Apple Brings SteamVR and HTC Vive to the Mac




/ 7 years ago

Apple SteamVR

One of the biggest drivers in the tech industry right now is virtual reality. VR has been making waves with some analysts pointing to the new medium as reinvigorating PCs and consoles. So far, Apple’s Mac PCs have been left out of the playing. This is due to relatively underpowered hardware used in Apple’s devices. During WWDC, Apple ended the VR drought and announced the arrival of SteamVR.

According to Apple, Valve is planning to bring SteamVR to Mac. There was even a demo of the HTC Vive running on Mac, with the use of the HTC Vive wands as well. One part of the performance equation comes in the form of a new API. Replacing Metal, the Metal 2 video-processing API increases draw call performance by ten times. Compared to OpenGL, Apple is claiming a 100 times improvement.

Apple is answering the other half of the equation with improved graphics hardware. For the desktop, we have the iMac Pro of course as well as the new top end iMac. For the MacBook and older iMacs, Apple is introducing a VR enclosure. This external Thunderbolt 3/USB C enclosure houses an RX 580 to provide the graphics grunt. With HTC Vive and Steam VR support, it looks like Apple is serious about VR.


Topics: , , ,

Support eTeknix.com

By supporting eTeknix, you help us grow and continue to bring you the latest newsreviews, and competitions. Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest technology news, reviews and more. Share your favourite articles, chat with the team and more. Also check out eTeknix YouTube, where you'll find our latest video reviews, event coverage and features in 4K!

Looking for more exciting features on the latest technology? Check out our What We Know So Far section or our Fun Reads for some interesting original features.

eTeknix Facebook eTeknix Twitter eTeknix Instagram eTeknix Instagram
  • Be Social With eTeknix

    Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Reddit RSS Discord Patreon TikTok Twitch
  • Features


Send this to a friend
})