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Been given a Macbook Pro (2015 model) can this play games?

catashtrophe

catashtrophe

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Oct 27, 2017
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As per the title what can this do from a games perspective?

I believe its this model https://support.apple.com/kb/sp715?locale=en_GB with 16GB Ram and Core i7 processor.

I've installed the Epic Game Store (I've been redeeming free games all year despite not owning a PC lol) but the games i wanted to play are not compatible with MacOS and the games that are i can't figure out how to use with a dualshock 4.

Might install Steam on the weekend but do any old PS3 (multiplat) games work on MacOS? Would be cool to replace last gen games in better settings if this laptop can do that.

Also are old classics like Dark Forces, Hexen, Quake, Tyrian 2000, Duke Nukem 3D etc available and work on Mac?

BTW I have never owned or used a Mac before so this thing has confused the hell out of me (Google Chrome and Windows user here) so any info will be helpful

PS I was also given a Mac Mini (2015) but have no keyboard so can't do a damn thing with it till i go get one but are they useful for anything?
 
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Deleted member 249

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It should be able to run some stuff. The trouble is that a lot of games aren't ported to OSX, so your best bet is to get Windows running in Boot Camp (not Parallels) if you want to do any serious gaming with it. However, old classics will work fine as will PC mainstays like Valve and Blizzard games, most strategy games, a lot of sim games, etc.

That apart, OS X is fantastic, and it's the superior desktop OS for end consumers, IMO. Learn the gesture navigations, as well as "spaces", and you'll have a workflow that's hard to beat. Feel free to DM me if you want more specific tips on using a Mac.
 
smuf

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It'll do fine for some older stuff or 2d indie's. You'd be best off installing Windows on it w/ bootcamp. Mac OS performance is generally worse than Windows for gaming and there's a much larger selection of games available on Windows.
 

Deleted member 10737

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i have a 2015 13 inch macbook pro and i've played a lot of games on it. most indie games should run with no problem, and bigger games from a few years ago will run too.
 
flipswitch

flipswitch

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Oct 25, 2017
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I find that MacBooks have issues with playing games in that that get too hot and the fans go crazy, even on very basic games like Civ.

I have a 2015 retina version and I don't bother.
 
Bluelote

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"Dark Forces, Hexen, Quake, Tyrian 2000, Duke Nukem 3D"

some of those you can run via dosbox, some via source ports

for more modern stuff, it's not great, but it should be OK for games from the previous gen,
 

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RockmanBN

RockmanBN

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Can always play the MMO Oldschool Runescape. Anything can run it.

ab7.jpg
 
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catashtrophe

catashtrophe

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Phantom Thief said:
What was the security message? Go to settings and change security settings to allow apps downloaded from the internet to run.
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Something about can't install programs from unidentified devs but when i tried to follow a guide to allow me to by pass this I couldn't get it working. Will take screens of what i'm doing when i get home this evening
 

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catashtrophe said:
Something about can't install programs from unidentified devs but when i tried to follow a guide to allow me to by pass this I couldn't get it working. Will take screens of what i'm doing when i get home this evening
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I think the easiest way to bypass this is to right click on the application and then select Open. That I think bypasses the restriction.
 
Kwigo

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flipswitch said:
I find that MacBooks have issues with playing games in that that get too hot and the fans go crazy, even on very basic games like Civ.

I have a 2015 retina version and I don't bother.
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Well Civ, if you indeed mean Civilization, is really REALLY hard on the CPU, of course it would make your laptop go hot.
That would happend with any Windows PC as well.
 
Nightfall

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That's a basic Mac thing. If you don't just install stuff from the app store you'll get this all the time. Either you lower the setting or you manually give the permission every time.
 

Deleted member 18847

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Sims2, Simcity4, Diablo 3, Civ5, Starcraft 2, Doom 3, WoW on low settings.
Boxer is a good Mac specific DOS emulator. There are a heap of old DOS games out there if you look.
 
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catashtrophe

catashtrophe

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Winstano said:
If it's a 2015 MBP you might be eligible for a new battery - check out this support page: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/15-inch-macbook-pro-battery-recall

Also, if you need another home for that Mac Mini... Hook a brother up! :P
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Thanks will look if i can get a battery change.

haha i have no power cable or keyboard for the Mac Mini so could be a long while till i can be bothered to buy new ones (since my friend lost both)

What can a Mac Mini do? are they powerful for gaming? or do they get used for something else
 
Winstano

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catashtrophe said:
Thanks will look if i can get a battery change.

haha i have no power cable or keyboard for the Mac Mini so could be a long while till i can be bothered to buy new ones (since my friend lost both)

What can a Mac Mini do? are they powerful for gaming? or do they get used for something else
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The power cable should just be a standard 'figure 8' one, the actual PSU is inside the unit.

I wouldn't say you'd be good for gaming with a Mini, you might get away with a few games on low specs, but nothing crazy. I have an old one that I use as a Plex server hooked up to my TV, perfect size for a much more capable set-top-box than an Apple TV is
 
Fatoy

Fatoy

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CormoranStrike said:
Even half life 2 got my MacBook Pro incredibly hot.
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Yep, this has been my experience as well. I have a 2015 Retina MacBook Pro, and I've given up trying to run any games on it - even stuff like FTL heated the laptop up to a temperature I was uncomfortable holding on my knee, and drained most of the battery in about half an hour.
 
phonicjoy

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Fatoy said:
Yep, this has been my experience as well. I have a 2015 Retina MacBook Pro, and I've given up trying to run any games on it - even stuff like FTL heated the laptop up to a temperature I was uncomfortable holding on my knee, and drained most of the battery in about half an hour.
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the 2015 retina is seriously underpowered for that screen. Anything a bit newer is much more balanced.
 
linnus

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I have this 2015 MBP. I used it mainly for work and browsing, but I've played a lot of Diablo 3 and Heroes of the Storm on it. Blizzard games run great on Mac. Stardew Valley also run beautifully.

Also recommend the Open Emu to play some classic games.
 
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catashtrophe

catashtrophe

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Thinking of buying Turok 1 and 2 remastered from the steam store for Mac (since a PS4 version looks to be dead) does the Mac version support the Dual shock 4 controller?
 
.exe

.exe

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catashtrophe said:
Thinking of buying Turok 1 and 2 remastered from the steam store for Mac (since a PS4 version looks to be dead) does the Mac version support the Dual shock 4 controller?
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You should be able to use your DS4 with any game on Steam, even those without official controller support. It may not have the right button prompts and default to Xbox buttons though.

By the way, both of those games are deeply discounted on Fanatical currently in case you haven't seen.
 
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catashtrophe

catashtrophe

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Oct 27, 2017
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Holy shit never heard of fanatical before but those prices are amazing. Thanks off to get Turok bundle.

Also reason I asked about controllers is coz I have a lot of the free Epic Game Store games but half the games won't let me use a controller while half do.

E.g. Celeste picked up the Dual shock 4 immediately and even had the correct button prompts. But stuff like Fez, The Witness and even Unreal Tournament only shows Keyboard as an option and my controller does nothing.
 
Lupic

Lupic

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You'd be able to play WoW classic I'm sure if that's your cup of tea. Otherwise what others have suggested would also work. My 13" 2015 MBP (since replaced with the May 2019 refresh) ran HOTS/League okayish but it wasn't ideal. Factorio and Minecraft were fine iirc. Then again it was the i5 model with 8GB RAM, so ymmv.
 
thatmustbyogurt

thatmustbyogurt

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I own one and yes it does! I have Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Left 4 dead games, Dota, and a few other indie games that are not graphically heavy.

I bought an external usb cooling fan tray that my MacBook pro sits on because it can get HOT. Melt your computer hot...
 
rainz

rainz

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Nov 1, 2017
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My gf has similar model, can play a tonne of stuff specially if u dont mind a bit older.
Age of empires 2/3hd
Age mythology
Sims 3
Slay the spire
The banner saga
Civ 4/5
Endless space
Etc...
They do get hot but so far so good not like the old 2011 models that just fried lol.. enjoy!
 
Bomi-Chan

Bomi-Chan

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Nov 8, 2017
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i guess, there is still no chance to play ps2-games on that, right? or gamecube games?
i have a macbook pro from 2012, but the one time i tried it, it was bad(dont remember, if it was on bootcamp or native osx)
 
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catashtrophe

catashtrophe

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Oct 27, 2017
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Got Turok 1 and 2 and they work like a charm so thanks daxy for the link.

Does anyone have an idiots guide to installing and running Doom64 EX?
 
Emerald Hawk

Emerald Hawk

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Dec 12, 2017
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catashtrophe said:
Also reason I asked about controllers is coz I have a lot of the free Epic Game Store games but half the games won't let me use a controller while half do.

E.g. Celeste picked up the Dual shock 4 immediately and even had the correct button prompts. But stuff like Fez, The Witness and even Unreal Tournament only shows Keyboard as an option and my controller does nothing.
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I use Enjoyable to map my Dual shock 4 buttons to keyboard keys. It works great for games that mostly use a d-pad so it should be fine for Fez. I'm not sure if you are going to have a satisfying experience with Unreal Tournament though, since I don't think it can properly map subtle analogue stick movements to subtle mouse movements. You are better off plugging in a mouse when playing an FPS in my opinion.
 
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catashtrophe

catashtrophe

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Oct 27, 2017
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Emerald Hawk said:
I use Enjoyable to map my Dual shock 4 buttons to keyboard keys. It works great for games that mostly use a d-pad so it should be fine for Fez. I'm not sure if you are going to have a satisfying experience with Unreal Tournament though, since I don't think it can properly map subtle analogue stick movements to subtle mouse movements. You are better off plugging in a mouse when playing an FPS in my opinion.
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Oh wow thanks will try this out
 
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