What’s the best way to game on a Mac?
As an Apple gamer, you’ve probably heard this joke before, as your PC gaming friend sends you an image of him playing Counter-Strike on his PC while he uses a MacBook as a mousepad.
Nevertheless, Apple products have some of the most powerful hardware available. With a little tweaking, and some hardware upgrades, you’ll be able to provide your snickering friend with an informed answer next time he tries to troll you.
1. Get a Controller
Your Mac can use all sorts of controllers, whether wired or wireless, as well as official console controllers or generic options. Of course, for some genres (like shooters and strategy games) a mouse and keyboard is far superior. But a controller is much more suitable for platformers or racing games.
If you already own a game console, there’s a good chance that you can pair its controller to your Mac:
- PlayStation 4: Use Bluetooth to pair your DualShock 4 to your Mac, or just connect it with a USB cable.
- Nintendo Switch: Nintendo’s Joy-Con and the Pro Controller also work over Bluetooth. First shut down your Switch to stop it from connecting to the controller. Then simply hold down the black pairing button on the side of the Joy-Con (the part that clicks into the Switch) until the green lights start flashing. For a Pro Controller, you’ll find the pairing button on top of the controller by the charging port. On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Bluetooth, find the controller, and hit Connect.
- Xbox: Unfortunately for Xbox users, because of Microsoft’s proprietary controller interface, you’ll need special software to connect your controller. There’s no easy way to connect it wirelessly, but installing an app called 360Controller will let you connect it via a USB cable.
If you don’t own a controller already and are interested in a third-party device, the Steam Controller from Valve is a great option. The setup is straightforward, and is easiest when done through the Steam platform.
2. Use an eGPU
If your Mac is compatible with the Thunderbolt 3 standard, you might look at investing in an eGPU, or External Graphics Processing Unit. This is another graphics card, in addition to your internal video processor, that sites in a chassis outside your computer and amps up your graphics power.
eGPU acceleration can greatly increase the performance of your games and allow you to use certain external monitors with your machine. It also enables you to use powerful graphics-related accessories such as VR headsets.
In order to use an eGPU, your Mac must have Thunderbolt 3 and be running macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 or later. It’s a costly endeavor, but we’ve taken a look at some great eGPU choices for your MacBook if you’d like to give it a try.
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Note that while Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C, not every USB-C port is Thunderbolt-compatible. Additionally, some apps require you to have an external monitor attached directly to the eGPU chassis in order to utilize eGPU acceleration.
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If you have macOS Mojave 10.14 or later, you can select exactly which apps you want to utilize your eGPU’s power. To do this, click on the app once to select it, then hit Cmd + I to show its information window.
If the app doesn’t self-manage its GPU selection, you will see a checkbox that says Prefer External GPU, which you can select to prioritize your eGPU’s power.
Other Hardware Ideas
If your Mac is not compatible with Thunderbolt 3, you might still be able to upgrade it in other ways. A good place to start is seeing if you can increase your RAM. Take your machine to your local Apple Store and ask if its RAM is upgradeable.
Most modern MacBooks have the memory soldered to the logic board, so they aren’t upgradeable. But it’s worth a shot if you have an older computer.
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