
'Cyberpunk 2077' On MacBook Pro M4 Max Shown At Apple WWDC On Ultra Settings At 120fps
Apple has shown off the gaming prowess of the MacBook Pro M4 Max at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, by providing a first look at CD Projekt RED's RPG Cyberpunk 2077 running on the system with ultra settings, and at 120fps. @geekculture At WWDC 2025, Apple and CD Projekt RED showed off Cyberpunk 2077 running natively on the MacBook Pro M4 Max! CD Projekt RED's Paweł Sasko takes us through how the team used Apple's suite of technologies to run the game on Ultra at a smooth 120fps. #Apple #WWDC2025 #MacBookProM4Max #CDProjektRED #CyberPunk2077 ♬ original sound – Geek Culture
Featuring a snippet of live gameplay taken while exploring Dogtown's EBM Petrochem Stadium in the game's Phantom Liberty expansion, CD Projekt RED provided a sneak peek into some of the technologies used to achieve its performance milestone on Apple's platform. The complete Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which includes the base game, the Phantom Liberty expansion, Update 2.0 with all its content, as well as any free DLCs, is slated to go on sale on the Mac App Store, GOG.com, Steam and Epic Games Store.
According to the developers, the game is able to hit such high framerates at ultra settings due to two factors: Apple's MetalFX upscaler integration and optimisation of the game's REDengine framework. Robert 'Radek' Malinowski, Global Communication Director (left), Paweł Sasko, Associate Game Director (right)
'When it comes to the REDengine, it's a very scalable technology, and we always try to squeeze out as much performance as we can, no matter the platform, be it Apple devices, the Nintendo Switch or PC and consoles,' explained Paweł Sasko, Associate Game Director at CD Projekt RED.
To achieve maximum performance, the CD Projekt team worked closely with Apple on the utilisation of its MetalFX upscaling to deliver higher definition images from a lower definition source, and MetalFX frame interpolation, which generates in-between frames for smoother, more fluid motion. Additionally, optimisation methods were implemented like FP16, or 16-bit Floating Point, which uses 16 bits instead of 32 bits to relieve the load on the system's CPU, pushing out more performance with minimal detriment to image quality.
Today my chooms at Apple Park we're showing Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition to international press and content creators — running on a MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip, hitting 120 FPS on Ultra settings. Coming in 2025! 🥰🍎 pic.twitter.com/sNUM5qBby1 — Paweł Sasko (@PaweSasko) June 10, 2025
The brief section of gameplay did highlight some impressive shaders on display, courtesy of Apple's Metal shader converter, providing not only crisp visuals but also realistic interactions between projected lights and objects in the environment. In a 12-minute demo, Sasko used a controller to navigate the game, previewed interactions with in-game characters, including the cameo appearances by the developer's co-founders, Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński, character movements and more importantly, the lighting and shadows generated within the game, to make the sharp visuals and complex colours stand out.
Framerate-wise, the game seemed smooth for the most part, apart from noticeable dips in certain sections when panning the camera. It's also to be noted that the team claimed that the game was able to hit 120fps in that particular scene, so it remains to be seen if the game can maintain those figures in more complex scenes like combat, or open world traversal when Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition launches on the Mac App Store sometime in 2025.
For more on WWDC 2025, check out our coverage on Apple iOS 26's enhanced UI with Liquid Glass and intelligent features, and the 10 Apple Unified OS 26 features we can't wait to see and use.
Sherwin once held the Matrix of Leadership, but wisely passed it on to the rightful leader of the household. Apple Cyberpunk 2077 MacBook Pro M4 Max WWDC 2025
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Geek Culture
2 days ago
- Geek Culture
'Cyberpunk 2077' On MacBook Pro M4 Max Shown At Apple WWDC On Ultra Settings At 120fps
Apple has shown off the gaming prowess of the MacBook Pro M4 Max at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, by providing a first look at CD Projekt RED's RPG Cyberpunk 2077 running on the system with ultra settings, and at 120fps. @geekculture At WWDC 2025, Apple and CD Projekt RED showed off Cyberpunk 2077 running natively on the MacBook Pro M4 Max! CD Projekt RED's Paweł Sasko takes us through how the team used Apple's suite of technologies to run the game on Ultra at a smooth 120fps. #Apple #WWDC2025 #MacBookProM4Max #CDProjektRED #CyberPunk2077 ♬ original sound – Geek Culture Featuring a snippet of live gameplay taken while exploring Dogtown's EBM Petrochem Stadium in the game's Phantom Liberty expansion, CD Projekt RED provided a sneak peek into some of the technologies used to achieve its performance milestone on Apple's platform. The complete Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, which includes the base game, the Phantom Liberty expansion, Update 2.0 with all its content, as well as any free DLCs, is slated to go on sale on the Mac App Store, Steam and Epic Games Store. According to the developers, the game is able to hit such high framerates at ultra settings due to two factors: Apple's MetalFX upscaler integration and optimisation of the game's REDengine framework. Robert 'Radek' Malinowski, Global Communication Director (left), Paweł Sasko, Associate Game Director (right) 'When it comes to the REDengine, it's a very scalable technology, and we always try to squeeze out as much performance as we can, no matter the platform, be it Apple devices, the Nintendo Switch or PC and consoles,' explained Paweł Sasko, Associate Game Director at CD Projekt RED. To achieve maximum performance, the CD Projekt team worked closely with Apple on the utilisation of its MetalFX upscaling to deliver higher definition images from a lower definition source, and MetalFX frame interpolation, which generates in-between frames for smoother, more fluid motion. Additionally, optimisation methods were implemented like FP16, or 16-bit Floating Point, which uses 16 bits instead of 32 bits to relieve the load on the system's CPU, pushing out more performance with minimal detriment to image quality. Today my chooms at Apple Park we're showing Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition to international press and content creators — running on a MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip, hitting 120 FPS on Ultra settings. Coming in 2025! 🥰🍎 — Paweł Sasko (@PaweSasko) June 10, 2025 The brief section of gameplay did highlight some impressive shaders on display, courtesy of Apple's Metal shader converter, providing not only crisp visuals but also realistic interactions between projected lights and objects in the environment. In a 12-minute demo, Sasko used a controller to navigate the game, previewed interactions with in-game characters, including the cameo appearances by the developer's co-founders, Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński, character movements and more importantly, the lighting and shadows generated within the game, to make the sharp visuals and complex colours stand out. Framerate-wise, the game seemed smooth for the most part, apart from noticeable dips in certain sections when panning the camera. It's also to be noted that the team claimed that the game was able to hit 120fps in that particular scene, so it remains to be seen if the game can maintain those figures in more complex scenes like combat, or open world traversal when Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition launches on the Mac App Store sometime in 2025. For more on WWDC 2025, check out our coverage on Apple iOS 26's enhanced UI with Liquid Glass and intelligent features, and the 10 Apple Unified OS 26 features we can't wait to see and use. Sherwin once held the Matrix of Leadership, but wisely passed it on to the rightful leader of the household. Apple Cyberpunk 2077 MacBook Pro M4 Max WWDC 2025


Geek Culture
3 days ago
- Geek Culture
Top 10 Apple Unified OS 26 Features We Can't Wait To See & Use
Apple is a company always looking at the future, and if you haven't been aware of it, the tech giant made it known during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) when it announced a unified operating system version number to match the next year of its release – so anything planned, announced and introduced this year will bear the number 26 (because we're in 2025 and anything new will last into 2026). iOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26 and iPadOS 26 will represent every new software feature update and introduction the company has lined up for the next year, continuing the premise behind WWDC since its inception. For anyone wondering, macOS Tahoe 26 is also part of that list and the only outlier OS to retain an actual name as part of its version number, reflecting the OS's strong legacy with unique standalone names, first based on big cats (Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, etc) and currently, based on popular California – where the company was founded – landmarks (Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, etc). Alongside today's announcement also comes a unified Liquid Glass visual (re)design language across the various operating systems, with a revamped user interface since iOS 7 in 2013. Liquid Glass brings an almost-translucent, glass-like look across widgets, pop-up windows and other corresponding interface elements, where its colour and appearance match that of the underlying content and lighting, like that of a vibrant photo, a black-and-white website and everything in between. The advancement of hardware and software technology has allowed this fluid behaviour that behaves like actual glass and builds upon past UI designs, most notably from the more recent visionOS that powers the Apple Vision Pro headset, showing off spectacular highlights on windows that have a see-through appearance, and floating interface windows that brings about a visual dynamism. While it will be more apparent to iPhone users, this change in visual will apply across iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches and the Apple ecosystem, because what's the point of creating one when there's no connective tissue that links it across performance, style and recognisable iconography? But while there is a connection, Apple is also cognizant that each of its devices fulfils a unique use, so here are 10 features that we cannot wait to use across the many upgrades and new features across its operating systems and hardware, with a majority of them quality-of-life improvements that can benefit users without anyone even realising it. From enabling different background images in Messages to more easily identify users and their relationship to contacts (such as red for the passionate girlfriend or angry wife, and a vibrant blue for your poker buddies), to more advanced emojis creation where you can use descriptions to enhance standard emojis (want to add a glass of bubbly to that birthday cake?), to creating polls in group chats (don't you hate it when no one wants to decide where to eat?), iOS 26 adds some quality of life features that users can benefit from, but may not immediately understand they need. The phone rings, and it's an unknown number. It could potentially be a scam, or it could jolly well be the new delivery guy wanting to drop off the parcel at your doorstep, but no one is answering the door. The phone will ring, and if it's an unknown caller, Call Screening will 'answer' and wait until the person on the line identifies themselves. The phone will then list the identity of the caller and ring, allowing you to decide if you wish to take the call or ignore it, without touching the phone. This feature is device-enabled and not dependent on your cellular provider, so any iPhone user will benefit. And for those who baulk at speaking with operators at banks and telcos who constantly put callers on hold, Hold Assist will support you by keeping the call connected and running in the background, and ring users when a warm body actually answers. Goodbye elevator music, hello productivity. Like with Call Screening, this is device-enabled and not dependent on your telco. We know, we know – other mobile phones have this feature in one form or other, and you can now do the same on the iPhone by translating incoming and outgoing messages to preferred languages on Messages, or even handle real-time translations during FaceTime calls, which is extremely useful when talking to colleagues in other countries. Apple's tablet also sees an overhaul in its use, such as running background tasks like video conversion and editing, while users can open and use other apps. The updated File system provides a detailed list view, like on your MacBook, and you can even create custom folders. There's even a Menu Bar that behaves pretty much like its equivalent on the MacBook, which brings the question: what are the differences between the iPad and the MacBook Air? Well, the lines have been further blurred with iPadOS 26's new windowing feature that makes multitasking on the iPad almost MacBook-like. Apps have a virtual handle that users can 'grab' to resize apps into smaller windows, allowing users to run apps side-by-side, or several at a time in the same window. Want to browse the web on Safari and watch a video, or chat on the new WhatsApp on iPad while scrolling a webpage? The tiling allows you to lock a window screen left or right, adjust the size of each app accordingly, such as a larger Netflix app compared to WhatsApp, or a smaller one for Zoom calls and a larger one for typing out notes. Will this multi-window approach affect an older iPad's performance? Well, the first-generation M1 on the MacBook has no issue with multiple windows on a laptop, so why would it face any challenges on an iPad? It's a small screen on your wrist, so how would the unified approach apply? Aside from the Liquid Glass overhaul, that's where Apple Intelligence comes into play, with the aforementioned Call Screening and Live Translation, and a healthier Smart Stack that prioritises and predicts features that you'll need, based on your use patterns. There's even a Wrist Flick gesture for you to dismiss notifications in the manner that they deserve. Then there is your new active best friend that looks into your fitness history, and provides you with audio cues that coach you on the distance you've run, your current exercise performance compared to previous ones, and acts like that workout partner you detest, but know you need. Or maybe just flick it away if you don't feel like exercising? Yes, that visual avatar on the Apple Vision Pro looks a lot like you and can almost double for you on virtual calls. However, Apple has improved on the details with a more realistic-looking persona, with a full side profile and more accurately rendered facial complexion, hair and even eyelashes. You can now even use the PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller to fire up some precise gameplay on the headset. Some work has been done to use artificial intelligence and turn a photo into a short video, allowing you to render your photo of a childhood pet into, for a few brief seconds, a short video clip of the beloved animal. It's not real but an approximation, and with Spatial Sense, you can take old photos and create an almost 3D render where you can shift the image around, lean in to see the image from a new vantage point, and look around. Visually, Liquid Glass would match the cinematic aesthetics of the movies and TV shows the device brings, and new features to the operating system include the creation of profiles, because the shows you enjoy are different from your children and your wife. But one thing you can do as a family is sing aka karaoke, where you can fire up Apple Music, and use your iPhone as a microphone and croon to the latest tunes – be it rock classics like Bon Jovi for yourself, some Cantopop for the Mrs, K-pop for the youngest one, and maybe Chapelle Roan's Pink Pony Club for that teen in your home. Alongside the iPhone and iPad, Apple's line of laptops and desktops will also see the most benefits of Liquid Glass, with updates to the user interface that bring a new shine to the operating system. From a transparent menu bar to a customisable Control Center where you can lay out the interfaces that suit your needs, change colours to folders, and add emojis to them as well. Casting the spotlight on Spotlight, the universal search for all things sitting in your Mac machine, the updated Spotlight is a complete overhaul that offers new suggestions, actions and apps, which are listed and also ranked intelligently based on relevance to the user, to deliver more efficient results. So instead of manually launching apps to do one action, followed by another, you can create shortcuts that cut the number of steps. In a demo during the keynote, a user simply typed 'sm' in Spotlight to indicate Send Message, where you can compose and send a message directly in Spotlight by using the built-in subject and recipient fields, without moving over to Messages. Imagine the use of AI that supports quality of life improvements by cutting down on the effort to complete tasks. With the introduction of Apple's silicon chips, the company has expressed its desire to craft a gaming experience for the Mac, but things have been quiet, short of making several AAA games — including Civilization VII and Assassin's Creed Shadows — available. Well, now there's the new Apple Games on macOS Tahoe 26, a dedicated repository that houses a gamer's game collection, making it simpler for players to dive into their favourite virtual worlds and play or chat with friends. Given the multitasking capabilities of Apple's Mac machines, Game Overlay provides players an option to tweak their system and game settings, and chat or invite friends to play, without leaving their game. Now, about adding new and more games… This is not so much a new feature, but a look at the tighter way in which Apple users can integrate their devices more seamlessly, especially between the iPhone and a Mac, via improved Continuity experiences and Apple Intelligence. Apple added the ability to mirror your iPhone screen on your Mac, and you can now do more, including the latest updates like Call Screening and Hold Assist (See iOS 26 above). You can also track Live Activities from your phone placed nearby, allowing you to know what's happening on your phone as you're working on your Mac, such as getting live sports results or when your food delivery is coming, without touching your phone. Simply click on the Live Activity to open iPhone Mirroring, where you can act on any updates from your Mac. Naturally, these are just some of the features and improvements Apple announced at WWDC, and with the developer beta already available, and the public beta around the corner, users as well as developers, will look at new ways these features can enhance the user experience, offer a seamless experience across devices, and provide quality of life improvements that you never knew you needed. Which new feature or implementation across the unified OS 26 are you looking forward to the most? Sherwin once held the Matrix of Leadership, but wisely passed it on to the rightful leader of the household. Apple iOS 26 wwdc WWDC 2025


Geek Culture
4 days ago
- Geek Culture
Apple iOS 26 Spotlights Enhanced UI With Liquid Glass And Intelligent Features
Apple has built a reputation for its sleek, minimalist aesthetics, and its user interface (UI) design is at the front and centre of this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC for short. Alongside a change in naming tradition, the Cupertino giant announced a slew of new updates and quality-of-life improvements to its software on the platform. For starters, the operating system across its family of devices now known iOS 26 – numbered based on the year after their introduction – instead of iOS 19, which some may find easier to follow. It introduces the Liquid Glass redesign, featuring a new responsive, see-through look that extends to elements like buttons, switches, sliders, text, widgets, and media controls, and various system experiences including Home Screen, notifications, and more. On the Home Screen, the size of the clock can be changed to fill more of the display, and an animation will activate when users swipe up to unlock. There's an emphasis on keeping things cleaner and more streamlined, with the Camera app hiding controls from sight, Safari lining its webpages from one edge to the other, and the tab bar floating over on-screen content. Apple's in-car navigation system, CarPlay, is part of this facelift experience, so drivers can expect a compact view for incoming calls, Activities on their dashboard, and pinned conversations in Messages. Much of the iOS 26 updates can be found in apps. A call screening tool is being added to the Phone app along with Hold Assist, which informs users when a live agent is available, while Messages allows them to create polls and customise a background image, either by adding their own photos or generate one via Image Playground. On-device spam detection is also on the way (nothing new for Android folks, though). Elsewhere, Wallet will let you create a digital ID starting this fall, with a refresh of boarding passes offering real-time flight updates in Live Activities and an indoor map for airport navigation. Other notable features include a learned or preferred route system for Maps, an online order tracker for Apple Pay, and a dedicated Games app, reinforcing the company's continued push into the gaming space with big-name titles like Assassin's Creed Shadows , Cyberpunk 2077 , and more. Apple Intelligence is also getting a handy addition in the form of Live Translation, coming to FaceTime and Messages with support for text and audio in phone calls. The real-time translation convenience extends to Apple Music, which includes a pronunciation guide for lyrics, a new AutoMix feature, and the ability to pin artists and playlists to the top of the app (Spotify says hi). Taking a page out of Google's playbook, the tech juggernaut now brings Visual Intelligence beyond the camera. Users are now able to ask ChatGPT questions about any content displayed on the screen, take a screenshot to do an image search for products on supported apps like Google and Etsy, or add an event to Calendar when the software detects a time, date, and location in a screenshot. iOS 26 marks the second major software update after the rollout of the Apple Intelligence last year. A public beta will be available in July before its official launch this fall. An exact date was not given, but it'll presumably be after the next big iPhone reveal event, typically scheduled for September. Sherwin once held the Matrix of Leadership, but wisely passed it on to the rightful leader of the household.