Gaming in virtual machine?

If I am interested in playing games not available on the MacBook Pro that I plan on getting in a few weeks, Will running the games in a Virtual Machine work? And will there be alot of lag?

gaming virtualmachine macbook-pro

asked Feb 13 '11 at 16:30

Ztag100
1.5k●107●116●129

Here is a closely related question that answers your question: http://lockergnome.net/questions/97519/cod-black-ops-running-in-vmware-on-imac-27

(Feb 13 '11 at 16:35) TheTechDude

6 Answers:

oldest newest most voted

Use BOOTCAMP to play windows games on Mac.

Trust me... NEVER EVER EVER run games through a virtual machine. In fact, you will be saving a bit of money because bootcamp is free unlike most VM software, considering you need to purchase windows.

Although Apple say they don't officially support it, Windows 7 runs fine in Bootcamp. Just remember to pop the Mac OS X disk in after installing Windows to get the drivers etc.

The other option would be to use WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator). For Mac, Winebottler is the best in my opinion, but you can also use Darwine. These use Windows API's ported to Mac OS X to run Windows programs at full speed without any emulation.

answered Feb 14 '11 at 11:47

SkinnyBill
656●14●18●27

thanks! I will look into WINE... Is it similar to its linux counterpart?

(Feb 14 '11 at 17:41) Ztag100

It's a Mac port of the Linux version.

(Feb 14 '11 at 18:09) HHBones

Will it work? Yes, but it will not be fun to play. You will get a terrible frame rate.

The best way to run Windows games on a Mac and be able to use the full power of your Mac is to install Boot Camp and then install windows with that.

answered Feb 13 '11 at 16:34

TheTechDude
16.8k●40●94●298

edited Feb 13 '11 at 16:36

Thanks! will keep that in mind.

(Feb 13 '11 at 16:39) Ztag100

It can work, but with limitations and maybe some problems. Its not the ping time but the graphics limitation, ram, hard drive activity, etc.....

It is best to run in a second partition (dual boot/bootcamp on a mac) and run your games like that

answered Feb 13 '11 at 16:36

kevin ♦♦
35.7k●160●316●588

edited Feb 13 '11 at 16:40

Yes U can play but quality will decrease and u games lag..u can install a bootcamp and all..but i think its better u go this app/ freeware and daaamn use full hope u like it take care. It is not a emulator ... WINE : http://sourceforge.net/projects/darwine/

answered Feb 13 '11 at 22:32

AnasKhan
46●1●2

0	Bootcamp is the way to go for windows gaming on apple hardware. If your games don't run natively, its the best way to let the game take full advantage of your hardware. answered Feb 14 '11 at 02:06 KnightZero 1.2k●7●24

Your best bet in three words:

DON'T DO IT.

Running a game in a virtual machine is just a fancy way of having your system commit suicide. Every time I boot up my Ubuntu VM, I want to punch an orphan. And that isn't even Windows. Gaming in such an environment would be horrendous at best.

What you should do is configure Boot Camp and dual-boot Mac OS and Windows. Then, you don't have to worry about the pain-in-the-ass sluggishness of your video games.

answered Feb 14 '11 at 18:07

HHBones
4.1k●61●82●118

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