Are you wondering how macOS Sonoma’s new Game Mode feature can improve your gaming experience and if it is worth the cost once available? Apple WWDC 2023 brought a ton of new hardware and software to the Apple line of products. None was more exciting than the announcement of Game Mode, which will be featured in the new macOS Sonoma. Here is everything you need to know about the new Game Mode feature so you know if it is right for you.
Is macOS Sonoma’s New Game Mode Feature Worth It?
The announcement of Game Mode during Apple WWDC 2023 was exciting because it takes a giant leap forward for those who love Apple products but have been shunned for gaming. However, it left a lot of fans wondering if it was just a gimmick to get them to buy the latest Apple product.
With the latest macOS Sonoma update, gamers can enjoy an enhanced gaming experience with the new Game Mode feature. This feature optimizes gaming performance, ensuring smoother and more consistent frame rates by prioritizing games on the CPU and GPU.
Related: Best Games to Play on Apple Watch
Additionally, Game Mode allows for an even more immersive gaming experience, reducing audio latency with AirPods and input latency with popular controllers for Xbox and PlayStation. The Bluetooth sampling rate is doubled, resulting in a significant decrease in input latency. Game Mode is compatible with all Mac games, including recent and upcoming releases.
Both of these features of Game Mode are extremely exciting as you will get to play your favorite game on your macOS device with little to minimal issues. While the library given by Apple doesn’t cover every game, this incentivizes developers to port popular games playable on Apple devices, just like Hideo Kojima plans to do with Death’s Stranding Director’s Cut.
Upcoming macOS Sonoma Games
Here is the list of games that will be playable on Mac devices:
- DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT
- Stray, Fort Solis
- World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
- HUMANKIND
- Resident Evil Village: Winters’ Expansion
- The Medium
- ELEX II
- Firmament
- SnowRunner
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- No Man’s Sky
- Dragonheir: Silent Gods
- Layers of Fear
Which Macs Can Run macOS Sonoma?
The following Mac models are compatible with macOS Sonoma:
- iMac (2019 or later)
- Mac Pro (2019 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
- Mac Studio (2022 or later)
- MacBook Air (2018 or later)
- Mac Mini (2018 or later)
- MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
While it may be possible to run macOS Sonoma on earlier devices, you can expect that some or all of the newest features won’t work correctly.
When is macOS Sonoma Available?
Apple gave the following release dates for macOS Sonoma:
- June: A beta for developers was released
- July: A beta for the general public will be released
- October: MacOS Sonoma is made available to the general public
You can expect Apple to release many updates during the beta period based on feedback given by its users. This is a great time to test if you like the newest features of macOS Sonoma before it is released to the general public.
