New MacBooks could be a genuine gaming option

(Image credit: Apple)

published 31 October 2023

There was a time in certain circles where if you mentioned a MacBook and gaming in the same breath you'd be laughed away. Well, with the newly announced M3-powered MacBook Pros the best gaming laptops should watch out because Apple is coming for you.

Available in a spooky black colour, the MacBook's evil twins sound like gaming monsters. The headline innovation is that these laptops are the first to feature a 3nm process (much like the iPhone 15 Pro Max) but there are also a host of gaming-focused upgrades.

One of these is the brand-new Dynamic Caching technology. Apple explains that with Dynamic Caching "the GPU allocates the use of local memory in hardware in real-time so only the exact amount of memory needed is used for each task." this, coupled with a new gaming mode on MacOS Sonoma should help those who want to prioritise graphics and framerate do exactly that. Those juggling between gaming and other tasks will also appreciate the potential for up to 128GB of unified memory.

That's not all Apple has in store however, much like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, ray tracing has been a big focus of the folks in Cupertino. The new laptops will be the first MacBooks to feature hardware-accelerated ray tracing which will noticeably boost lighting and shadow effects in games.

With the considerable battery life of MacBooks, I'm desperately hoping that they will fix my biggest gripe with gaming laptops. When running intense titles, you tend to only get between one and two hours of playtime before running out of juice. This is obviously because of the demanding nature of the task, but hopefully, Apple can accommodate those of us who like a longer gaming session. Similarly, gaming laptops can run very loud, hopefully, the usually quiet MacBooks don't find their voice or heat up too much when put through their paces.

Andy was T3's Tech Staff Writer, covering all things technology, including his biggest passions such as gaming. If he had to save one possession from a fire it would be his PlayStation 5. He previously worked for Tom’s Guide – where he got paid to play with ChatGPT everyday. When it comes to streaming, Andy will have his headphones glued in whilst watching something that will make him laugh. He studied Creative Writing at university, but also enjoys supporting his favourite football team (Liverpool), watching F1, teaching himself guitar, and spending time with his dog.