Virtual Reality Gaming may be coming soon to Mac thanks to new Metal graphics technology developed by Apple. Apple announced this new technology during their presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Virtual Reality will become possible because the Mac’s macOS High Sierra Metal 2 will now support external GPU (graphics card unit) which will allow any Mac with a Thunderbolt 3 port which may require buying cables or adaptors with USB Type-C connector, but will allow it to fully take advantage of the graphics hardware powerful enough to run virtual reality games, movies, and other applications.
However, running the applications and graphics are not enough to make virtual reality happen on Mac, virtual reality usually requires VR headsets to immerse it’s users into the virtual world, thanks to virtual reality support in macOS High Sierra this becomes possible. Apple will be selling their own external graphics enclosure to all developers and companies who wish to create virtual reality games, movies, and applications for their new hardware. Also, for all of you who are excited about being able to game on your Mac, there is one more important announcement by Valve the creator of the Steam gaming platform and that announcement is that they are making a beta version of SteamVR software development kit for Mac which will give players the same 360 field of vision and gaming experience. Imagine being able to play virtual reality games such as Emily Wants To Play, The London Heist, Job Simulator, or Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality.
Apple has worked closely with other companies in order to make virtual reality possible on Mac, Apple has learned how to incorporate the technology of virtual reality from other companies such as Epic and Unity in order to make virtual reality available on Mac. “On the development side, we have worked closely with Epic and Unity to make Mac extensions of content built on those engine technologies as simple as possible. Extension tools for these engines, and others, are available as part of this beta.” Though Apple has stated that their hardware won’t be available until spring of 2018, the External Graphics Development Kit will be available at the price of $599 and will require a Mac with the Thunderbolt 3 in order to work. The kit itself comes with a Sonnet external GPU chassis with a Thunderbolt 3 and 350W power supply, and AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB graphics card, a Belkin USB-C to 4-port USB-A hub, and finally a promo code for $100, which Apple has stated will operate on a first come first serve basis.
With Apple continuing to develop their virtual reality gaming software, gamers can expect a fun and groundbreaking experience in the VR technology.
Featured Image via Flickr/Maurizio Pesce
