Mac gaming is finally starting to undergo something of a renaissance, and things are looking up for people who prefer to play their games on an Apple computer. Apple’s latest M4 chips offer respectable gaming performance, as our Mac Studio and MacBook Air reviews have shown, while an increasing number of AAA titles are coming to the Mac — including one of the best PC games in the form of Cyberpunk 2077.
But as I’ve written before, there’s one key problem that no one seems to be talking about: the Magic Mouse.
Its slippery shape is poorly optimized for gaming, it lacks any customizable buttons, and its low-profile design gets uncomfortable during marathon sessions. In other words, it’s no one’s choice of gaming mouse.
Now, a fresh patent (via Patently Apple) suggests that Apple might be considering an intriguing way to improve the Magic Mouse for gamers, but I’m still not convinced. To me, it suggests that Apple is barking up the wrong tree.
According to a patent, Apple is mulling the possibility of adding haptic sensors to the Magic Mouse. These would allow the mouse to simulate various textures you might experience in-game, adding an extra degree of immersion to your gameplay.
Apple gives the example of moving over sand, then ice. Move your character over sand and the mouse’s friction increases; move them over ice and the mouse’s friction decreases. This would have the effect of simulating the game world’s surfaces in the physical realm.
It sounds fascinating and isn’t something that’s been explored in much depth in the gaming world — despite haptic headphones and chairs doing the rounds, haptic mice are few and far between. But is this the upgrade that Mac gamers have been crying out for? I’m not so sure.
Focus on the basics
This isn’t the innovation I think Apple’s mouse needs in order to make it better suited for the world of gaming. That requires something far less ambitious: a more ergonomic shape.
As I mentioned earlier, the current Magic Mouse is too low-profile to fit comfortably in your hand when you’re moving it quickly around a mouse mat. Its top surface is too slippery, making it hard to grip in moments of intense action, and without extra buttons, it’s not much use for macros.
And yes, I understand that Apple is not a gaming company. Let’s be honest, we’ll never see an Apple-branded gaming mouse decked out in garish RGB lights. But that’s not what I’m getting at here. Instead, I just want to see some foundational changes to the mouse that could make it more viable for gamers.
This is not necessarily unfamiliar territory for Apple. Recent rumors have suggested that Apple is indeed working on revamping the Magic Mouse’s ergonomics (and moving the charging port to a more sensible location). I just hope they’re on the money.
As well as that, the company recently worked with Corsair to launch a gaming keyboard and mouse designed specifically for the Mac. Why not partner with Corsair again to launch a haptic mouse? Or better yet, take cues from a company like Logitech to redesign the Magic Mouse in a more ergonomic way. After all, Logitech’s mice are absolutely class-leading when it comes to comfort.
This latest patent suggests that Apple is at least considering how its Magic Mouse might be used for gaming, and that’s encouraging to me. Yet I still feel that any haptic features have to be secondary to properly redesigned ergonomics. Apple can add all the haptics it wants to its mice in a bid to entice gamers, but if its Magic Mouse is a pain to use, gamers will steer well clear.
I’d much rather see Apple take a humbler approach and redesign the Magic Mouse to make it more comfortable. That’s what gamers — and Mac users in general — need more than anything else right now.
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