Macbook help

[DadEH]

Im sorta new to apple, last macbook was a 2012 macbook pro when they came out, fav laptop, even more then my current gaming laptop.

 

My local bestbuy is out of copilots with no idea when they will get a restock.

So, im looking for advice on a macbook air that i can use on my lap for a few hours or more with out heat discomfort, i dont do anything heavy, editing family videos often, watching movies, Does game pass work? cloud is fine and does the controller work?

 

Main goal is to use it for 4 years and give it to my son when he starts school, so aiming for 10 years of usage, my biggest fear is the ssd dying.

 

I am aiming for a macbook air because the macbook pros start at 2000$ cad

These are my options:

 

Apple MacBook Air 13.6" w/ Touch ID (2022) - Midnight (Apple M2 Chip / 512GB SSD / 8GB RAM) - English | Best Buy Canada

 

Apple MacBook Air 13.3" w/ Touch ID (Fall 2020) - Gold (Apple M1 Chip / 256GB SSD / 8GB RAM) - En | Best Buy Canada

 

Apple MacBook Air 13" w/ Touch ID (2024) - Midnight (Apple M3 Chip / 256GB SSD / 8GB RAM) - English | Best Buy Canada

 

[Donut417]

25 minutes ago, DadEH said:

oes the controller work?

Tired getting my Xbox controller to work on MacOS. I have steam installed and a few games. Was not able to. Read somewhere about MacOS not having native controller support. I think there might be a 3rd party driver or something you might be able to install. Personally haven't tried it. I have a steam deck so I dont really see a point in trying. 

 

26 minutes ago, DadEH said:

so aiming for 10 years of usage

Your best bet is to get the newest one then, because that would be the model they would support the longest. I have the last generation of the Intel Macs and Im still getting updates.  

 

29 minutes ago, DadEH said:

i can use on my lap for a few hours or more with out heat discomfort,

What I know about the air is there is no active cooling. It uses the aluminum body of the computer to help dissipate heat. Not sure how toasty they get. 

[ToPimpAButterfly]

For me, the controller works on steam games that support it. But I'm not sure what games donut is playing and what mac book donut has. I have 2020 intel mac book pro, and xbox controller works in games like euro truck simulator for example.

 

I think if you are looking for performance and long use, go with m3. But if you are just doing light work and not editing really high resolution video, maybe m2 is better and will be cheaper. one thing to note though is m2 has slower ssd because apple only use one chip instead of two like on m1.

[saintlouisbagels]

Look for an M1 Pro or M2 Pro MacBook Pro 14-inch. They're frequently found for 1400-1500 USD instead of 2000 USD.

MacBook Air is far too limited with its small storage and 8GB of RAM. 10 years just sounds like such a stretch.

 

This is an example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/325535940985?ssspo=V9ZAJKPLT9C&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=DLA1prBuSqa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5337259887&toolid=10001&customid=ab36de7a617c11efabccc258c79c70910INT