SL Client on Parallels?

Has anyone gotten the Windows SL Client to run under Parallels?

If so, please post a 'how-to' in this forum!!

Not possible, Parallels doesn't provide a 3d (either DirectX or OpenGL) API in their simulated video card.

I tried to get SL running under Parallels and failed so checked with the makers. They came back very promptly and said no games that depend on 3D graphics will run under Parallells at present. They said it's something they're working on - and said they might have something in the "new year." That was in October 06. So maybe sometime in 07. I wouldn't hold your breath, though.

It does however run great in Bootcamp. Some patches the OS X version runs better. Some patches the Windows version does.

It might be worthwhile to attempt running the windows SL client using Codeweavers Crossover. It's a port of the wine project, and happens to include good integration with DirectX and Direct3D. I've had good success with a few other modern 3D games.

I've tried Crossover. Didn't work for me.

I've tried Crossover - and the game would install and even start up but crashed immediately. Gave up - and I really doubt it would work. I was amazed the game would even try to load, as I can't believe there is support for 3D graphics in Crossover if there isn't in Parallels.

There's a new option on the horizon from VMware but don't know much about it. http://www.vmware.com/products/beta/fusion//

Looks like a competitor to Parallels (so you'll still need a legit copy of XP to make it work).

Yes there is support for 3D graphics using Crossover, its much different than parallels. Parallels has to simulate a whole computer system. With virtualization it can use the processor nicely, but as of now most of the rest of the computer is emulated, including the video card. It emulates a very bad 2D only video card. Crossover doesn't emulate anything, it just translates the instructions on the fly to something OSX can understand... basically.

Thanks Missy - perhaps I'll give Crossover another go sometime. It would be a much better proposition if it could be made to work - simply becasue it woould save the cost of buying Windows XP.

This stuff is clearly possible. Why don't Apple just sort this out?

WINE which Crossover is built off of has been in development for years. It will never work 100% as the target its chasing is always changing, and there just isn't enough money put into it.

The fusion product from VMware doesn't support graphics acceleration yet, possibly in the future, though. So no luck running SL under fusion.

I think it depends on your hardware, too. I was able to get SL to run in Parallels on my Macbook Pro (nVidia 8600M card), but in virtualization it didn't run much better than it did on my roommate's Macbook (Intel GMA950). It DID run, though, and appeared to be more stable than the current Mac SL client.

YMMV,

H.

Absolutely, you want the new Parallels 3.0. My MacBook Pro cries for mercy when running the Mac client, usually taking the whole machine down with it. I tried the new Parallels, and it does actually run better with the PC client. Speed is passable (I have not installed Boot Camp yet, so I cannot compare speeds), but not nearly as spritely as a decked-out Windows box. Best of all, crashes are far fewer.

(MBPro, 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM, NV8600M)

If anyone's run this on a similar configuration with more RAM, does it fare significantly better with either client?

I got SL running under XP with VMware Fusion trial version.

The VMware Workstation manual (free download) has a section (that I wrote when I worked at VMware) explaining how to set up "experimental D3D" suppport. Since Fusion uses the same core as Workstation, experimental D3D works the same way for Fusion.

Macbook coreduo 2ghz 2GB RAM /GMA950 64MB graphics.

YMMV

Ricercar, if you are still monitoring this, can you explain how I can make SL run in an XP VM? I am dying to know.