Add to watchlist send us an update. 1 screenshot: runs on: macOS 10.10 or later (Intel only) file size: 5.4 MB. Now, a new app called OneCast says that they have solved the issue, and allows users to stream games to their Macs just like Windows 10 users can for a price. Chaim Gartenberg from The Verge.
Welcome to our review of the OneCast programs for streaming your Xbox One to your Mac!
We all know how it goes, suddenly someone in the house wants to watch TV and you are in the middle of a game. It used to be tedious to work around this, but for a while, this issue exists no more. OneCast provides a paid solution/alternative to the PS4 Remote play app. Not just on Mac, but also on iPhone and iPad. The nice folks over at OneCast provided us with a review code and after some extensive testing, here are my results.
First let us talk about the installation of both. Anyone with a Mac knows what to expect and there are no issues to be expected. Installation went smoothly on both platforms and before I knew it, I was entering the set up of the programs already.
The Set up was something I would be finding myself going back to, I kept fiddling with the quality of streaming as this was most important. For my test, the Xbox 1 was connected to the Apple Time Capsule, specifically the 5GHz band. Both my MacBook Air and the iPad were connected to the 5GHz band.
First, the macbook air. I loved playing in the medium setting, for some reason the higher settings did not full do the trick. I played a variety of games and here are the issues encountered for each.
- Yoku’s Island express, delays in audio only when playing at high, perfectly smooth on medium.
- Darksiders Warmastered, medium again was perfect, pixelation visible on high
- Galaga on games pass, played great on high and medium.
- Disney’s Adventures, surprisingly laggy on high and completely normal on medium.
What I really enjoyed, being able to just play them when the TV was not available. Despite mostly being forced into the medium setting, I did not mind this one bit. It is great to be able to play anytime and anywhere in the house.
Next up, my tests for the iPad, which were a bit less good. I will not go into detail as I only had good results from the medium setting on my fourth-generation iPad Mini. The 2017 model, however, did improve the video quality remarkably and a lot of the graphics were surprisingly great at even the higher settings.
So how does it compare to the PS4 alternative?
Well, to do the comparison, we need to eliminate the price from the equation. Ps4 Remote play happens to be free while the OneCast apps are not. It could be construed as a downside, but let me tell you, the functionality of the app makes you ignore this.
My wife recently started working at the airport, so she is having real early hours and really late ones compared to my day shifts. This app is like godsend for anyone in my situation, when she goes to bed, I just go play elsewhere and not disturb her. The apps are decent enough to let you play intensively, though I do prefer playing on my MacBook Air.
In conclusion, OneCast is not the cheapest of apps, but it does provide a great alternative to being able to play when the TV is occupied or to avoid waking up someone by taking your MacBook to another room. I loved using it and will enjoy it a lot in the future.
You can download the apps from onecast.me website!
If you want to play Microsoft Xbox games on your Mac there are two easy ways to do so. One is by running Windows on your Mac using Parallels and the other is via an app called OneCast.
Microsoft 365 mac word save as freeze. You May Also Like:
Here’s an overview of both ways so you can choose the best one for you.
Your Mac might not have the massive library of games available to Windows gamers, but you can still play them in style by connecting an Xbox One controller - and you don't need any extra hardware. Jul 02, 2019 Controller support isn’t as broad in OS X as it is in Windows, but makes the Xbox One controller look like an Xbox 360 controller to most applications, ensuring maximum compatibility for the relatively limited number of games that support third-party controllers.
1. Parallels
Parallels is our favorite way to run Windows on a Mac and the latest version of Parallels 15 supports Xbox Beta from the Windows store which allows you to play Xbox games in Windows 10.
You also need an Xbox pass but you can get one for an introductory offer of $1 for the first month and then $5 per month afterwards.
Even better, you can connect your Xbox controller via Bluetooth meaning you can enjoy the full Xbox experience on your Mac.
Installing Windows on your Mac also opens up a whole world of other advantages allowing you to install PC only apps and games on macOS.
2. OneCast
Freeware Mac
OneCast allows you to stream Xbox One games to macOS in 1080p and connect an Xbox controller to your Mac via Bluetooth or USB.
Onecast Free Mac Version
OneCast is extremely easy to setup, there’s almost no lag when playing and you can setup multiple profiles for multiple Xboxes.
You can try OneCast for free although after 14 days it costs $10 to buy a license key for the full version. It’s normally $20 but it’s currently 50% off until April 1st. You can also watch OneCast in action playing NBA Live on Mac here.
Before starting, make sure that your Mac and Xbox are connected to the same internet router at home. Then follow these instructions to start streaming Xbox games to your Mac for free:
- Download the trial version of OneCast for free and open the DMG file downloaded.
- Drag the OneCast app to your Applications folder.
- Click on the OneCast icon in your dock to launch it.
- OneCast will then automatically detect your Xbox on your home network (assuming it’s switched on) and allow you to connect to it. OneCast will prompt you to login into your Xbox with your Microsoft account details. Just use the same username and password that you use to log onto your Xbox One.
- Finally you simply need to connect your Xbox One controller to your Mac which you can do by activating Bluetooth on your Mac via System Preferences. Alternatively you can also connect it via USB.
Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller Driver For Mac
You can stream your Xbox on your Mac in either windowed mode or full screen mode. You can even connect your Mac to your Xbox away from home too although this requires a few simple manual network configuration changes which are explained in the OneCast user manual.
Although there is some lag at times, most games run pretty smoothly in 1080p using OneCast and it’s generally very impressive. If you find that lag becomes a problem, you can try changing the video quality when you launch OneCast from “Very High” to “High”, “Medium” or “Low”.
It is also a good idea to shut down all other applications while using OneCast as it’s quite GPU intensive and your Macs cooling vents will kick in pretty quickly if you’ve got lots of other applications open.
The Mac gaming scene is really hotting-up this year with NVIDIA GeForce Now already allowing Mac users to play Windows only Steam games on Mac.
Previously the only way to run Xbox games on Mac was to install Windows on Mac for free using Boot Camp but both Parallels and OneCast are definitely easier and more efficient.
If you’re having any problems playing Xbox games on your Mac, let us know in the comments below.
Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller Mac Driver
I have created a USB driver which allows you to use wired XBox 360 Controllers via USB, and wireless XBox 360 Controllers via the Microsoft Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows, on your OSX machine, including support for the Apple Force Feedback library. The driver is licenced under the GPL.
Snow Leopard
I've released a version which will hopefully install and work fine on 32-bit Snow Leopard. It also contains 64-bit binaries, however I've been unable to test them because Apple have disabled my MacBook from booting into 64-bit mode. I have however been informed that 64-bit and 32-bit builds are both working.
ChatPad
I have got the Microsoft ChatPad working with my wired controller. The latest release of the driver includes support, and I'll be updating the USB information section of this website shortly. I've not yet checked the wireless receiver for compatibility.
Other info
Sadly, my PowerMac has died, which as my primary development machine has slowed progress.
I have added a version of the driver without support for the Guitar Hero controller, to allow the Guitar Hero for Mac game to work (it attempts to access hardware directly, which doesn't work if a real driver has claimed the device).
Help
If you find the driver does not work for you, please attempt and find out as much as you can about the device, preferably using the Apple 'USB Prober' application provided with the developer tools, but the output of System Profiler for the device may be enough. E-mail it back and I'll try and work with you to get it working.
Force feedback-enabled games
Games I've currently tested for force feedback support (only games that support basic rumble will probably function currently, as I've only implemented triangle, square and sine wave-type effects. I also lack any other force feedback device for comparison :) ):
Jammin' Racer - seems to work fine
Preivous versions:
Here's other similar drivers that are different versions or releases for different operating systems:- September 21, 2015
- Windows (all)
- 70,230 downloads
- 111 MB
- September 18, 2015
- Windows (all)
- 5,292 downloads
- 111 MB
- January 9, 2011
- Windows 7 64-bit
- 532,391 downloads
- 7.5 MB
- January 9, 2009
- Windows 7
- 22,117 downloads
- 17.9 MB
- December 7, 2012
- Windows XP 64-bit
- 6,508 downloads
- 18.3 MB
- October 24, 2012
- Windows (all)
- 6,376 downloads
- 108.0 MB
- January 19, 2010
- Windows XP/Vista/7
- 900 downloads
- 46.1 MB
- August 9, 2012
- Mac OS X
- 1,270 downloads
- 25.5 MB
- January 9, 2011
- Windows XP
- 68,059 downloads
- 7.1 MB
- January 9, 2011
- Windows 7
- 72,093 downloads
- 7.6 MB
Comments are closed.