Exciting Updates in macOS Sequoia

The macOS Chess app has received a major update for the first time since 2003, bringing improved textures, lighting effects, and rendering for the board and pieces. The old grass and fur textures have been removed in favor of new wood, metal, and marble skins. The underlying game engine remains the same, but the visual enhancements make for a more modern and visually appealing experience.

One theory behind the update is that the original Chess app was based on GNOME Chess, which used the deprecated OpenGL graphics API. The new Chess app now uses Metal for rendering, possibly signaling Apple’s eventual removal of OpenGL support from macOS. This update could be a sign of things to come in future macOS releases.

In addition to the Chess app update, Apple has also made subtle reorganizations to the System Settings app. The left-hand navigation sidebar has been adjusted to make networking, hardware, and UI customization settings more accessible. The General section now features a prominent header, a design choice not seen in other sections of the app.

Overall, the changes to both the Chess app and System Settings aim to improve user experience and make settings easier to find and navigate. Whether these updates will be well-received by users remains to be seen, but they represent Apple’s ongoing efforts to refine and enhance the macOS user interface.