Great News! We now have a macOS build for OrbRider! I have been testing it on a Mac with the following specs:
Smart Trainer App for Mac
MacBook Air (Apple silicon)
macOS Big Sur
Processor: M1
Memory: 8 GB RAM
MacBook Pro (Intel)
macOS Catalina or Big Sur
Processor: Intel Core i3
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 1536 MB
1. Download the game from the "Download" page, found in the top right corner of this website's navigation bar.
2. Move the "OrbRider" file from the "Downloads" folder into the "Applications" folder.
3. Launch OrbRider from the "Applications" folder.
6. Once the game is running (which may take 10 - 15 seconds to start), it may be really slow with a low "FPS" count displayed in the top right of your screen. If this number is below 20 FPS or the game is really choppy, then you may need to adjust your graphics settings in the game.
I noticed a better performance on the Mac when I have the power cable plugged in (it seems to be slower on battery only power).
7.Press your "Escape" key until you see a small game menu appear.Â
8. Click the "Settings" button at the bottom of this menu.
9. Adjust the "Display Resolution" from the "Graphics" section in the settings menu to a lower resolution until you see the FPS hover at least around 20 or more FPS while the text and other interface controls remain in focus.
10. Once you have a smooth running (or fairly smooth) game, plugin your ANT+ stick and power on your smart trainer or simply start pedaling your bike to activate any speed or cadence sensors you may be using.
Pairing your ANT+ Stick and Devices on macOS
1. In OrbRider, look for the various sensor indicators at the top of the game screen to turn green.
2. If your smart trainer doesn't turn green or display watts right away, try pedaling your bike for another 10-15 seconds to see if the game picks it up. There seems to be a bit of lag time in the process, which can take longer on battery only power.
The pairing process is automatic. There is no way to manually pair devices in OrbRider at this time.
I started out with a USB-c hub, and plugged the ANT+ stick into the hub as seen in the picture below. This setup almost works but there still seems to be a lot of interference, so I purchased a USB extension cable so I could get the little ANT+ stick adapter closer to my smart trainer and away from any interference created by this converter/hub device or the MacBook Pro device.
I have tested this with both generic and Garmin brand USB ANT+ sticks using a USB-c to USB hub device on a MacBook Pro with the above mentioned specifications.
Looking forward to your feedback and hearing how it works for anyone using macOS.
Thanks,
Jeff