Mac Gaming News

• Steam has come to iOS with their new mobile app.
• Apple hiring former Xbox product marketing chief hints at Apple getting even more serious about gaming.
• Here’s how the iPad 3 might stack up against the tablet PC newcomers in terms of gaming.
• Ever wonder how mobile games went from select few playing snake on their phones to the cultural phenomenon it is now?
• Spin Doctor bring retro Macgaming to the iPhone. Hooray for old school Mac gaming!
• Worries about the iPad 3 not being able to reach it’s true potential crop up.

Apple News

• Apple is now the 3rd largest cellphone vendor!
• Apple CEO,  Tim Cook, donates $100 million to charity. Staying classy Apple!
• Final Cut Pro gets updated a bunch of new features.
• Leaked photos shed some light on what the iPad 3 is capable of.
• Apple computers are getting more and more prevalent in the business world.
• There’s a nasty bug in iMessage that might let others spy on your texts if you aren’t careful.
• Apparently there is a “strange” event on the horizon for the iPad 3. Wonder what it’ll be?
• Apple is predicted to sell up to 40 million in China in 2013.
• To combat line scalpers, Apple set up an iPhone 4S lottery. They really love their Apple products in China.
• Ever wanted to go to an Mac Museum? Well there’s one in Missouri set up by a crazy collector of Macs!

Our Posts

Aspyr Mac FAQs: Your RAGE Campaign Edition Questions Answered

RAGE: Campaign Edition Now Available on Mac

Tips and Tricks for Tropico 3: Gold Edition for Mac

Apple Reports Record Breaking Earnings for Q1 2012

Quicksave: 2011′s Biggest Mac Games are 20% Off

Macworld | iWorld 2012 Highlights

Related posts:

1. Weekly Flashback!: Apple is Still the World’s Most Valuable Company
2. Weekly Flashback!: iOS and OS X Becoming One?!
3. Weekly Flashback!: And the Victor is…Video Games!

As you’ve all heard by now, RAGE: Campaign Edition has been released on Macs worldwide.  It’s a really awesome game with a ton of great content, but there are probably still some questions you have about the game before you’re willing to take the plunge into the Wasteland.  That’s where we come in!  We spoke with some of the top brass at Aspyr Media to come up with the FAQ below.  Have any questions that aren’t addressed?  Let us know in the comments!

RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac FAQs

Is there any extra content/add-ons available for RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac?

RAGE: Campaign Edition includes the “Wasteland Sewer Missions” and the “Anarchy Edition” content are available in-game and do not require a code to unlock.

Does RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac support Multiplayer games?

RAGE: Campaign Edition on Mac contains the fully featured single-player campaign and does not include any Multiplayer features.

Where can I buy RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac? 

RAGE: Campaign Edition is available worldwide from Apple’s Mac App Store, through Aspyr’s own GameAgent.com digital store, and from other digital Mac game and Mac software retailers.

Can I buy a physical disc copy of RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac? 

RAGE: Campaign Edition is currently only available as a digital download, though a physical retail copy is in the works.

What languages are supported in RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac?

RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac is supported in English, French and German

Does RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac use SteamWorks, SteamPlay, and is it available for sale on Steam? 

RAGE: Campaign Edition does not use SteamWorks for DRM or achievements, is not for sale on Steam, and does not support SteamPlay.

Why is there no multiplayer or support for SteamWorks and SteamPlay? 

Because of the business model and licensing requirements of SteamPlay and SteamWorks, Aspyr is unable to support either for RAGE Mac at this time.  A Steam account and the Steam client are required for multiplayer, and Apple’s Mac App Store does not allow for technology such as SteamWorks in their store.

Does RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac use DRM (Digital Rights Management)?

Yes. If purchased through the Mac App Store, RAGE: Campaign Edition uses Apple’s AppStore DRM. If purchased elsewhere, such as the GameAgent Store, the game uses Software Passport Mac.

I already purchased RAGE for Windows. Can I use my CD key to get RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac for free?

A CD key for the Windows version of RAGE will not work with RAGE: Campaign Edition on Mac. The games are technically two different products with two different publishers (Bethesda Softworks and Aspyr Media, respectively).

What Macs are supported to play RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac?

Rage Minimum System Requirements

• Operating System: 10.7.2 (Lion)
• CPU Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (Dual-Core)
• CPU Speed: 2.4 GHz
• Memory: 4 GB
• Hard Disk Space: 25 GB
• Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD 3870
• Video Card (NVidia): Geforce 8800
• Video Memory (VRam): 256 MB
• Peripherals: Macintosh mouse and keyboard

 Supported Video Chipsets

• NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800
• NVIDIA GEFORCE 9600
• NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 120
• NVIDIA GEFORCE 330M
• ATI RADEON HD 3870
• ATI RADEON HD 4670
• ATI RADEON HD 4850
• ATI RADEON HD 5670
• ATI RADEON HD 5750
• ATI RADEON HD 5770
• ATI RADEON HD 5870
• ATI RADEON HD 6630M
• ATI RADEON HD 6750M
• ATI RADEON HD 6970M
• Intel HD Graphics 3000

 Notice: Integrated video chipsets are not supported (GMA 950 Mac

Mini(2006,2007), iMac(2006), Macbook(2006-2008), GMA X3100, MacBook Air(2008-2011))

NOTICE: Apple Intel Chipsets only.

NOTICE: This game is not supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case

Sensitive)

Does RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac support gamepads?

Yes. RAGE: Campaign Edition supports the Xbox 360 wired USB and Games for Windows 360 wired controller only.

I do not see my video card listed in the Supported Video Chipsets. Can I still play RAGE: Campaign Edition Mac?

While RAGE: Campaign Edition may still work on your Mac despite your video card not being listed in the Supported Video Chipsets, we do not recommend purchasing a game if you do not meet the Minimum System Requirements.  If you purchase a game without meeting minimum system requirements, Aspyr will be unable to provide support from a customer care perspective.  If you have additional questions about whether the game will work on your machine, please contact Aspyr Support either by email (support@aspyr.com) or through our updated support site (http://support.aspyr.com) for assistance.

Related posts:

1. Civilization V Mac FAQs

The fine folks at Aspyr Media have quite the treat for Mac gamers. If your thirst for post-apocalyptic games needs quenching, don’t fret for you will now be able to explore the wastelands of RAGE.

Prepare yourself for some intense firefights and dune buggy battles as Aspyr has brought RAGE: Campaign Edition, the most highly anticipated first-person shooter of 2011 made by the legendary developer id Software who brought you the Quake and Doom series, to Macs worldwide.

Wake up after a hundred-year slumber to the wasteland that was once the Earth you knew after a devastating asteroid impact to fight off bandit and mutants as you help to rebuild a shattered world and retake it from the Authority.

RAGE: Campaign Edition is available at the GameAgent Store so grab a copy and begin your trek through the wastelands today.

As an added bonus: If you buy RAGE: Campaign Edition from the GameAgent Store by February 8th, then you’ll get Doom 3 for only $1!

Features:

• Visceral 1st-person gunplay and exploration – Take on bandit gangs and hordes of mutants using an arsenal of exotic weapons and special items, such as Wingsticks, personal turrets, sentry bots, and remote-controlled bomb cars.
• Frenetic 3rd-person vehicular mayhem -  Burn rubber across the wasteland in your very own super buggy! Upgrade and customize your car with special parts, paint jobs and weapons, then test your skills as you battle four-wheeling bandit clans and participate in deadly races.
• An expansive experience – Beyond the first-person action and vehicle combat, RAGE offers a world open to explore, with unique characters, side quests, and a compelling storyline.
• Graphics that have to be seen to be believed – Powered by id’s cutting-edge new id Tech 5 engine, new Megatexture technology brings the vast wasteland to life in never-before- possible detail.
• Bonus Content: The Wasteland Sewer Missions and Anarchy additional content are included in the Mac release!

Related posts:

1. Tips and Tricks for Tropico 3: Gold Edition for Mac

It can be tough being a dictator in Tropico 3: Gold Edition Mac and sometimes you just need a pointer or two to keep from becoming overwhelmed by the burdens of leadership and the whining of the masses. The game is complex but rewarding if you get it right and takes a bit of time to master but once you do, you’ll be adored by all who you rule over.

What you see before you a compilation of tips and tricks submitted by players of Tropico 3 that I’ve collected from all over the web to help you along as you rule your people, El Presidente!

General Tips

• Faction respect is negligible and you need not worry about it so much when creating your avatar because if you are doing well, everyone will like you anyways.
• Make a custom avatar to fit your play style. Don’t be afraid to change styles if things are not working out for you.
• Give speeches from the palace to increase the respect of those listening but don’t become speech happy or else your people will stop working, sleeping, and entertaining just to listen to you.
• Your teamsters and construction workers are vital to your town. Make sure the workers live near work, have healthcare, markets, and entertainment nearby so they stay in the same area other than work and worksites. They do not need a garage.
• Micromanage fees and wages because it will help you in the long run with housing and people’s happiness.
• It is inefficient to house everyone in the same type of housing.
• Price your initial housing buildings at the very beginning of the game so that only married couples and your high school students can afford them. This ensures that the great number of people will stay out of shacks and minimize the discontent of your pre-high school educated. If you have any leftover space after all the married couples move in, lower the price so single people can fill it.
• Never have more than 10 buildings being constructed at the same time. It confuses the workers. If you do pause some of them, so the workers can focus on other buildings first.
• If you’re playing a randomly generated map and get an island split in two by a body of water. The map still may be playable.. See if you can place a tourist dock on the inside edge of the island. If you can’t then the body of water separating the island is not considered ocean and strangely enough construction crews will walk underwater to get to the other side and build what you want if it is not ocean.
• More general tips straight from the developers can be read here.

Building Tips

• Sending your avatar (El Presidente) to a construction site speeds up the construction of the building.
• If you’re having some trouble figuring out where the “entrance” or “front” of a particular structure is, select another structure that the front is easily found and orient it using the mouse wheel. Then go back and select the structure you had problems with and it should be auto-oriented to the same position of the last building you had selected.
• Place apartment buildings side-by-side, not front to back. You’ll be able to fit more by the road.
• Roads are more adaptive to the terrain than buildings so place your construction sites first, then the roads.
• Click here if you want a more detailed description for some of the buildings as well as a bit more advice for beginners.

Farming Efficiency

• Find a patch of fertile ground and build a ring out of road. Then, build farms in the inside of said ring. This allows you to build other buildings on the outside of the ring without having to worry about encroaching upon the farmer’s fields. Another good thing about this is that you can do laps with your avatar to improve the efficiency of your farms. To make this even more OP, you can use the “Farmer” background for your avatar and you’ll be overloaded with goods.

Industry Oriented Island

If you’re interested in maximizing your profits early game and build up a base for industry, these tips are for you.

• Before you build anything, check out to see what resources you have nearby. (Iron, Bauxite, Gold, and Oil)
• If you have oil nearby, one of your first goals you should do it get a well up and operational and hire a college worker. No worries if you’re in debt early because the returns will make up for that pretty quickly.
• Place mines on the resources closest to your city as fast as possible and hire uneducated workers. This is a secondary goal to the oil but if you don’t have oil, get up a mine or two and it should equal if not exceed the profits made from 1 oil well with one worker. Added bonus is that if you use the resources nearest your city center first, they will run out quicker. Once spent you can destroy the mine and expand over the old site without having to worry about pollution that the mine was creating.
• As soon as you can, you should get a fisherman’s wharf, a pineapple farm, a ranch and a logging camp. The fisherman’s wharf and pineapple farm will first generate you money in the short term, but will be useful to feed your people as your population grows. Later on, when you put in a cannery, you will already have a source of goods to can. The ranch will help feed your people and increase the food quality, and the logging camp will generate revenue early on. By the time you get around to building a lumber mill, you will usually have some very good woodcutters and a steady stream of wood for just one logging camp.
• Avoid tenements if you can later in the game. It’s okay to start with a couple but even the lowest class of people in the game reviles them. Switch to Apartment blocks when you can or just skip tenements entirely.

Multiple Game Saves

If you’ve been working on multiple islands at the same time it can be quite difficult discerning which one is which. You can two one of two things:

1. Save at a spot near the docks that you don’t build on and then use the planter decorations to draw out a number for that island. Save the game with the number you drew out on the beach, then if you get confused about which island you are working on just go to the docks to confirm the number and save to the corresponding save file.
2. Another way is to simply zoom out as far as you can to get as much of the main portion of your town into your view as possible and save that way so you’ll get a snapshot of which island you are working on which is a bit easier to see which island is which if you have a good eye.

I hope these tips are satisfactory for you, El Presidente! May your reign be long and glorious. Also, if you haven’t picked up the Tropico 3: Gold Edition Mac, get it now at the GameAgent Store.

If you to know a few more secrets or tips to help out fellow players of Tropico 3, leave a comment!

Related posts:

1. Tropico 3: Gold Edition Mac Now Available for Pre-Order
2. Tropico 3: Gold Edition Mac Now Available for Download
3. 6 Tips to Help You Survive in Tomb Raider II

For fiscal Q1, Apple reported $46.33 billion in revenue from selling their products and services with a net profit of $13.06 billion. Compared to last year’s reported revenue of $26.74 billion, that’s a 73.3% increase in revenue which is pretty amazing in itself.

Fun fact: Apple’s profit of $13.06 billion alone is actually more than Google’s total revenue of $10.6 billion.

Breaking it down by the numbers

Revenue by Product:

• Desktops (iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro): $1.94 billion, +12% from $1.73 billion last year.
• Portables (Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air): $4.66 billion, +26% from $3.7 billion last year.
• iPod: $2.53 billion, -26% from $3.43 billion last year.
• Music: $2.03 billion, +42% from $1.43 billion last year.
• iPhone: $24.42 billion, +133% from $10.5 billion last year.
• iPad: $9.15 billion, +99% from $4.6 billion last year.
• Peripherals: $766 million, +29% from $593 million last year.
• Software & Services: $844 million, +7% from $786 million last year.

• Desktops: 1.47 million units,  +21% from 1.23 million units last year.
• Portables: 3.72 million units, +28% from 2.9 million units last year.
• iPod: 15.4 million units, -21% from 19.44 million units last year.
• iPhone: 37.04 million units, +128% from 16.24 million units last year.
• iPad: 15.43 million units, +111% from 7.33 million units last year.

Revenue by Geographic Area:

• Americas: 1.61 million units, +19% from 1.36 million units last year.
• Europe: 1.5 million units, +19% from 1.25 million units last year.
• Japan: 184,000 units, +14% from 162,000 units last year.
• Asia Pacific: 814,000 units, +58% from 516,000 units last year.
• Retail: 1.1 million units, +30% from 851,000 units last year.

Unit Shipments by Geographic Area:

• Americas: 1.61 million units, +19% from 1.36 million units last  year.
• Europe: 1.5 million units, +19% from 1.25 million units last year.
• Japan: 184,000 units, +14% from 162,000 units last year.
• Asia Pacific: 814,000 units, +58% from 516,000 units last year.
• Retail: 1.1 million units, +30% from 851,000 units last  year.

While there were some decreases in sale from certain categories, the iPhone and iPad categories more than make up for that. These numbers are simply mind-blowing. Increases ranging from 99% to 133% are a staggering indicator of how popular iPhones and iPads have become.

Apple really is sweeping the world by storm. Looking at the geographic data there wasn’t a single decrease in sales over a year’s time in any geographic area of the world. Apple as a brand is really the thing to have these days.

Apple has had a great first quarter for 2012 and from the way things are looking, they’re probably in for a great year. With the amount of momentum they keep on gaining, we are well on our way to an Apple dominated world. All Hail Mac! Just kidding. But this is great news for us Mac gamers because we are growing in numbers! Pretty soon, Mac computers, not just the iPhone and iPad, may dominate gaming.

I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Any thoughts thoughts you have that you’d like to share about Apple’s earnings report? Comment below!

If you wanted a more detailed look at Apple’s financial report, click on the image.

Click to enlarge.

Related posts:

1. Apple Has Sold Over 250 Million Macs & iOS Devices Since 2005
2. Apple is Ready to Usurp the Mobile Gaming Crown
3. Why the Future of Gaming Has an Apple In It

If you missed out on last year’s biggest games Mac games, now is the time to grab them. GameAgent is giving you the chance to snag Civilization IV Complete, Civilization V GOTY and all of the Civilization V DLCs, Neverwinter Nights 2, Doom 3, or Duke Nukem Forever for 20% off! Start off 2012 right by playing the best 2011 had to offer!

These deals are good through Tuesday (11:59PM), February 6th.

Related posts:

1. Quicksave: Aspyr Offering $5 Mac App Games
2. Quicksave: Celebrate Duke Nukem Launch with 25%+ Off All Aspyr Games
3. Quicksave: Civilization V and Other Great Games are Up to 75% Off

While there wasn’t any news about any new upcoming Apple products, MacWorld | iWorld 2012 still was able to churn out and showcase some pretty amazing new gadgets to go along with all your Apple products as well as some pretty nifty apps and games. Check out the highlights for MacWorld | iWorld 2012.

iOS Games From the MacWorld | iWorld 2012

As Mac gamers, I’m sure this list is the one that interests you guys the most. Who doesn’t love playing on their iPhones while waiting for the bus or standing in line for something? Here’s a quick run down of caught Macworld attention that are currently available for purchase.

Hardwood Solitaire IV – Silver Creek Entertainment -If you want variety when playing solitaire, this is a pretty solid bet with 10 other types of solitaire games. I had no idea that solitaire had 10 different versions…

Garden Dash – PlayFirst, Inc. – Looking for a new take on the Diner Dash formula that is more plant oriented. Look no further. I’d imagine if you were a fan of Diner Dash, you’d enjoy this game too.

Fans of Legendary Wars – Liv Games should keep a look out on the Mac App Store because the sequel title, Monster Wars, should be arriving quite soon.

Do you have teenage pop super star inside of you waiting to burst out and show the world what you’re made of? Apparently they’ve got an app for that now, too with Totally Amp’d! – XMG Studio Inc.

You’re dreams of becoming a bag boy can come true with Bag It! – Hidden Variable Studios. Casual puzzle game where you have to strategically place groceries in a bag so items don’t get crushed by other foodstuffs. Watch out for the eggs.

If being a hobo chef is your bag of tricks then Mad Chef – Foursaken Media should be right up your alley. Think Cooking Mama but if she was male and down on her luck but enjoys throwing sharp objects at ingredients to fill orders.

Original article from Macworld can be found here.

Macworld | iWorld 2012 Best of Show

This list is straight from the Macworld website.

• Adonit’s Jot Touch

• Blue Microphones’ Spark Digital 

• Boinx Software iStopMotion for iPad

• Dev-Audio’s Microcone

• FileThis Fetch

• Global Delight Game Your Video

• i4software Video Camera

• Lantronix’s xPrintServer

• RyzMedia’s blinQ

• Smile PDFpen for iPad

• TourWrist

Other Notable Items at Macworld | iWorld 2012

• LightSpeed for the iPad with it’s show and tell feature makes things quite a bit more interesting when trying to sell something.
• Here’s another list of gadgets that didn’t quite make the “Best of Show” but are quite amusing to say the least. Can you afford a $68,000 sound system or are you clumsy enough to warrant some iBallz?
• The guys that brought you the NeatDesk scanner that you see infomercials about every now and then have their heads in The Cloud.

No related posts.

Apple Gaming News

Related posts:

1. Weekly Flashback!: Apple Computers Are Just the Best
2. Weekly Flashback!: And the Victor is…Video Games!
3. Weekly Flashback!: iPhone 5 Edition

This weekend only, Aspyr is offering a handful of its Mac App titles at the low, low price of $5.  Included on the discount list: Neverwinter Nights 2, Prey, Tomb Raider II, and Duke Nukem Forever.  At only $5, it’s hard not to give any of these titles a shot!

Related posts:

1. Quicksave: Celebrate Duke Nukem Launch with 25%+ Off All Aspyr Games
2. Quicksave: All Aspyr Games are 25% Off
3. Quicksave: Aspyr Brings the Cheer with Mac App Discounts

It’s now time to become the dictator you’ve always wanted to be in Tropico 3: Gold Edition Mac! This gem of a game by Feral Interactive is now available for download at the GameAgent Store. Take up the mantle of “El Presidente” of the Caribbean nation of Tropico and choose whether to be a benevolent ruler or an iron-fisted dictator. It’s all up to you in this strategic city builder and humorous political simulator.

Download the game now at the GameAgent Store to start your rule off right.

Also, stay tuned for another GameAgent post on some tips and tricks you can use when trying to build your nation.

Related posts:

1. Tropico 3: Gold Edition Mac Now Available for Pre-Order
2. Doom 3 Digital Download Opens the Gates of Hell, Instantly
3. CFB Game of the Week: Championship Edition