Let's Make a List of Games That the Retina MacBook Pro Can/Can't Play at 2880x1800

[MICHAELSD]

Let's not let the Retina Display's pixels go to waste when gaming... although many newer games will force you to unless you like games looking like fast-moving slideshows.

Post your experiences with running games at full Retina 2880x1800 resolution and I will add them to the Retina list, depending on how well the game can run. When I say "can run," I do mean at least at a playable frame-rate though I will include as many games as we can with notes of whether they are playable or not.

Native Mac OS Full Retina-Playable Games

Note: All games will perform better in Windows thanks to better-optimized graphics drivers. If a game is available on both operating systems, it will not be listed twice so all Mac games below apply to Windows unless they are exclusive titles.

Diablo 3 -Runs around 20 frames per second on max settings.

World of Warcraft - 20-45 frames per second maxed at best in less demanding areas.

Worms

FIFA 12

Windows Full Retina-Playable Games

Crysis 2

Arkham City

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Rayman Origins


Not Playable (Low Framerate) at Retina Resolution

Battlefield 3
Guild Wars 2

(I'll fill up the list with your Retina gaming experiences!)

 

[Wardenski]

A GTX690 is what you need for gaming at this resolution IMO. Seems pointless on a screen as small as a MacBook Pro.

 

[MICHAELSD]

A GTX690 is what you need for gaming at this resolution IMO. Seems pointless on a screen as small as a MacBook Pro.

There's no way that would fit in something as thin as .71". Apple could have probably released a MacBook Pro in the old .95" size based around their new space-saving Retina design in order to accommodate a 680M, but the 680M is about a $600 upgrade over the 650M. That would be too niche of a product, anyway.

 

[Wardenski]

I did not mean to imply a 690 would fit in a MacBook Pro, I am just saying IMO playing games at said resolution is pointess becuase to do it efficiently you would need a monster GPU (or two) and I am pretty sure games are not designed with said resolution in mind.

I am pretty happy at 1900x1200 with PC 5870.

 

[Zeov]

i only play Worms at 2880x1800.

All other games are either 1080p or 1200p

 

[Huntn]

Imo the usefulness of this thread is niche. Why not also include info on what games it can play at lesser resolution? That's info I can use. Btw, my impression is that my MBP (see sig) can play all the major games out there.

 

[skate71290]

Windows - Crysis 2 1080p without DX11, FIFA 12 max res no AA, Sonic Generations max res, Rayman Origins max res, Fable 3 1080p max settings, I freaking love this machine, haven't touched my PS3 since I got it and will most likely sell it!

 

[MICHAELSD]

Imo the usefulness of this thread is niche. Why not also include info on what games it can play at lesser resolution? That's info I can use. Btw, my impression is that my MBP (see sig) can play all the major games out there.

You answered your own question there: because the Retina MacBook Pro with its 650M can play every game currently on the market and should for at least the next year .

While I do not yet know exactly how much better Retina resolution looks in games since I am considering a purchase in the next week or two, on the iPhone and iPad it makes a very noticeable difference. So some users may be interested in finding out which games can comfortably run at 2880x1800 on the 1GB 650M if the effect of games looking that much better carries over to the 15" screen; perhaps those users only have a game on console and are not sure about getting the PC/Mac version for their new MacBook Pro or some eye candy fans will try the games on the list just to see the Retina Display in all its gaming glory.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I did not mean to imply a 690 would fit in a MacBook Pro, I am just saying IMO playing games at said resolution is pointess becuase to do it efficiently you would need a monster GPU (or two) and I am pretty sure games are not designed with said resolution in mind.

I am pretty happy at 1900x1200 with PC 5870.

Too bad we couldn't get a 680M in here, main issue would be an outrageous cost.

At least Mac developers will take note of the Retina resolution and optimize future games for it. For full Windows games, we may just have to keep waiting for video card upgrades in each generation then hope that 2012 games will be 2880-playable on a 2013 model and so on.

 

[Huntn]

You answered your own question there: because the Retina MacBook Pro with its 650M can play every game currently on the market and should for at least the next year .

While I do not yet know exactly how much better Retina resolution looks in games since I am considering a purchase in the next week or two, on the iPhone and iPad it makes a very noticeable difference. So some users may be interested in finding out which games can comfortably run at 2880x1800 on the 1GB 650M if the effect of games looking that much better carries over to the 15" screen; perhaps those users only have a game on console and are not sure about getting the PC/Mac version for their new MacBook Pro or some eye candy fans will try the games on the list just to see the Retina Display in all its gaming glory.

The new Macs might be different, but my experience and exposure to MBPs to date is that as a rule, they don't play games well at the top resolutions. Normally you end up with mid settings.

 

[MICHAELSD]

The new Macs might be different, but my experience and exposure to MBPs to date is that as a rule, they don't play games well at the top resolutions. Normally you end up with mid settings.

The 650M will be a well-respected card for quite a while; now it can max-out most games at 1080p, or at least come close enough. Honestly, some games have unnecessary max settings such as Arkham City that cut performance to a fraction of what it could be for effects not relative to their performance hit Apple has actually put a upper mid-end video card in the MacBook Pro this generation that is on par with some gaming laptops that are significantly bigger (Alienware's M14X and many more). You can't even do better in a laptop currently unless you step up to the 660M or 670M in a laptop over twice the RMBP's thickness for about a 25-30% performance boost.