Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

The Wolfe could turn your MacBook into a gaming powerhouse, if it’s funded

By

Imagine if you could plug an external graphics card into your MacBook, then use it for for virtual reality or other gaming. You’d never need a dedicated gaming computer again.

That’s the dream behind The Wolfe, an external graphics card for the Mac that hits Kickstarter tomorrow. Two versions of this Thunderbolt accessory, The Wolfe and The Wolfe Pro, offer an Nvidia GTX 950 and GTX 970 respectively.

Recommended Videos

The card fits into a case that’s a 7.8 inches deep by 5.4 inches wide and 2.6 inches tall, which weighs between two and 3.2 pounds. Stick this in your bag with your laptop, the theory goes, and you’ve got a portable gaming MacBook.

Related

Macs, shall we say, do not have the best reputation among gamers. Apple builds its laptops with portability and battery life in mind, not graphical performance. And in general, laptops built specifically for gaming tend to be heavy with awful battery life.

The Wolfe: Kickstarter Trailer

The Wolfe could offer a third path, if it works well. It gives you graphics when you need it, but leaves the MacBook highly portable the rest of the time. Road To VR is reporting that the Wolfe is compatible with the following laptops:

  • MacBook Air 11-inch, Mid 2011–2015
  • MacBook Air 13-inch, Mid 2011–2015
  • MacBook Pro Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012–2015
  • MacBook Pro Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012–2015
  • MacBook Pro 13-inch, Early 2011–2015
  • MacBook Pro 15-inch, Early 2011–2015
  • Mac mini, Mid 2011–2015
  • iMac, Mid 2011–2015
  • Mac Pro, Late 2013-2015

Indeed, VR is part of the product pitch. The website for The Wolfe shows a user using Oculus Rift alongside a MacBook. Since Oculus doesn’t support Mac officially, we believe it is only possible if the laptop is boot into Windows using Bootcamp. No official word has been given as to how the Rift compatibility would be enabled.

It’s not clear what The Wolfe and Wolfe Pro will cost, but we can read the tea leaves. The Nvidia GTX 950 costs around $160, and the GTX 970 costs around $250. We’d expect The Wolfe to mark those costs up considerably. We’ll get more details tomorrow, when The Wolfe pops up on Kickstarter. Stay tuned.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Justin Pot
Justin Pot
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Justin's always had a passion for trying out new software, asking questions, and explaining things – tech journalism is the…
If you buy one MacBook Air alternative, make it this one
The MacBook Air on a white table.

I see you. You're considering a flashy new MacBook Air -- perhaps one of the new M3 models or even the cheaper M2 configurations. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like that isn't a wise option to consider for your next laptop. These are excellent laptops, and that M2 model in particular is a solid value at a starting price of $999.

But let me make an appeal to you about a laptop that upends the value proposition of the MacBook Air in a number of ways. The laptop I'm talking about is the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Q425MA). This is a laptop we reviewed earlier this year, but it continues to be the king of value. No other laptop you can buy right now offers this much bang for your buck -- the MacBook Air included.

Read more
The biggest threat to the MacBook this year might come from Apple itself
The MacBook Air on a white table.

MacBooks have held a dominant position in the laptop world for the past few years. Though there have been meaningful rivals from the Windows side of the aisle, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro still feel like they hold an unshakeable lead at the moment.

But according to the latest reports, the most serious challenger to the MacBook's reign won't come from Windows -- it'll come from within Apple in the form of some very advanced new iPads.
What's a computer?

Read more
The case for buying the M2 MacBook Air over the M3 model
The screen of the MacBook Air M2.

Apple's MacBook Air M2 recently stood at the top of our list of best laptops, and for good reason. It's incredibly well-built, exuding an elegance that few laptops can match. It's also plenty fast for productivity users, and its GPU is optimized for creators. Its keyboard, touchpad, and display are all top-notch.

Enter the MacBook Air M3, which (hint) took over the MacBook Air's place on that list. The upgraded chipset offers even faster performance, particularly in GPU-intensive apps, and the M3 model supports an additional external display (with the display closed). It's $100 more, but is that uptick in price justified? Let's dig in.
Specs and configurations

Read more