With the release of Counter-Strike 2, it seems Valve are continuing to move away from macOS support just like they did with SteamVR. Thankfully, Valve are still investing in Linux and CS2 is supported on Linux.
It was a little odd to see the Steam page remove mentions of macOS when CS2 launched, and now it has been confirmed via their support post that older hardware and macOS support is ending. As they said:
As technology advances, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue support for older hardware, including DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems. Similarly, we will no longer support macOS. Combined, these represented less than one percent of active CS:GO players.
Moving forward, Counter-Strike 2 will exclusively support 64-bit Windows and Linux.
Not really that surprising is it? Apple does make things more difficult with the Metal graphics API and their newer processors, and since as Valve said the player-base really was tiny Valve's time is better spent elsewhere. Does make me curious on what the Linux player count is though, but Valve aren't likely to drop Linux considering their continued investments across Steam Deck, SteamOS, Proton, graphics drivers, Linux kernel work and more.
They're also offering refunds on the Prime Status upgrade if the purchase was made between the announcement of the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test (March 22, 2023) and the launch of Counter-Strike 2 (September 27, 2023) if you're affected by it up until December 1st, 2023. Valve put up a legacy CS:GO version for now but support for that will end January 1st, 2024.
Perhaps some macOS users may want to give Linux a try…
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
StalePopcorn Oct 11, 2023
I don't really play PvP , just PvE and playing with friends versus bots for a few games was fun.
Now it's not allowed. Bots are dumb as pigshit and you can't have a human versus bots game - for some reason.
Philadelphus Oct 11, 2023
Quoting: devlandMacOS, iOS & Safari are the modern equivalent for Internet Explorer 6.Everybody? 🤨 In the US, iOS is used by around half the population of smartphone-havers. In every other country, that ratio is skewed more towards Android – it's about 70% usage share worldwide. Safari's holding steady at about 20% of browser traffic. I don't know the usage of MacOS more generally – certainly there are some industries where it's more widely used* – but general experience and vibes suggest Windows still makes up the majority of corporate computer OSs.
"Everybody" uses them yet nobody wants to support them.
Also, I don't understand the comparison; websites went to ridiculous lengths to support Internet Explorer as long as it was around, precisely because "everybody" used it. If Mac software achieved the usage statistics that IE did, people would be supporting it per force.
*In my field of astronomy, basically nobody uses Windows, it's all MacOS or Linux.
Only one should not underestimate the network effect. If three friends play CS together every now and then and one of them is a Mac user, they will play something else from now on.
Quoting: M@GOidAFAIK Apple started the Metal API more or less the same time AMD released their Mantle API. When Vulkan appeared, they had already invested a lot in Metal, so they made the call to continue that path.
Now, was it the right move? If you look at their revenue from Apple store, looks like they did. But I had the feeling that is iPhone related. My impression is that their desktop stuff don't look any better than before, although they continue to get some support from a couple big names.
The recent release of a Apple's "Proton" indicates that things are not rosy, meaning Metal adoption is not in the levels they wanted it to be.
I had the feeling that while Tim Cook is in charge, things will remain the same. But I wouldn't be surprised if the next CEO, in a effort to boost profits, starts to drop anything that is proprietary in exchange for industry standards, like Chromium and Vulkan, to cut costs and make shareholders happy.
Well it was the right move in that it helps keep vendor lock in, which ofc always was the reason behind Metal.
TheRiddick Oct 12, 2023
Quoting: EhvisCould it be Valve saying to Apple to "support Vulkan or get left behind"?
Apple only sees one thing, and that is gross profit, grofit!
Last edited by TheRiddick on 12 October 2023 at 2:06 am UTC
Quoting: devlandMacOS, iOS & Safari are the modern equivalent for Internet Explorer 6.As much as I dislike modern Apple software, there is a fundamental difference between Safari & IE: the engine is FOSS and is used by many open source projects, whereas IE was an enemy of interoperability.
Quoting: M@GOidAFAIK Apple started the Metal API more or less the same time AMD released their Mantle API. When Vulkan appeared, they had already invested a lot in Metal, so they made the call to continue that path.In the past they invested in Rave then OpenGL, yet they dropped all these. The main motivation for them is the convergence with iOS and tvOS, and forcing metal upon users and developers is a way of both reinforcing and taking advantage of the domination of smartphone gaming.
hardpenguin Oct 12, 2023
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