(Part 2) Top products from r/macgaming

This is absolutely the best way I've found to play most Indie Games like Shovel Knight, Super Meat Boy, VVVVV, etc. I also use this method when emulating NES/Gameboy/SNES/GBA/etc.

I love it. I have 8 SNES controllers stored in zip-lock bags so I'll always have a good gamepad.

This is the best SNES->USB Adapter I've ever used. I tried a couple, and have used one for Wii as well. Every other one I tried but this one had problems. Most only recognized 2 or 3 button presses at a time, and one in particular (the one for wii) seemed to not only have terrible lag, but seemed to miss button presses all the time. It felt like it was maybe only checking for inputs maybe 30 times a second, and if you pushed the button in between when it was "checking" for button presses, it missed it.

This adapter is the Mayflash brand SNES -> USB adapter, and has 2 inputs in one device, so it is perfect even for local multiplayer gaming. I bought mine on Amazon.com for @ $8.00 US, and they seem to sell for @ $12.00 US now. It would honestly be worth $30 or $40 US.

It can be purchased from here.

I use a mac. I dual boot into windows for a few games, but due to the wonderful market GOG and the Humble Bundle have cultivated, most indie games come out for mac. So, I spend 90% of my time in OSX, and do almost 100% of my gaming in OSX as well. (Until the Oculus Rift comes out, anyway ;-p )

If you, too, use a Mac for most of your gaming, then let me introduce you to the greatest thing for setting up awesome, fluid, game controls OSX has to offer. Controller Mate.

Controller Mate allows you to map any USB Device/Keyboard/Midi Device, etc. to any function, in any program, based on any condition. If the function isn't built in, then you can build it using timers, input counters, axis measurements, etc.

For this application I simply remap each input to the corresponding keyboard key, such as up, down, left, and right arrows as well as the A,B,X,Y,L, and R buttons. I map Start to Enter, and Select to Tab.This makes most games show me the correct buttons instead of generic USB terms such as "button 1" or "button 2."

These mappings are also set to only apply when a particular list of programs is running. This allows me to have multiple keyboard mappings for multiple games, and never have to manually switch between them.

I cannot recommend this program enough. It is a must for any mac gamer, and blows any other keyboard remapping programs out of the water.

It is available fromOrdered Bytes' Website for @ $25.00 US. I got my copy on sale a few years ago for $15.00 US, but it is honestly worth double what they charge for it. I have it controlling not only my games but a bunch of software on my system. It is indispensable.

I used to have a Saitek X52 Pro, but I didn't get to use it very much because it broke. I was thus unimpressed with the build quality of this stick, especially given its price. (Also, good luck using that MFD under OS X.)

More recently I wanted to play Freespace 2 on OS X, so I got a Thrustmaster T.Flight HOTAS X. It has fewer buttons and lights than the X52 Pro, but it's good enough for me, and it's a third of the price of another X52 Pro. I'd say it has better build quality than the X52 Pro as well. This stick/throttle works just fine with FS2Open on OS X 10.8.

You may also want some pedals. I've been dealing with the stick's twist axis for rudder so far.

Of course, if you want to get real serious, like $500-$600 serious, you could get a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog.

Yeah, 128 is tight. I already wish I had opted for the 256Gb drive in my Air. It's also 128Gb, though I do have a tiny Windows 7 partition there too. I think it's 40 or 38Gb.

That's enough for two or three big game installs, which is about right for me when traveling. I replace them with whatever I feel like playing for the next couple weeks, etc.

I keep movies and music on a teeny key-drive, though, which helps save space, and is accessible from either bootup. This one, if you care: 32Gb USB drive

I've been itching to get a Steelseries mechanical keyboard for my mac - seems like it would suit the relatively simplistic look, and honestly they make the best (affordable) mechanical keyboard at the moment, as far as I can tell.

What I'm looking at getting: http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-6Gv2-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B0038X3ZVM

Also considering the 'stealth' or whatever the blank one is called - mechanical keyboard with blank key uppers, all keys printed on the front side. Looks cool.

A fan blowing on it will be about the best thing you could do, but it should be stable under standard conditions (Not sitting on a blanket insulating it, in an acceptable ambient temperature).

From my experience a fan will reduce temperatures a little, but it's just going to end up turboboosting more because of the increased cooling capacity which should give you more performance, but it won't be too noticable.

I've seen a lot of USB fan based stands die, or just suck at doing anything meaningful so I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-939-000181-Portable-Lapdesk-N315/dp/B002NTADVW

There was an official port of COD4 though. It was a pretty good port as well.

I ended up with a quality Seinnheiser from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-380-Pro-Collapsible-Professional/dp/B001UE6I0G/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1397249479&sr=1-3&keywords=sennheiser+headphones)
And use a USB mic that came with the Xbox version of Rock Band on a shock mount.. I think they're made my logitech, but for a time every singing/music/plastic instrument game bundled them with mic's, so I have a plethora of unused ones.. and I don't mind the unidirectional USB mic's as long as someone can hear me.. It works when I do podcasts for friends or recording small snippets.

As for the Turtle Beach incident, NewEgg refunded the cost of the headset and I picked up:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104847
As replacement for my son who wanted the other ones for mine craft.. And something that worked with all the other systems. Since they're ONLY USB, they can plug right into the 360, PS3, or PC/Mac and not worry about config besides initial mumble controls.



Sorry, I think I over-answered your question...

You can get a USB soundcard and those work really well in windows. I have a Asus xonar (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Xonaru3-Mobile-USB-Soundcard/dp/B004ZI5E1S) and the sound is better for me compared to the headphone jack.

A few days ago I posted about running Borderlands 3 on my iMac (2017 5k 27” iMac with a 4.2 i7, 32GB DDR4 and a Radeon Pro 580 8GB), because I was amped it became available. When I started playing, I had to throttle the settings to the absolute lowest to make it smooth. I wanted to know, leveraging an eGPU, how I could get my iMac peforming better for gaming.

Most replies I received were people being assholes. Throwing in their “desktop gaming and iMacs don’t go together”. I get it, unfortunately I use it for work and wanted to get back into desktop gaming with what I had.

Luckily someone stepped up and guided me in the right direction. I jumped on Amazon, bought the Razor Core X and the Radeon RX 5700 XT and everything arrived today. Outside of the thunderbolt 3 cable being incredibly short, I’m proud to say I’m officially running Borderlands 3 at high settings with a smooth 30-35 FPS even in fast-paced action scenes.

He doesn’t want to be mentioned, but thank you for he guidance. To anyone else, I don’t know much about hardware/computers, but this setup cost me roughly $800. Worth it for a game? It’s not. But hopefully we get more gaming support moving forward.

Edit: Here are the links to the items on Amazon.

Card: PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6 Graphics Card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WP6TYQ3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_BQOZDbS2B0NJG

Razor Core X: Razer Core X Aluminum External GPU Enclosure (eGPU): Compatible w/Windows & Mac Thunderbolt 3 Laptops - NVIDIA/AMD PCIe Support - 650W PSU https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQG2K5K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rROZDbVKA0NST

Edit 2: Here’s the keyword/mouse switch I use.

A couple people have asked me how I only have one keyboard and mouse setup for 2 iMacs. I prefer wired connections, because I’ve found the Bluetooth keyboard to lose sync at the most inopportune times. So I bought this switch and wired the button under my desk so I can just quick-click it right in front of me to swap between iMacs and it remains hidden. It has roughly a 1-2 second delay as soon as you click it until the mouse and keyboard become usable on the opposite iMac.

IOGEAR 2 Computer 4-Port USB 2.0 Peripheral Sharing Switch, GUS402 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BD8I2OY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LXOZDbN4YRSX9

I was going to say, just take the HD out. I am using this enclosure right now with my old MBP hard drive and it works great.

I found a Belkin Nostromo in a thrift shop for $5, I was surprised at how nice it is.

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Nostromo-Analog-Gamepad-F8GBPC001/dp/B00005USC6
for reference

http://www.amazon.com/Allsop-Monitor-Stand-Metal-Art/dp/B00006HO37/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409427176&sr=8-1&keywords=allsop+pewter

I think this is the one, got it at least three years ago as a birthday present. Used it as a monitor stand, but now it's for my Macbook Pro Retina, and it helps deal with some of the heat...

Then you clearly do not know a whole lot. :-)

If you're ok with RPG's, NWN 2 is $11 used on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/BioShock-Infinite-Mac/dp/B002I0KOSI

I found this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Macsoft-Age-of-Mythology-Mac/dp/B0000AK7C5/ref=sr_1_5?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1341137532&sr=1-5

Check your PMs though I'm sending you one now

I have it from the app store, and have no complaints. Looks like it's also on amazon.com. Sadly, it isn't available on steam, otherwise I'd say that is your best option due to the cloud syncing and cross-platformness (when available). I have quite a few titles that started out as windows only and then suddenly cross platform (GTA 3 series, KOTOR, anything running the source engine).

Yeah it has 1 USB for power and then 4 3.5mm cables. I did look into this one earlier on but on the website it says that on Mac it is limited to 2.1 output only! It's turning into quite the hassle. I do have this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweex-7-1-External-Sound-Card/dp/B00265L1S2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1420569569&sr=8-7&keywords=7.1+sound+card+external but I wasn't aware at the time that isn't mac compatible.