows version. they might also be waiting for more developers to make the jump to mac.
 
Terpfen said:
Possible, but then, what's the purpose of the sign-up period? Makes little sense to me.
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They collected machine information. So I'm thinking they are trying to figure out how to make things run nicely on GMA950s and 9400m's in all those Macbooks.

I thought we were going to have Steam on the Mac last month at the end of the month. Now its nearly one month later and we still don't have it. :(
 
450 said:
They collected machine information. So I'm thinking they are trying to figure out how to make things run nicely on GMA950s and 9400m's in all those Macbooks.
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I don't think they needed the phantom incentive of a beta to figure out who has what GPU.

I thought we were going to have Steam on the Mac last month at the end of the month. Now its nearly one month later and we still don't have it. :(
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It was scheduled for some time this month.
 
The release may coincide with the release of The Passing (tomorrow), but I doubt it.
 
Surprised this hasn't popped up here yet. Apparently it has leaked... or something? I don't know how the person got it (haven't seen anything on newsgroups anyway!) but check out some screens and a video (courtesy of MacStories):

STEAM%20copy.png

STEAM%202%20copy.png

STEAM%203%20copy%202.png


I see they are offering Portal for free, sweet!
 
There's a video on getting it to open/run despite not having an account associated with the closed beta that is apparently going on right now.

There's a nearby water hole where the men go arrr and... ugh, fuck if you can't find this, you're an idiot, however, nothing currently works at all unless you're actually enrolled in the beta, so have fun browsing around if you care enough.
 
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Noob question, but how does gaming work on Macs? They don't support DirectX, so are they limited to OpenGl or something?
 
So what's the most demanding and/or the best looking game graphically on a Mac these days?
 
I would guess something like Dragon Age, Chronicles Of Riddick, or Bioshock. You've got games like Quake 4 or Modern Warfare but those are a couple years old. You've got Valve's games around the corner but as great as they are even Left 4 Dead 2 doesn't really push the envelope (I still think its a fantastic looking game though).

I dunno, I have a hard time answering that question given that the big envelope pushing game out there is still Crysis, and Crysis isn't a good game IMO so I really don't care. :) All I want at this point is the OS X client of the Starcraft 2 beta to come out. I'll be out of town for work through much of May and I really don't want to boot into Windows just to play one game. :)
 
Thanks, yeah Crysis is just a basic shooter, but when I upgrade GPUs I always go back and play at least some just to test things out. When you can play it at an average of 60FPS on Very High settings and 4xAA, wow, its just old school fun and beautiful. I'm just played half way through it last night and with this kind of hardware, DAMN! It's a different game than it was 2.5 years ago.

The rig killing game now is Metro 2033, that's a great looking game as well, probably a little better than Crysis but to me not as much fun.
 
I can run Crysis great now but it doesn't change my opinion of the core gameplay. It is pretty but its also boring and stupid. Not as boring and stupid as Far Cry 2, but its up there.

I'll take Left 4 Dead 2 or Starcraft 2 over it any day. Just IMO of course. :)
 
Well well well...

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/18816

This is good news. The Linux userbase isn't that large and the game library is minuscule, but considering that the main work of porting Source to OpenGL to make it work in OS X has been done, going all the way with a Linux port of Steam makes total sense.
 
Serpico said:
I can run Crysis great now but it doesn't change my opinion of the core gameplay. It is pretty but its also boring and stupid. Not as boring and stupid as Far Cry 2, but its up there.

I'll take Left 4 Dead 2 or Starcraft 2 over it any day. Just IMO of course. :)
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I toally understand if you don't like the game. Two weeks ago I thought I could run Crysis just great too. Boy I was wrong. Average framerates over 60 with minimums not going below 30 at ALL Very High settings and 4xAA at 1920x1200. It feels COMPLETELY different. Things that stutterd or hitched just don't anymore. Now I haven't hit the ice levels yet but the game is SO MUCH more fun with this hardware. I wish I had waited until now to play it for the first time.
 
That is all besides the point. Graphics do not equal gameplay. You can tart up Tetris all you want, it'll still be an amazing game no matter what it looks like. You can throw Crysis on the fastest hardware out there and it'll still be boring to me. You can do the same thing with Far Cry 2 and I'll still want to throw myself out a window.

The basic and essential design of both those games just doesn't appeal to me, its simple. I'll take a Valve game, Street Fighter 4, or Starcraft 2 any day. :)

I know you don't like multiplayer games but you should give Left 4 Dead 2 a try, the new campaign is awesome and the game is on sale for the weekend.
 
Serpico said:
That is all besides the point. Graphics do not equal gameplay.
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Never said it was. Likewise gameplay doesn't equal 3 billion transistors pushing the limits of whats technically possible. All I was trying to say is that if you think you're running Crysis fine, you're not. It won't change your opinion of the game play I'm sure, but technically you'd see my point.

Of course game play is important but without games like Crysis pushing the envelop TECHNICALLY we'd STILL be playing Tetris.

I own L4D2 play and a little and tried out the new map, not bad. But there's beauty in games like Crysis which is why I'm willing to spend $1500 (have my 3rd 480 coming for a new 3x SLI rig) on GPUs and $1000 on CPUs. L4D2 would never motivate me to do that, heck L4D2 run fine on my tablet.
 
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Serpico said:
That is all besides the point. Graphics do not equal gameplay. You can tart up Tetris all you want, it'll still be an amazing game no matter what it looks like.
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And yet Tetris is entirely dependent upon graphics, because it's about fitting shapes together. What those shapes look like is pretty relevant to the premise behind the game.

"Graphics do not equal gameplay" is one of the most misused phrases on the Interwebs. Gaming is a visual medium: the graphics absolutely matter. How a game is constructed and presented is just as important as what it wants you to do, because the visuals convey that information.

The phrase really should be "Eye candy does not equal gameplay." Visual design and eye candy are two different concepts.
 
Terpfen said:
And yet Tetris is entirely dependent upon graphics, because it's about fitting shapes together. What those shapes look like is pretty relevant to the premise behind the game.

"Graphics do not equal gameplay" is one of the most misused phrases on the Interwebs. Gaming is a visual medium: the graphics absolutely matter. How a game is constructed and presented is just as important as what it wants you to do, because the visuals convey that information.

The phrase really should be "Eye candy does not equal gameplay." Visual design and eye candy are two different concepts.
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Eh, I think you're nit-picking the words used in the phrase, I don't believe there is a misconception as to what that phrase means.
 
You mean you can play games other than tetris, crystal quest, and Oregon trail on macs now? When did this happen? :confused:
 
Terpfen said:
If you want it to work, do it the right way and buy Apple hardware.



Discussing OSX86 in general is off-limits AFAIK. This includes complaining that you can't sign up for the Steam Mac beta on your Hackintosh.
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oops, is that for real, can't talk about osx on a pc? I just made a thread in Genmay about my install.
 
Zepher said:
oops, is that for real, can't talk about osx on a pc? I just made a thread in Genmay about my install.
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OSX86 talk is generally forbidden. You might be able to get away with it in genmay.
 
Crossover Games must be shaking in their boots. Was pretty disappointed with that software, and I wonder how games will run on the dated drivers OS X is using. Of course, I expect nVidia will intervene and we'll see more optimized drivers on a regular basis.
 
Terpfen said:
And yet Tetris is entirely dependent upon graphics, because it's about fitting shapes together. What those shapes look like is pretty relevant to the premise behind the game.

"Graphics do not equal gameplay" is one of the most misused phrases on the Interwebs. Gaming is a visual medium: the graphics absolutely matter. How a game is constructed and presented is just as important as what it wants you to do, because the visuals convey that information.

The phrase really should be "Eye candy does not equal gameplay." Visual design and eye candy are two different concepts.
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Oh god, really?

Thanks captain obvious, your aspergers-esque nitpicking is much appreciated. ;)
 
heatlesssun said:
Never said it was. Likewise gameplay doesn't equal 3 billion transistors pushing the limits of whats technically possible. All I was trying to say is that if you think you're running Crysis fine, you're not. It won't change your opinion of the game play I'm sure, but technically you'd see my point.

Of course game play is important but without games like Crysis pushing the envelop TECHNICALLY we'd STILL be playing Tetris.

I own L4D2 play and a little and tried out the new map, not bad. But there's beauty in games like Crysis which is why I'm willing to spend $1500 (have my 3rd 480 coming for a new 3x SLI rig) on GPUs and $1000 on CPUs. L4D2 would never motivate me to do that, heck L4D2 run fine on my tablet.
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Games drive me to update hardware. I wouldn't be motivated to update my rig for Crysis but I sure as hell was ready to do it for Bad Company 2. Strip away all the fancy eye candy and the design should still be enjoyable. The new campaign for L4D2 shows how Valve continues to get exponentially better at pacing and game design. Even if you stripped away the eye candy it would still be appealing and exciting and fun. I really really can't wait for Portal 2 now, at this rate it should be Valve's best game ever.

As I said before, the design of Crysis doesn't appeal to me on a very basic and fundamental level. The core gameplay does little for me. Taking it further, Far Cry 2, no matter how gussied up and how cranked the settings are, would make me want to shut it down after 10 minutes, it is just a bad game at its core.

In any case, if you enjoy Crysis then that's cool. Like I said, IMO. :)
 
Jack Flash said:
Crossover Games must be shaking in their boots. Was pretty disappointed with that software, and I wonder how games will run on the dated drivers OS X is using. Of course, I expect nVidia will intervene and we'll see more optimized drivers on a regular basis.
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Yeah, WINE and Cider were never optimal solutions. Its always best when things run in native OpenGL on OS X and Linux. Now that Valve has official support and OGL ports, Crossover's game software is over with.
 
Serpico said:
Games drive me to update hardware.
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Exactly, and few games have driven more people to do this than Crysis over the last five years, regardless of how you feel about the game I think even you would have a hard time denying this. We need games like Crysis that push the techinical envelop and few have done it like Crysis has. Even for people who aren't fans of the game, having a rig that can "max out" Crysis means something, it's still something to strive for when buying or buidling a gaming rig. I know Crysis didn't do that for you but I can tell you that the quest to max out Crysis has sold many sets GPUs for SLI and Crossfire by the most extreme of hardware enthusiasts.

Portal 2 the greatest Valve game ever? I loved Portal but I think that combined HL2 and E1 & E2 represent Valve's best efforts to date and I don't see Portal 2 changing that but we'll know this fall. However I would suspect what's next in the HL series will be another hallmark.

One thing is certain, Portal 2 won't motivate me or anyone else to buy $1500 worth of GPUs. Not a knock on the game just simply a fact, I'm looking forward to it as well.
 
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Serpico said:
Oh god, really?

Thanks captain obvious, your aspergers-esque nitpicking is much appreciated. ;)
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You'd be surprised how many people take "graphics don't matter" to the extreme and think that's the exact intended meaning of the phrase. So yeah, I'm being nitpicky, but there's a good reason behind it. :cool:
 
heatlesssun said:
Exactly, and few games have driven more people to do this than Crysis over the last five years, regardless of how you feel about the game I think even you would have a hard time denying this.
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And I think you have a hard time proving this. The game was a relative flop when it came out.

Crysis is a textbook case that the days when a single game would motivate people to upgrade hardware, like the mid-90s through the early-2000s, are over. Quake 3 motivated me to upgrade my video card back in the day. People didn't do hardcore upgrades in droves so they could run Crysis, this is reflected in its sales numbers and hardware statistics gathered by Steam. Hard numbers over personal opinion and anecdotal evidence. Hardware eventually caught up to it and people can just happen to play it now, but by no means did Crysis motivate large numbers of people to upgrade their PCs.

You're a nice guy but you should really step back and consider that your opinion is an extreme niche. You are literally the only person I know that truly believes the tm2 is a good notebook and that went SLI with Fermi GPUs. Both are totally fine by me, but don't assume that your opinions are anywhere in the neighborhood of the mainstream. :)
 
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