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Review of Connectix Virtual PC

Table of Contents

• Product Specifications
• System Requirements
• Review
• Summary
• Ratings
• Contact information
• Pricing
• Computer system this software was reviewed

Product Specifications

Platform: Macintosh
Media Format: CD

System Requirements:

Review

Virtual PC is as the name indicates, it is emulator software that runs on your Macintosh to give you a Virtual PC. This PC emulator has several advantages over its competitors in that it is not for just one type of OS. Virtual PC can run the following PC operating systems: DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT, IBM OS/2, and NeXT OPENSTEP.

The version we reviewed came with PC DOS as well as three PC games. (Madden NFL Football LTD, PGA Tour 96, and Need for Speed SE). Although the version that we are reviewing came with PC DOS, all we need to do to get this same software up and running under the other OS's is purchase the other OS and run the installer for that software while in Virtual PC. The point I'm trying to make is that the same Virtual PC package can run the other OS's, all it takes is for you to purchase and install the OS software.

Installation

The installation of the Virtual PC Software was relatively easy. Like most good Mac Applications today, you just had to click on the installer program and follow the easy instructions on the screen. Once installed, it is just a matter of double-clicking on the Virtual PC application and you are up and running in DOS mode. If you have purchased the version of Virtual PC that already has Windows installed, you would have been booted up into windows.

Since this version of Virtual PC came with the three games mentioned above, I proceeded to follow their cryptic instructions for installing them onto the Virtual PC's virtual Hard Drive. Even thought Virtual PC can give your Mac a way to run PC applications and it itself is easy to install, it does not solve the messy problem of installing PC applications. It took me at least 1/2 to install the Need for Speed SE and even longer to install PGA Tour 96. Where is that one click, easy to follow installer when you need it.

Running of applications in Virtual PC.

Need for Speed ran rather well. I had recently installed this game on my in laws Compaq Parsario and used that for comparison. This was also tested on the Performa 6290.

Comparing 250mhz Mac with the Compaq running this game, they were about even. Both had good speed, quick responses to keyboard commands. The Mac did suffer a few problem while running this application. First thing I noticed was an occasional video clique in that the screen would display some funky image for a slit second. This only occurred during the startup sequence of the Need for Speed. During the Game, this problem did not happen.

The other more obvious problem was with the sound. You could tell the CPU/Virtual PC didn't quite have the horsepower. The sound would become rather jumpy (same sound would be repeated quickly) instead of the smooth flow of sound the Compaq produced.

Other than that, this game ran rather well.

Now, for the Performa, this game was a total loss. The CPU/Virtual PC just couldn't keep up. The sound was constantly jumpy, the images would jump from one scene of the race trace to another while missing much of the track in between. Although 100mhz is the bottom of the list, based upon my experience with these high CPU intense games (sound and motion at once) I would not recommend this type of use of Virtual PC on such a slow Mac.

As for the two other games that came with the software, I got roughly the same type of performance. The Golf game was the best of the three as far as performance goes, but the hardest to install. I cannot fault Virtual PC for that one as it was not the Virtual PC program that was the problem with the install, but the installer program and instructions that came with the game.

 

Summary

If you are a part time gamer and drool over the current selection of PC games, then this solution might be for you. I would only recommend it for folks who have a newer faster machine that is a bit more powerful than the 100mhz min mentioned. If you are a serious gamer, I would tell you that you might be a litte disappointed with this solution, but there are many just as exciting Mac games out there today. You just have to look a little longer to find them.

The manual is good for telling you how to install the software, but lacking a little in troubleshooting.

Rating

(Rated on a scale from 1 Dome to 5 Domes. 5 Domes being excellent and 1 Dome being not worthy)

Value for the Money: (4)
Usability: (3) (hay, it's still DOS)
Installation Ease (5)
Manual (3)

Contact information

Connectix Corp

2655 Campus Drive

San Mateo, CA 94403 USA

Phone: (800) 950-5880

Fax: (650) 571-5195

email: info@connectix.com

URL: http://www.connectix.com/

Pricing

Suggested retail pricing is $

Computer system this software was reviewed.

20th Anniversary Macintosh, 32mb RAM 2 GB Hard Drive, 250mhz and a Performa 6290, 24mb RAM 1GB Hard Drive, 100mhz (bottom of what is recommend)