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Parallels 3.0 Announced, 3D Graphics Included

Posted by Zonk on from the did-you-know-you-can-play-games-on-your-computer dept.

99BottlesOfBeerInMyF writes "For some time Mac users have been waiting to see who would bring 3D graphics to a Windows emulation/virtualization solution under OS X. It looks like Parallels is going to be the winner. They have announced an RC of Parallels 3.0, with the final to be available 'in a few weeks.' For anyone else tired of Bootcamp or rebooting to play a Windows game, it look like the solution is finally here; I'm not counting out VMWare entirely. Obviously it will depend on how soon they can catch up, but there is some serious first-mover advantage here for Parallels."

7 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. VMware Fusion 2? by mrseigen · · Score: 5, Informative

    The second release of VMWare Fusion had D3D8 acceleration under XP and it was released a few months ago. It's not like Parallels is first to this party.

  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Re:hmm by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Informative

    Why?
    Of all the elements in the system, the graphics interface once shouldn't run slower.

    Its just mainly copying data around rather than executable assembly instruction translation/manipulation.
    A block of allocated memory can be passed directly to the card without any messing.

    Virtualisation is difficult because you are trying to act as middleman between two different operating systems with different ways to do things. However for the graphics, both those operating systems need to already speak the same language to talk with a graphics card, the memory is laid out the same, the commands are the same and the way of talking to it is the same.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  4. Linux Guest Tools too by mccalli · · Score: 4, Informative

    I currently run Windows under Parallels, but Linux under VMware Fusion due to the lack of Linux guest tools. The Parallels 3.0 announcement said Linux guest tools were provided, and that was a major reason why I've put down the cash for the pre-order.

    Cheers,
    Ian

  5. VMware Fusion *Beta* 2 by Kaseijin · · Score: 5, Informative

    The second release of VMWare Fusion
    Fusion is still in beta with no public time frame for release.
  6. Re:hmm by Hes+Nikke · · Score: 3, Informative

    Connectix used to do this (in v3 or so) for the mac. Emulating an x86 CPU on PPC. Basically, they just provided a pass-through OpenGL driver that hit the native driver & hardware.

    Close. It wasn't OpenGL, it was GLIDE. and version 2. (click here if you want to flash back to heady days of decent II and Dark Forces II)
    --
    Don't call me back. Give me a call back. Bye. So yeah. But bye our, well, but alright we are on a shirt this chill.
  7. Mac users want Mac apps, not Windows ports. by LKM · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm a Mac user. Yes, I demand that developers do things differently on the Mac than on any other platform. If they don't, I don't care if they get tired of me, because I don't want their applications.

    You don't just install crap all over my Mac. I want a single, simple bundle that I can install using drag-and-drop, and uninstall by dragging it to the Trash. If you absolutely need to install additional stuff, then:

    1. use the standard Apple installer
    2. tell me before installing what is going to be installed where
    3. provide an option to only install stuff for the current user (if possible)
    4. use the standard locations for stuff like Kernel Extensions
    5. provide an easy way to uninstall all that stuff

    If you don't do that, your application will flop on the Mac. If you create an application for the Mac, make it a Mac application and not just a Windows port.