Alright, before I start, lemme set the record straight. My ‘gaming’ game isn’t exactly pro. I am one of those who would resort to an online scramble on their phone rather than booting up a computer to play high-end games. So, my reporting on this one is purely based on the consolidated reviews of the new M2 Pro Mac Mini.
It Could Be A Showstopper
Apple claims that the 2023 Mac Mini, with the power of M2 Pro, has 20% faster CPU performance and improves GPU performance by 30% over M1 models. The tech giant also declares that the chipset has the potential to up the gaming performance of a device fifteen folds. That is when it is compared to Intel-based Mac Mini.
But not a game-winner
Apple says the Mac mini with M2 Pro is unlike any other desktop in its class. But is it really? I am told it’s not the case when it comes to gaming! It sure has good native support for Xbox and PlayStation controllers, but it is still very far from being the best computer for gaming. They say 16 GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, 1080p resolution, MetalFX Upscaling, and silent performance are all decent enough to manoeuvre new-age AAA games in the itty-bitty Mac Mini. But expand the comparison variables and bring a Windows prebuilt gaming PC; the benchmarks are pretty high for it to achieve. Moreover, a PC that delivers a comparable gaming experience as the M2 Pro Mac Mini comes at a significantly lesser cost.
Is Past the future, Apple?
My gamer friends aren’t particularly psyched about Mac Mini as a gaming device because it seems a bunch of the games aren’t actually available for Mac. Apparently, only two of the top fifteen games Apple has in its catalogue have Mac versions, and they are about a decade old. From what I understand, gamers take their stuff pretty seriously. At least the ones in my circle do. And handing them an old gift in a shiny new pack isn’t going to make the cut.
I guess it is about time for Apple to up its game, for it has miles to go before it can catch up to the rest of them. In the gaming landscape, at least.
PS. On a completely unrelated topic, when I plugged the keywords ‘M2+Pro’ into the search engine, a review of POCO M2 Pro listed higher than Apple’s newsroom article! I don’t want to tell Apple to up its SEO game. But…