Game Sprockets

**Game Sprockets**, also called **Apple Game Sprockets**, is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) provided by Apple Computer to support game development for Mac OS and the Pippin platform.

## Components

* DrawSprocket
* InputSprocket
* NetSprocket
* SoundSprocket
* SpeechSprocket
* QuickDraw 3D RAVE
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* **DrawSprocket** - supports graphics through the Macintosh Display Manager with an abstraction layer to facilitate page flipping.
* **InputSprocket** - supports game controller inputs through the AppleJack or ADB bus.
	+ **USB HID Driver** - was added later to support input from game controllers ("Human Interface Devices") through the USB bus.
* **NetSprocket** - supports network communication via AppleTalk or TCP/IP with Open Transport.
* **SoundSprocket** - supports digital audio through the Macintosh Sound Manager.
* **SpeechSprocket** - based on Apple's existing Speech Recognition Manager.
* **TabletSprocket** - supports digitizers, such as Wacom tablets.
* **QuickDraw 3D RAVE** - was not specifically identified as a "sprocket", but added support for 3D graphics with hardware abstraction through a "Rendering Acceleration Virtual Engine".

## Release history

Game Sprockets was announced by Apple on March 29, 1996. Apple engineers hosted discussion groups from March 31 to April 2 at the 1996 Game Developers Conference, which was held at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The Pippin Atmark had just been released in Japan and the AppleJack controller was supported by the InputSprocket. Prior to that, Software Development Kits for Pippin Power Player prototypes were provided with an AppleJack input device driver.

Earlier versions of sprockets were updated individually instead of as a set and required System 7.5 with Open Transport 1.1, Display Manager 2.0, and Sound Manager 3.2.1 or later.

* Version 1.5 supports Mac OS 7.6 - 8.5.1.
* Version 1.7.5 is the last public release from Apple and supports Mac OS 8.1 - 9.2.2. Support for USB devices through InputSprocket requires Mac OS 8.6 or later.

The development team survived mass layoffs at Apple in March 1997, but classic sprockets have since been deprecated as Mac OS X adopted the OpenGL API and macOS later adopted Metal.

## Gallery

Game Sprocket iconInputSprocket controller iconUSB HID Driver iconSpeechSprocket icon
## References

1. ↑ The Mac gaming console that time forgot by Richard Moss, Ars Technica. 2018-03-24.
2. ↑ Rotten to the core: Apple’s 10 greatest FAILS by Cliff Joseph, Bob Dormon and Tony Smith, *The Register*. 2014-02-12.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Apple Game Sprockets Guide, *Inside Macintosh*. 1996-07-02. Archived 2009-01-20. Mirrored 2004.
4. ↑ APIs for Human Input Devices by David Merrill and Olaf Matthes, Mobile, Free Software, and Security Consulting - Sound Design, Structures, and Robotics. 2007-04-14.
5. ↑ The Speech Recognition Manager Revealed by Matt Pallakoff and Arlo Reeves, MacTech. 1996-09.
6. ↑ Universal Control File by Ken Rosenberry and Tom Johnson, Purdue University. Archived 2002-12-12.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 NEWS: Sprockets: Present and Future by Chris DeSalvo, Apple. 1997-03-23.
8. ↑ Apple Game Sprockets to Enable Cutting-edge Multimedia and Internet Games on the Macintosh, Apple Computer. 1996-03-29. Archived 2012-10-21.
9. ↑ On With the Show (PDF) by Diane Anderson, *Game Developer Magazine*, p.10. 1996-06.
10. ↑ Computer Game Developers' Conference Conference Proceedings, Miller Freeman. 1996.
11. ↑ Where to get the Pippin OS: You should have said... by charlieman, AppleFritter. 2004-11-11.
12. ↑ Applejack Input Device Driver (PDF), Apple Computer, Inc. 1996-05-10.
13. ↑ Marathon's Story - Subject: Re: super marathon by Alexander M. Rosenberg, Bungie.org. 1998-08-03.
14. ↑ GameSprockets 1.7.5: Document and Software, Apple Inc. 2000-10-24.
15. ↑ Developers fear for Mac gaming as Apple deprecates OpenGL support by Corbin Davenport and Austin Wood, *PC Gamer*. 2018-06-04.

## External links

* Game Sprockets at Apple Developer Connection (archived 2004-11-21) (mirrored 2004)
* Game Sprockets fact sheet at Scribd (1996-05)
* MacOS Sprockets tech specs at MobyGames
	+ DrawSprocket game titles
	+ InputSprocket game titles
	+ NetSprocket game titles
	+ SoundSprocket game titles
	+ QuickDraw 3D RAVE game titles
* Game Sprockets at the Apple Wiki
* Game Sprockets at Wikipedia

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