u/MikeTheTech

I’ve always liked the alcohol naming thing in Mac gaming.

Wine, Whisky, bottles, casks, pouring, aging, etc. It’s been part of this little corner of the internet forever, and I still think it’s fun. My app Bourbon 26 obviously leans into it pretty heavily too.

But while working on the UI recently, I had a thought:

There are probably a decent number of people who don’t want alcohol references all over their gaming app.

Maybe they’re in recovery. Maybe it’s for religious reasons. Maybe their kids use the same Mac. Maybe its a business using it for professional software. Or maybe they just don’t think the joke is funny.

Whatever the reason, it seemed kind of dumb that the theme had to be part of the experience.

So I added a Non-Alcoholic Mode to Bourbon.

One toggle changes the alcohol-themed names and UI copy to straightforward technical language.

For example:

• Bourbon 26 → Mac Gaming Tool 26
• Bottle Shelf → Runtime Profiles
• Twelve Year / Cask Strength / Heritage Reserve → DX12 D3DMetal, DXMT Metal, Legacy OpenGL, etc.
• Stuff like “pouring,” “aging,” or “tapping the keg” → normal setup/progress messages

Nothing under the hood changes. Same compatibility, same engines, same games. It’s literally just the presentation.

And the whisky theme isn’t going anywhere. I still like it, and it’s still the default.

I just don’t think someone should have to buy into the joke to use the software.

It’s a small feature, but hopefully something that someone somewhere will appreciate.

https://mikethetech.itch.io/bourbon26

With Rosetta set to go away in roughly 18 months, I’ve been investing a lot of time into building a GPU-accelerated SteamOS solution for macOS.

Because this requires virtualization rather than direct access to the hardware, the project has evolved into a custom Linux build using Gamescope, FEX, custom Proton versions, and KosmicKrisp/Venus.

That work is still experimental (in the app, but not fully functional), but we’ve already made solid progress elsewhere:

• Smart Play profiles now support Overwatch.
• Android guests now support GPU acceleration across tablets, phones, Google TV, and even Android Auto.
• Windows 11 ARM installs are completely unattended now.

By the time Rosetta is discontinued, we should have several ways to play Windows and Android games on macOS without relying on it.

There’s a lot more coming.

• YT Video Overview of all features (20m, but has chapters): https://youtu.be/D12KAPJbd_M
• Itch Page: https://mikethetech.itch.io/bourbon26
• Open Source Repo: https://github.com/PyroSoftPro/Bourbon-OSS

P.S. All Smart Play profiles, research, custom configurations, and compatibility fixes are being shared through an open-source repository so they can be freely used by other apps and projects as well.

Creator of Bourbon 26 here. Wont link it as I don't want this to be seen as purely self-promotion, but I wanted to share a huge win I recently hit. Overwatch is working on macOS again with our new Smart Play profile. Not only that, but all our smart play profiles are being pushed to github so ANYONE can update their mac gaming apps to support it (Crossover, Sikarugir, etc.)

Hey everyone! Some of you might know me from YouTube or the virtual display driver on GitHub.

If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting two decades for a real successor to RA2. I used to be heavily involved in the original RA2 modding scene, releasing mod packs to try and keep that classic 2003 era alive. But eventually, you just get tired of waiting for a studio to save the genre.

So, I built the foundation myself.

I’m really excited to announce the Battle Bot Arena Engine. The v1.0 build is 100% finished and is currently just sitting in the queue waiting for final Unity Asset Store approval!
It’s a Unity 6 framework designed to skip the absolute nightmare of coding complex robot combat physics from scratch. I focused entirely on the mechanics that actually matter to this community:

- Actual inside-out building: You design the custom polygon chassis, pick your armor, and physically pack the interior with batteries and motors. You have to actively balance your weight and power budget (and yes, you can overvolt your weapons).

- Real physics damage: No simple health bars. Armor visibly dents and gashes based on a piercing vs. concussion model. Wheels rip off, failing batteries catch fire, and if your spinner takes a bad hit, it goes violently unbalanced and will shake your whole chassis.

- Built for modders and devs: It's a clean, data-driven setup so you can easily drop in your own custom models, weapons, and arenas.

This community kept the genre alive for 20 years through sheer willpower. I'm hoping this gives us the tools to finally build the modern games we've been missing.

I'll drop some gameplay footage and more details as soon as it clears the approval queue. Also, if you’re down to help test and share ideas, I’d love feedback there as well. Let's bring the arena back.