EA’s Origin Store Adds Another Outlet for Mac Games | iPhoneConnection

There’s never been a better time to be a Mac gamer. Over the last few years we’ve witnessed the birth of Mac games on Steam, the opening of Apple’s Mac Store, and now, EA has rolled out the final version of its EA client to Mac OS X. 

Only a couple weeks ago, Origin for Mac was in alpha. And now, you can download the client [1] and start purchasing Mac-compatible titles. Origin is EA’s attempt to compete with Valve’s Steam in the ever-growing digital distribution market. For the most part, the two services are comparable.

Social functions are present, with the ability to cultivate a friends list within the Origin client. And most importantly, Origin offers some cross-platform purchasing, much like Steam Play. Buying a game for Mac â€" dependent on the title â€" will also unlock the PC version.

Of course, there is one caveat in the form of the available library. As of this writing, there are only 50 Mac titles on the Origin store, and a ridiculously large portion is occupied by The Sims and its varied expansions. Still, the library is likely to grow in the future.

Origin also offers a decent selection of “free games” and demos. But the only Mac-ready demo is â€" you guessed it â€" The Sims 3. And clicking the free games tab in the client strangely redirects you to an Origin browser page.

But hey, if you’re into The Sims 3, the game is on sale via Origin for only . The client itself works well, and offers a clean (if predictable) interface.

Ultimately, origin isn’t quite ready to compete with Steam or the Mac App Store, but it’s also the first day. The simple fact that EA has released a Mac client says something significant; especially considering this is a service hosted by one of the largest game publishers in the world.

You can download Origin for Mac directly from the Origin site [2] .

 

Follow this article’s author, Matt Clark, on Twitter [3] .

 

News [4]

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Links

1. ^{^} download the client (www.origin.com)
2. ^{^} directly from the Origin site (www.origin.com)
3. ^{^} Matt Clark, on Twitter (www.twitter.com)
4. ^{^} News (www.maclife.com)

source: www.iphoneconnection.co.uk