At the recent WWDC 2023, Apple unveiled its latest creation, the Game Porting Toolkit, a set of tools designed to simplify the process of porting Windows games to macOS. This move is seen as Apple’s strategic attempt to shift the gaming landscape, which has been predominantly Windows-centric.
The Game Porting Toolkit is built on the CrossOver utility from CodeWeavers. It translates the DirectX 12 API into macOS‘s native Metal 3 format, providing full support for gamepad functionality, HDR video, and spatial audio. The toolkit promises to significantly reduce development efforts, allowing developers to bring native macOS versions of games to market faster and at a lower cost.
One of the key features of the toolkit is its ability to emulate Windows games on macOS. This allows developers to assess the potential performance of their games on Mac before proceeding with porting, saving months of preliminary work. The toolkit’s optimization of Apple’s Metal 3 graphics API and support for MetalFX scaling enables native versions to achieve significantly higher frame rates.
Despite the toolkit’s capabilities, Apple officially states that it is not intended for users to play Windows games on macOS. However, this hasn’t stopped some users from doing so. Reports on Twitter and Reddit suggest that modern games like Cyberpunk 2077, Diablo IV, Spiderman, Hogwarts Legacy and The Witcher 3 with DirectX12 have been successfully run on Macs using the toolkit.
The Game Porting Toolkit is available on Apple’s official developer site and on GitHub. Detailed installation instructions can be found on GitHub for those interested in trying out Apple’s Windows emulation.
In conclusion, Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit is a game-changer for the gaming industry. It not only bridges the gap between Windows and macOS gaming but also opens up new possibilities for game developers and gamers alike.
