Resolved how to play a pc game on my MBP

[bdodds1985]

just curious.. not a big gamer but i am deployed and want to play a game i normally would just buy for xbox on my MBP. only thing is that its a PC game, "dead island" not out yet but will be the time i get my MBP, get home for R&R and set it all up.

my question:
what can i do to play this game? it is a pc game so do i have to buy windows? i know nothing about bootcamp either. is that something that has to be bought?

also, i read on google something called crossover.. its an emulator so im sure its not that great but it stated that no windows installation is necessary.

im open to any and all answers and or suggestions. this site has already helped me take my first macbook steps and would be proud of what i am becoming!

 

[Sambo110]

Boot camp comes for free on every Mac (search for it in Spotlight, "Boot Camp Assistant" will show up), and yes, you need a copy of Windows to install it. It installs Windows properly, so you will get the most performance you possibly can, as good as a Windows computer with the same specs. Then you should be able to play Dead Island, depending on your specs. What GPU does your Macbook Pro have?

 

[bdodds1985]

Boot camp comes for free on every Mac (search for it in Spotlight, "Boot Camp Assistant" will show up), and yes, you need a copy of Windows to install it. It installs Windows properly, so you will get the most performance you possibly can, as good as a Windows computer with the same specs. Then you should be able to play Dead Island, depending on your specs. What GPU does your Macbook Pro have?

Brand new MBP specs as follows:

2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
128GB Solid State Drive

does this have to be installed on the internal drive? or can i do it from my external 1.5 tb? one more: so im looking at the cost of the couple games and a windows 7 on a disc?

 

[Killery96]

Brand new MBP specs as follows:

2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
128GB Solid State Drive

does this have to be installed on the internal drive? or can i do it from my external 1.5 tb? one more: so im looking at the cost of the couple games and a windows 7 on a disc?

Yes that's the cost. Pop in a Windows 7 CD and bootcamp will partition some of your HDD to Windows 7. Then u can restart ur computer into windows and never come back to OSX. No, jk, you can boot between OS's any time. Windows 7 is pricy for its suckage, however it is probably the most reliable method by which to run Windows only games on an Apple computer. I own crossover and not one game I own for it doesn't crash: and these are fresh, legal installs that are patched. Also, never trust cider wrappers or hasty mac ports.

OVERALL: Buy windows 7, install it on your mac (really simple), buy the games, and treat it like a Windows 7 computer.

happy gaming

E

 

[doh123]

Many games you can port yourself using Wineskin... or get running using Crossover... this is great because it just runs in Mac OS X, no Windows needed... but not everything will work, and some might be difficult to get working... and there is usually a minor performance hit doing this as well.

the forums over at portingteam.com is full of people who make and share wrappers for getting Windows games running on Macs... no Windows needed, and using someone else's wrapper saves all the problems you find trying to get games working yourself. Just download the wrapper, install your copy of the game in it, and now its just like a Mac app.

 

[bushidounohana]

Many games you can port yourself using Wineskin... or get running using Crossover... this is great because it just runs in Mac OS X, no Windows needed... but not everything will work, and some might be difficult to get working... and there is usually a minor performance hit doing this as well.

the forums over at portingteam.com is full of people who make and share wrappers for getting Windows games running on Macs... no Windows needed, and using someone else's wrapper saves all the problems you find trying to get games working yourself. Just download the wrapper, install your copy of the game in it, and now its just like a Mac app.

While I know the purists will advocate Boot Camp for the best experience (and rightfully so), I've found doh123's suggestion of Wineskin to be a wonderful alternative. While I have no porting experience prior to about a month ago, a little research, persistence, and practice have allowed me to port several games on my own with little issue or effort.

PortingTeam.com is a great resource, and I'd also take a look at Wineskin's website (http://wineskin.doh123.com/) for more info and the actual Wineskin download. I also found PaultheTall's website (http://www.paulthetall.com/) informative as he walks you through installing his ports via Youtube videos, which can help illuminate the process for yourself.

 

[bdodds1985]

OVERALL: Buy windows 7, install it on your mac (really simple), buy the games, and treat it like a Windows 7 computer.

I like this. But how much memory does adding windows 7 take up? i still have not bought the MBP and I am still contemplating getting a 256gb. This will be my last computer for a while and im sure it will outlast my PC Sony Vaio's (desktop and laptop) so i don't mind spending money. Also since i am deployed i will use it in place of my xbox until i get home (for dead island, saints row II and maybe COD when it comes out)... and of course: Starcraft (i haven't played it since i was younger and the first one)

Thanks for your help! Does it really matter if its home or ultimate version?

 

[Barnzee]

The home version will suit you just fine no need to spend extra on pro or ultimate. I have the same model MBP except I spent extra for the 2.3 model. Also you will be fine with a 7200rpm Hard drive. If I were you I would wait and buy the SSD aftermarket and install it myself if you really want it.
Personally I really don't notice the performance gains from a SSD. The only place I see them is in benchmark scores. But to each their own. You could install your SSD and replace the optical drive with the old HDD for storage if you wanted also.

 

[wywern209]

I like this. But how much memory does adding windows 7 take up? i still have not bought the MBP and I am still contemplating getting a 256gb. This will be my last computer for a while and im sure it will outlast my PC Sony Vaio's (desktop and laptop) so i don't mind spending money. Also since i am deployed i will use it in place of my xbox until i get home (for dead island, saints row II and maybe COD when it comes out)... and of course: Starcraft (i haven't played it since i was younger and the first one)

Thanks for your help! Does it really matter if its home or ultimate version?

no,the version doesn't matter for gaming and in my experience, windows take up 8-16gb based on if it is 32 or 64 bit version. and then tack on 5-10gb for each game so allocate like 50gb for your bootcamp partition so things run smoothly. should still be very doable on a 256gb ssd.

 

[Mr.C]

If you install Windows using Bootcamp can you make the Windows partition smaller or larger at a later date depending on your needs or are you stuck with the original partition size ? I am waiting for my new Mini to be delivered and it has a 750MB 7200RPM drive and I'm wondering how much of that realistically needs to be allocated to the Windows partition. I'm aware it all depends on the capacity of the games and other applications I install. Other then a few games I probably wouldn't be installing anything else on the Windows partition.