Play Windows Games On Mac Through Steam

Posted on by

Aug 01, 2016  50+ videos Play all Mix - How to Play Windows Steam Games through Wine (if the. How to Play Windows Games on Mac (& Use Other Programs) WineBottler Tutorial - Duration: 5:39. Jul 05, 2017 If you already have a Windows PC — ideally a gaming PC with powerful enough graphics hardware, enough CPU power, and a big hard drive — you can use Steam’s in-home streaming feature to stream games running on your Windows PC to your Mac. This allows you to play games on your MacBook and do the heavy-lifting on your PC, so your Mac will stay cool and its battery won’t drain as quickly.

Tips

Jul 10, 2017  The beauty of Steam is that it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Although not all games will run natively on all platforms, you CAN stream a game to ANY platform regardless of the OS (so long and the computer streaming the game can run it natively). We need to first install Steam on all of the computers you want to stream from and to play on. Nov 16, 2011 It is a problem involving how my HARDWARE INTERACTS WITH WINDOWS 7 THROUGH BOOTCAMP. I have seen plenty of other threads on here pertaining to problems arising in windows 7 through bootcamp that would not arise otherwise. The forum is not called 'Bootcamp Installation'; there is a manual for that. All of my games for steam work on OSX on my.

By Malcolm Owen
Thursday, March 15, 2018, 11:25 am PT (02:25 pm ET)

If you want to play games on a Mac that has lower specifications than ideally needed to play properly, it is possible to take advantage of the hardware of a more powerful Mac or PC elsewhere on the home network to have a more enjoyable gaming experience. AppleInsider explains how to set up Steam's In-Home Streaming function to remotely play your game collection.



As newer games are released, the specifications needed to play them smoothly continue to rise, and can end up being unplayable on some desktops. In the event that there happens to be a second computer that's more powerful and more suitable for gaming, the obvious answer is to use that one, but there are situations where it is unfeasible.
For example, the more powerful computer could be in a completely different place in the house to where you would prefer to play the game. Maybe there's a Mac mini connected to a large living room TV that isn't great at displaying games, but a Mac Pro in the home office which can easily do the job, but you don't want to move.
Valve Software's answer to this is built into the app for the Steam online game marketplace: Steam In-Home Streaming.
Using two computers over the same network, the powerful host computer can play the game and send a video stream to a client desktop, which displays the image. Inputs taken from peripherals, like keyboards and game controllers, are fed back from the client computer to the host, which then performs the commands in-game.
The feature also offers the benefit of not having to install the game on the client desktop at all, only the host, minimizing the amount of storage used up by game files. It also expands the Mac's game collection, as the stream works across Windows and Mac desktops, meaning Windows games are playable on a Mac in this way.

Requirements


Two computers are needed for In-Home Streaming: the host and the client. Originally the host was limited to Windows PCs, but it has since been updated to work with Mac desktops, and Linux.
In terms of hardware, Valve recommends a minimum of a quad-core processor for the host. Client desktops can be lower-powered but must be capable of H.264 decoding, preferably using hardware acceleration.
For Mac specifically, the host needs to run OS X 10.8 at a bare minimum.
Both systems need to be on the same network for In-Home Streaming to function. It is recommended to use a wired network due to the high amount of bandwidth required, but there are also claims it will work on wireless N and AC networks and some powerline networking equipment.
Play Windows Games On Mac Through SteamAs it is a feature of Steam, the software itself has to be installed on both the host and client, which can be downloaded from the store's website. It is also expected that the user has an account set up with Steam, has games they want to play on the account, and has already installed them on the host.

Setting up on Mac


Launch Steam on both the client and the host systems, and log in to the same account on each desktop. For Mac users, the Steam client can be accessed within the Applications folder in the Finder.
On both computers, select Steam in the Menu then Preferences. In the Preferences Window, select In-Home Streaming in the left-hand column, then click the tickbox next to Enable streaming if one is not present.

This window will show other Mac and PC desktops on the network that are logged into the same account, as well as whether they are enabled for In-Home Streaming or not.

Host Mac Settings


To fine tune the host's settings, click the Advanced Host Options button midway down the window.

This new window will offer up a number of ways to change how the stream is generated on the host desktop, with the default options usually fine for most users. If you are familiar with the specifications of the client Mac, you could select or disable the hardware-encoding and capture options to suit your hardware, but it isn't essential.
The top option, 'Change desktop resolution to match streaming client,' will aim to match the resolution of the client system for a better experience, but this could potentially cause performance issues if the host is not capable of rendering the game at that level. Keeping this switched off will instead send the same resolution as the game is already set to run at on the host.
The 'Dynamically adjust capture resolution to improve performance' setting is self explanatory, and is generally a good idea to keep enabled. The stream will try to reduce in resolution if issues occur, like network lag, instead of stopping completely or stuttering at a higher resolution.

If software encoding is employed but it is choking the gameplay, you can limit the number of threads used in the Number of software encoding threads dropdown box instead of allowing Steam to automatically manage it for you.
Lastly, it is highly advised to enable 'Prioritize network traffic,' as for newer routers with network traffic prioritization features, this will limit the impact of other network users on the stream's connection.
Close this window by clicking OK.

Client Mac Settings


The main Preferences window includes three basic options for how users want the stream to appear from the host on the client. Balanced is the default, while Fast will prioritize speed rather than picture quality when decoding the stream, and Beautiful opts for higher quality images but potentially lower frame rates.


More settings are available by clicking Advanced Client Options.


In cases where the network is being used for other tasks or bandwidth needs to be preserved for various reasons, the Limit bandwidth dropdown box can restrict the stream's bandwidth usage. Generally, the more bandwidth is used, the better the stream will appear on the client.
The 'Limit Resolution' dropdown gives the client the ability to limit the stream's resolution, which can reduce the overall bandwidth used or sacrifice the resolution in favor of higher frame rates. The stream can go as low as 480p, with the upper limit being the display resolution of the client system.
There is support for multiple speaker configurations in the menu, allowing clients to request stereo, quadrophonic, and 5.1 surround sound from the host, if available from the game and usable on the client. It is usually advised to stick to Stereo to preserve bandwidth usage for the visual element of the stream.
A tickbox is also available to enable hardware decoding on the client, if it has supporting hardware. If it does not, this is instead performed in software, and may be more taxing to the client Mac overall.
Lastly, the 'Display performance information' tickbox will show data relating to the stream on the client's screen, making it useful for diagnosing a poor quality video feed from the host.
Click OK to close the window.

Starting the stream


Ensure Steam is running on both the client and the host desktops.
On the client, select Library in the main Steam window, and select the game you wish to play from the left-hand column. Available to play games will be brighter on this menu, regardless of whether it is installed locally or streamable.

How To Play Windows Games On Mac Through Steam

In the selected game's screen, click the arrow next to Play to bring up a dropdown box, and select the host system from the list. Click the now-renamed Stream button to launch the game.

On the first occasion the Host will be used, the client will show a notification that actions need to be carried out on the Host. This refers to drivers that need to be installed by Steam in order to stream.
On the Host, click Install on the Gamepad Driver Update window, and pass through the installation process for Steam Input. Typically this requires clicking Continue, Install, entering your macOS account's password, authorizing it in the Security & Privacy settings menu following the 'Allow' notification, Ok on the notification, then Close once the installation completes.

Attempt to run the game stream again on the client. A second host actions notice will be displayed, this time for audio drivers.
On the Host, click Install on the Audio Driver Update window, and go through its installation process. This time the path for the default installation of Ambrosia AudioSupport will be Continue on the package installation determination notice, Continue on the welcome screen, Install, enter the Mac account's password,

Run Windows Games On Mac

Continue Installation at the restart notice, and authorizing the Security and Privacy settings to allow it to continue.

At the successful installation screen, click Restart to reboot the Mac.


Once it has booted and been logged in, Steam for macload Steam again on the Host, and reattempt to load the stream from the client. On this third attempt, the host should start up the game and commence the stream, which will then be displayed and playable on the client, if everything is installed correctly.
Note that this process is shorter for future play sessions, as the drivers only need to be installed once.

A Word on Windows


As games can be streamed from a Windows host to a Mac client and vice versa, it is worth covering how to perform this in Windows. Handily, the basic instructions are the same for both platforms.
Once installed on Windows, launch Steam, click the Steam menu item in the top-left corner, then Settings. In the new window, select In-Home Streaming in the left-hand column, then follow the rest of the Mac guide above.
The main difference is in the driver installation for the host, as while the initial notice window will be the same for both GamePad and Audio drivers, the process of installing the drivers themselves will differ. Unless there is something specific to the host's particular Windows installation that needs attention, the default options will work fine.
Starting the game stream using Windows as a client is identical to Mac, once signed into Steam.

Gamers have a reason to rejoice now that Apple is getting on board with the VR and AR bandwagon via their eGPU development kit. No longer are desktop GPUs the realm of PC enthusiasts and old cheese grater style Mac Pros. With full fledged GPU power on Mac, you can now also develop and game on those same Macs too.

With Apple's new push towards VR and AR development, the GPU hardware is better up to the task of not only gaming on Macs, but streaming those games to other Macs and PCs in your own home. For example, let's say you have a brand new 5K iMac with a Thunderbolt 3 connection to an eGPU with an AMD RX 580 sitting in your home office. That iMac might be a pretty decent machine to game on but perhaps it doesn't have the best seating or perhaps the view from your home office leaves something to be desired. Wouldn't it be great if you could use the power of that iMac to play games but have the mobility of a laptop so that you can sit and play anywhere in your home? You can do just that using Valve's In-Home Streaming on Steam. Here's how you get started!

Install Steam

The beauty of Steam is that it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Although not all games will run natively on all platforms, you CAN stream a game to ANY platform regardless of the OS (so long and the computer streaming the game can run it natively). We need to first install Steam on all of the computers you want to stream from and to play on.

  1. Go to https://store.steampowered.com/.
  2. Click on Install Steam.
  3. Click on Install Steam Now. This will start to download the installer file that will be placed in downloads on your Mac.

  4. Navigate to your downloads and double-click steam.dmg.
  5. Agree to the terms of service.
  6. Drag Steam to the Applications folder.

  7. Start Steam and allow it to update.
  8. Log in to your account or create a new Steam account. (If you are new to Steam, check out the store and get some awesome games. Many are even free!)
  9. Repeat the installation on all other participating computers you want to use.

Set up your streaming server

Ideally, you'll want to have your most powerful computer running as the streaming server. In my case I'm using a 2014 5K iMac with an AMD RADEON m295x 4Gb GPU. Not bad for my needs and much more powerful than my MacBook Air from 2011! Secondly, you'll want to have the fastest network accessibility that you have available so you should also make certain that your streaming server is connected via ethernet cable to your router. Once that's set up, you can configure the In-Home Streaming service.

  1. Start Steam.
  2. Select In-Home Streaming from the sidebar.
  3. Make certain that Enable Streaming is checked.
  4. Click ADVANCED HOST OPTIONS.
  5. If you have an NVIDIA GPU, check Use NVFBC on NVIDIA GPU.
  6. Check Prioritize network traffic if you have a modern router that supports traffic shaping.

We're not quite done but we need to initiate a game via streaming from a client computer. Mac games for kids 2015.

  1. On the client computer, select a downloaded and installed game from the sidebar.
  2. Click STREAM next to the game you plan to play.
  3. You'll be prompted that you're about to stream a game. Click OK.

  4. You'll be prompted that you need to complete some additional driver installation on your server. Click OK.

There's still more to do on the streaming server again.

  1. Now go back to your streaming server. You'll be prompted install a Gamepad Driver Update. Click Install.
  2. Click Continue.
  3. Click Install.

  4. Enter your password.
  5. You'll then be prompted to install Ambrosia Audio Support. Click Continue.
  6. Click Install.
  7. Enter your password.
  8. Click Restart.

If your installation fails, it will be likely due to macOS Security and Privacy settings. If this happens do the following.

  1. Go into System Preferences.
  2. Select Security & Privacy.
  3. Select the General tab.
  4. Towards the bottom, you'll see System software from developer 'Valve Corporation' was blocked from loading. Click **Allow.

Get ready to play on your client!

Finally, all of our setup is ready to be enjoyed!

Steam How To Play Windows Games On Mac

  1. Make certain your streaming server computer is on and Steam is running on it.
  2. On the computer you want to play on, start Steam as well.
  3. Select the game you want to play from the sidebar.
  4. Click Stream.
  5. Start playing!

I've found that if my stream server computer is connected to my router with an ethernet cable, then I can get a high fidelity gameplay even with a laptop that is only WiFi connected. If you run into slow streams, you can change some parameters on the client side or simple connect your client streaming computer to your router also with an ethernet cable.

Final thoughts.

Depending on the type of games you play, streaming may be a deal breaker for you. Although the response time (latency) and visual quality is very good, some fast twitch first person shooter games may affect your gameplay. Other than that, I love that I need only one beefy machine to play my games from and still be able to enjoy my lounger while I do so. What about you? Is streaming something that interests you? Let us know in the comments!

4.2

Eve updates app to add new customization and better iCloud syncing

How To Play Windows Games On Mac Through Steam

Eve has updated its Eve for HomeKit app, and version 4.2 has a host of new features!

Missions: Stay on top of your poker game with daily and weekly missions!. World series of poker game mac. Poker statistics: Improve your game with the most extensive stats’ tracking in any Texas Holdem Poker game!. Crush the tables and become the poker king of Texas Holdem & Omaha Poker!. Texas Hold’em or Omaha: Your choice! Play live with friends: Invite your friends to play Texas Holdem and make it a poker night anytime, anywhere.