Apologies for the length on this. Skip to tl;dr section if you don’t want a story.
Okay, now I realize that this is a very broad topic which lends itself to platform zealotry, so let me explain my situation with a bit of background:
I’m a cross-platform IT geek. I’m equally comfortable on Windows, macOS, or whichever Linux distro. Out of 17 years in WoW, just about half has been on Windows, half on macOS. Presently I tend to play WoW on my 7-year-old Windows gaming rig, and sometimes on my 2018 MacBook Pro if I’m away from home.
Okay, so this having been said, I feel that I’m hitting a crossroads with my personal computing platforms. I’m seeking to simplify. If gaming (and I’ll clarify what I mean by “gaming” in a minute) weren’t a factor, I’d pretty much be all Mac all the time for my personal stuff (I still get plenty of Windows and Linux at work). So this would seem to end the discussion, except the gaming part.
Here’s the thing, for the last few years I’ve looked at how I really use my “gaming” rig, and the reality is this: I play WoW. Sometimes a little Civ V and VI. That’s about it. In the past, I was all into whatever Blizzard game was new, but the reality is that outside of a passing interest in Diablo for largely nostalgic reasons, I have no interest in Blizzard games outside of WoW (see aforementioned 17-year time investment).
So, this leads me to where I’m seeking advice from other fellow techies in this forum:
We know that the state of Mac support across Blizzard games is less than stellar right now, with no indication that it’s going to improve. However, WoW is by most reports I’ve been following here, really solid on Apple Silicon, with the exception of these reported game-breaking (or at least BNet client breaking) bugs which pop up and go unfixed seemingly for weeks or months.
This is what concerns me, and really what is holding back my plans. If there were some way that I could have reasonable assurance that WoW in particular (any other game is a bonus) would continue to work reliably well with good performance (60 FPS max settings) on an M1 Max system, then that would be enough to sell me. However, I keep hearing these stories of problems with slow to no Blizzard response or support, and it makes me question the wisdom of jumping-in to a new Mac Studio or MacBook Pro M1 Max as my home system.
So, how do you guys feel on this matter? Would I be foolish to go all-Mac with the expectation that WoW will continue to work well for the foreseeable future (Dragonflight and beyond)? Am I stuck anchored to a Windows rig just for WoW?
tl;dr:
I love the simplicity and elegance of the Apple ecosystem. The prospect of building another a new PC gaming rig moving forward doesn’t excite me like it once did, especially for one game. I’m frankly tired of how gaming components are marketed and the whole gamer culture around custom rigs. I basically want an appliance for general computing and for WoW. Is this realistically accomplished with the Apple solutions of today, and is it likely to be viable in the coming years?
P.S.
I realize that no one has a crystal ball for how things will go in the future, but I’m looking for opinions based on experience with the platform as well as any inside technical insight folks may have. Really I’m looking for an unbiased and honest opinion on whether or not my hope that I can rely on Apple products for WoW moving forward is realistic.