Half-Life 2 running on a Mac... and there goes a flying pig

by Conrad Quilty-Harper { Mar 21st 2006 at 8:30PM }

The moment that many Mac gamers have been waiting for has arrived: Half-Life 2 is playable in at least one way, shape or form on a Macintosh computer. The video shows a MacBook Pro booting Windows XP, opening Steam and running HL2 in what appears to be software mode. Full 3D acceleration is still a while off (the hackers have only just managed to get the Mac mini's integrated graphics chip to work, albeit very flakily) but hopefully it won't be long until ATI or another enthusiastic Mac gamer/hacker steps up to the task of providing dual platform video drivers for Intel Macs.

[Thanks, Jay. Via TUAW]

Tags: Game, Games, Half-Life 2, Half-life2, Mac mini, MacMini

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Mike @ Mar 21st 2006 8:36PM

I shed a few tears when 2001 space odyssey came on.

Congradulations to the brave men who hacked the mac.

Conn @ Mar 21st 2006 8:39PM

Why buy a MacBook if you are just going to put Windows XP on it? It doesn't make sense.

thegrey @ Mar 21st 2006 8:40PM

Is there anything a mac can't do?

Jay @ Mar 21st 2006 8:45PM

thegrey; brilliant!

in all seriousness though. this is all a big experiment seemingly. how far can they push the new intel chips in a Mac computer. the big day comes when this is running in OSX under WineOSX or whatever they call it now.
and yup! the music was the icing on the cake.

Squiggle @ Mar 21st 2006 8:51PM

To Conn:

The reason is staring at you from the article- to play games on it.

Apple's OSX is far superior to Windows (according to Mac lovers), but the fact is that there are some software applications that don't run on a Mac, including the afore mentioned Half-Life 2. If you want to bask in the glory that is OSX and still get your game on (it seems like 2/3 of Xbox 360's lineup is available for PC) this would be a great deal.

Add to that the fact that you can get XP for dirt cheap from your local university if you are a student (I got XP Pro for $12 here at Purdue), and there is no reason not to have a Windows partition on your 250 to 500 GB hdd. Especially considering the nice ATI graphics card in the iMac.

Case in point, I waited until the Intel iMacs came out to purchase mine, just out of hope that I could use that ATI X1600 graphics card for more than a "snappy" OS.

Anonymous Coward @ Mar 21st 2006 8:56PM

#2: Because Macs can be dual-booted, which means they could theoretically become a decent gaming platform.

Additionally, I will be interested in seeing OSX on a PC.

Rhine @ Mar 21st 2006 9:11PM

Gaming was the only thing keeping me on windows i think apple just gained a customer :)

Zsavior @ Mar 21st 2006 9:53PM

As messed up as this sounds,I got to agree with the mac heads saying, what is the point of putting windows on a mac? You are still subcoming to the fact that you need windows in your life, or yeah during the bright of day infront of all your friends you're a loyal Mac-alite, but when the sun goes down you go slumming to the windows streets for what you really want baby! You need that fix, that only windows brings, your not hurting Bill gates he doesn't make computers. If anything you are bringing a smile to his face, as he strokes your head and tells you to hit the block for his money! He doesn't care where you use windows, just how you got it.

Saq @ Mar 21st 2006 10:08PM

#3 play at higher than 3fps

The ZeroCorpse @ Mar 21st 2006 10:42PM

Why play HL2 on a crippled Mac (crippled by letting Windows run on it) when you could grab an Xbox and HL2 for less than the cost of Windows XP Professional?

I don't get it. I love my Macs, but I am just fine playing games on consoles.

Babylonian @ Mar 21st 2006 10:46PM

Hahahahahah. AWESOME!

It's like watching a heavily-retarded 10-year-old take his first steps. Bittersweet.

iT @ Mar 21st 2006 11:05PM

For the same price of a macbook you can have a sick ass Panasonic Toughbook . You can take that thing in a battlefield; It�s not sleek like dildo but styled like a magnum, common guys, isn�t svelte getting kinda stale?

Jon @ Mar 22nd 2006 12:17AM

Apple has you mac fans so wound up that if Steve Jobs announced pearly white petrified poop with a firewire port all of you Macheads would head straight over to the Mac store to purchase it.

Windows is far easier to use than OSX...the only thing OSX has on Windows is it's slick look. But once Vista comes out...OSX will loose it's only bragging right. Much of it's appeal will be gone. Windows Task Based operating system is far more intuitive. Windows machines are cheaper...the differance of available software is incomparable...and with Windows...the Users haven't whored themselves over to suckle at the teet of MacJobs.

Because apple fans are so loyal, they are shooting themselves in the foot. Apple introduces a music service and file format that is incompatible with all but their own devices and crappy DRM that only works on Itunes and Ipod and everyone worships them as if thats good for the consumer! This is far more monopolistic than anything MS has ever done. France is doing the right thing by forcing Apple to allow other hardware and software vedors access to their DRMed files.

For all you yuppies wher form is greater than function...I applaud you for purchasing a Mac only to run Windows on it. You will truly stand out as unique amongst all those Mac users that are too tied up being different...together.

Nook @ Mar 22nd 2006 2:20AM

neale

Nice set up. Where did you get your screen from? I am currently using a Sony with my Powermac G5 and I am thinking of getting a second screen.

On topic: Why bother, console gaming is where its at. I like computer gaming and all but with this new generation its getting harder to sit infront of a computer. Other than for creative purposes.

SeriousKriss @ Mar 22nd 2006 2:21AM

#10 : consoles aren't substitutes for PC gaming, they have very different libraries. As for HL2, the Xbox version is clearly inferior to the PC version (worse graphics, worse controls, no online and no mods whatsoever), so I don't think it's a very good example.

root @ Mar 22nd 2006 8:17AM

Wow, already with the OS wars.

Both OSes have their upsides and downsides. OSX looks great, has some great built in software (Ilife), hasn't had a major virus, and is better (in my opinion) for creative design. Windows has more software support, better sound cards, and regular pcs are MUCH more upgradable than a mac.

On the downside, Macintosh computers are always 6 months or more behind the technology curve, never get the big games at the pc release date, and are just barely more stable than a pc. Windows has a huge amount of viruses, spyware, and adware, crashes a bit too much, looks old (OSX and XP were released around the same time, so don't tell me how ACTUALLY old XP is).

With an Intel processor, and now XP, macintosh computers will have the latest games, will be MUCH faster, and will be able to (will have to) keep up with the technology curve. Without XP even, game devs really don't have an excuse for not coding for macintosh now. At least get a great company like Aspyr or MacSoft to start coding for Mac DURING the development of the game.

I have both windows and macintosh computers, and I am a firm believer in the advantages of both. I will probably stick with my Windows PC for gaming, simply because I can upgrade it more than an Intel mac (of course). That MIGHT change with the Intel Powermac, but we will have to wait and see.

Also, to Creative and all the soundcard manufacturers out there, MAKE MACINTOSH SOUND CARDS!!!!1!!11!!!!!1!!

Bike Mike @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:02AM

Funny that as hardware becomes thinner and less visible and both the OS and choice of OS becomes less important, when non-browser apps running on local disks become thinner and less visible apart from the OS and in fact are about to disappear altogether, a few people still feel the need to compare / contrast the differences between a machine designed around the OS and vice-versa, and a machine built by one party running an OS built by another, when either and both work just fine, and 90% of all we do is stare at a monitor (often made by yet a third party) displaying a web page designed by a person containing content written by yet someone else, anyone else, even me.

Who cares.

Choice is all that matters. Imagine for a moment not having a choice. Silently imagine that.

Now, silently remember you made your choice and are perhaps stuck with it for now, or not.

Imagine also that others have made their choices and are NOT impacted by your choices AND VICE VERSA.

Comments? Questions? Anyone?

neale @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:24AM

first off, wheres my comment gone?

nook: the monitor is made by formac who make loads of attractive mac accesories, theyre site is www.formac.com. i got the monitor of www.dabs.com which is im pretty sure just a UK company. but no doubt you'll get it from an american site (im assuming your american btw) for about half the price i paid. u see how my moniter is black plastic, theres a white plastic one which was so much cooler, but increased the price from �230 to �300. �70 for white plastic! no chance

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=3SZF&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=formac&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

Shane Killen @ Mar 22nd 2006 2:54PM

Of course there's not a reason to code for Macs, because mac owners (compared to pc's) are a tiny minority. It'd be like a developer releasing something for the playstation 2 and then saying "Wait, we've still got a handful of dreamcast gamers out there, so lets port it for them too"
It doesn't work like that.

To be honest I'm amazed that Apple is still around. They've got their tiny little section in CompUSA that nobody ever goes in and they're trying to keep up with Microsoft but it's just not happening.
This article only confirms how bad Macs are for games, you want Oblivion? You need a PC or a Microsoft Xbox 360. The vast majority of games, including most indepedent ones on the net, require a PC.
I think the problem is that apple fans are so loyal that they're blinded by it, and don't realize just how much better a real PC is.

Bill Gates put very nicely when he made a comment something along the lines of you know if you have a PC or a Mac when you take 95% of your software and put it in the computer to see if it runs or not.

mick @ Mar 22nd 2006 3:26PM

as per one of our guys

they are still using Windows, so it's not running in MAC OS as it should have been, then it would be cool.

and even so, it wouldn't be too novel about it, since MAC OS = Linux anyways.

so if people can run it in Linux, they can always running in MAC OS with the right modifycation.

but in that case, they are simply Dual booting into WinXP, they are not even using the Software emulation mode at all.

steve @ Mar 22nd 2006 11:04PM

I would much rather do this the other way around. Why do this when you could buy a core duo laptop from a vender who doesn't gouge you so badly on the hardware and run OSX on it. It's been done before, and it's probably better and cheaper than this. Plus, if you buy a notebook that already runs XP, you don't have to worry about cpu fan support.

Herbal Ed @ Mar 23rd 2006 12:54AM

Some people dismiss Apple and the Macs out of hand because they only have 4% of the computer market ... the same market share as BMW in the automobile market. Big, by no means, in better ... and then there is style.

How nostalgic to debate the PC/Mac argument yet again.

Matt Chung @ Apr 4th 2006 7:11PM

right to the PC lover over there, the Mac community i a little bigger than you think, i admit it isn't the strongest and biggest community but yet bigger than you think, and when games are conerended yes Macs are not the best to use for games but thats not what they are made for, they are more professional computers which are better used for video editing etc, and iv never really had a problem with Mac performance see as Mac utilises the power better than windows anyway, i admit windows is more open and accesable and yes in more cases than one more powerful but there accessability is a downfall as it leaves space for virues and oh my god does windows get a virus from everything. This is what really got on my nerves though, im sorry iv used both windows and Mac and Mac is alot easyier to use than windows i dont care how u say windows is eaier its not for a start. its complicated where as Mac is usually drag and drop where windows you usually have to go to the root of something or whatever, i know this isnt entirely true but this is a well given point if you ask me!

bigwilliestyle @ Apr 6th 2006 10:09PM

this is all moot now that boot camp has been anounced, the ability to run both os's natively on one machine, macs are becoming more and more attractive to people who want to switch, especially students who will still be able to game. As a mac user myself, i must admit that i am excited about HL2 on a mac (TWO towels this time!)