Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

deviousgelatin · Oct 27, 2003, 06:44 PM

Just got my new 15 incher, and it struck me - how much more difficult will it be to play 1st person shooters on this thing?

A multi-button mouse is a given, but will I need a full sized keyboard too? Dying to play UT2003 after wearing out a mouse or two on the original UT on my G3.

Any pointers from Powerbook gamers would be appreciated - this is my 1st laptop, and it will take a bit of lifestyle adjustment I'm sure....

Drakino · Oct 27, 2003, 08:08 PM

A full keyboard will probably feel better for long gaming sessions, but the Powerbook keyboard works just fine for playing games for a short amount of time. The funnest part is being able to play at a WiFi hotspot, just bring a power adaptor though. Games suck the battery power down quickly since both the CPU and graphics chip are working quite a bit.

AssassyN · Oct 27, 2003, 08:20 PM

Personally I can't play FPS games with a trackpad...attach an external mouse & you can actually manage w/ the built-in keyboard, however it's MUCH nicer to have both an external mouse & keyboard.

x user · Oct 27, 2003, 09:09 PM

The trackpad is difficult, but i've played FPS (RTCW, UT2003 Demo, Ghost Recon Demo) with both my iBook 800 (Kinda slow) and now my 12" RevB with little trouble. I use the

w
a s d

Keys as the Tee and right hand the mouse or trackball. For whatever reason, a multibutton mouse has never been required for me either, but I'm more of a casual FPS gamer I guess. I'm thinking about getting a wireless Pro Mouse for future gaming.

Tomster · Oct 28, 2003, 12:11 PM

I've played a good amount of FPS on Powerbooks and it is pretty much like playing on a desktop with a few exceptions. First, get use to remapping the keys. The first temptation is to use the number lock and activate the keypad, but that locks out all of the other keys. You will need the other keys.

Get a mouse - minimum 3 button. There's a name for people at lan parties with laptops who forgot to pack a mouse: skeet.

cszar2001 · Oct 28, 2003, 12:54 PM

Received my Logitech MX700 today and took it for a spin with RTCW in Single and Multiplayer.
The mouse absolutely rocks!!!!
The keypad on the Alu PB`s is responsive enough to move fast and let the other poor dumb bastard die first!!

nagromme · Oct 28, 2003, 04:35 PM

Go for it! I play UT, AvP, and Descent 3 on my older PowerBook all the time. Even the trackpad isn't that bad for Instagib. A 2-button mouse is certainly preferred.

They keyboard should be fine, especially if you use the standard WASD+Space. PowerBook keys are the same size and spacing as a full desktop keyboard, AND contrary to popular belief, they press down just the same distance too! (Measure if you don't believe it--it's true. The space-saving shape of the key edges is misleading: key travel is NOT reduced.)

Current games like UT2k3 are supposed to be very playable on the current PowerBooks, although I don't own one (yet). You won't have the NEXT generation of gaming like you might with a G5 tower, but you do have a good portable game system.

xylon · Oct 28, 2003, 04:48 PM

UT2k3 is about all I play now, and it works perfectly on my 17". I have no need for an external keyboard, in fact I prefer the feel of the laptop keyboard much more than most externals I've tried. I did, however, have to get an external mouse, Logitech MX500, with 7 buttons. It's the wired version of the MX700, I'm still a bit wary about wireless mice for games.

hadocon · Oct 28, 2003, 09:47 PM

Perhaps a dumb question (I don't game that much, but when I do I enjoy it): The 15" & 17" Powerbooks have screen resolutions that don't seem to be readily available in the video settings of games I have seen - ie. 1440x900 and 1280x854. Is there a way to get games like UT2K3 and RTCW to use the full screen?

P.S. I am having a blast playing old NeoGeo and SNES games with MacMAME. Can anyone reccomend a good USB console type comtroller?