There are other features that are currently only available when running Fusion on older Macs with Intel processors, which will also be updated so that they run on Macs with Apple Silicon too. VMware also states that this improvement in graphics performance will boost performance for the Windows user-interface as well so that tasks such as changing the resolution of the Windows virtual machine become quicker and smoother. However, the Fusion Tech Preview 2023 brings “full 3D hardware accelerated graphics” to virtual machines running Windows On Arm on Macs with Apple Silicon, including support for Microsoft’s DirectX 11 graphics system. But there’s hope on the horizon, as in July 2023 VMware announced a tech preview of a forthcoming update to Fusion that provides new features and performance improvements for Macs with Apple Silicon.Īs mentioned, the current release version of Fusion 13 doesn’t support 3D graphics acceleration when running Windows 11 On Arm on Macs with Apple Silicon (M1 or M2 processors). However, gamers who are hoping to play Elden Ring or Diablo IV may be disappointed – at least with the current version of Fusion 13. To be fair, the high performance of Apple’s M1 and M2 processors means that your Windows virtual machines should be able to handle routine tasks such as web browsing or running the Windows version of Microsoft Office without too much trouble – and even at 4K resolution too. But, when running on Apple Silicon, Fusion only supports OpenGL for virtual machines that use Linux – with Windows support still in development. When running on Macs with Intel processors, Fusion provides hardware acceleration for 3D graphics in Windows games and design software that use DirectX and OpenGL 4.3. There are some technical limitations too. Fusion also has a tendency to throw a lot of complicated jargon at you too – such as “side channel mitigations” – which is the sort of thing that only corporate IT managers are likely to understand. Unfortunately, that’s not an easy task, as Windows 11 On Arm is primarily intended for sale to PC manufacturers, rather than individual users, so VMWare needs to make Fusion a bit more user-friendly for people who don’t understand the intricacies of Microsoft’s licensing policies. Parallels Desktop includes an option to automatically download and purchase Windows 11 On Arm when creating a new virtual machine, but VMware simply told us that it’s up to the user to buy a license from Microsoft. This means that the process of installing and running Windows 11 on Macs with Apple Silicon has some rather rough edges. These Macs need a special version of Windows 11 called Windows 11 On Arm, and VMware’s Michael Roy says that Fusion 13 is just “our first round of features for Windows 11 On Arm”. There’s a more limited range of features available when running Fusion 13 on Macs that have Apple Silicon processors such as the M1 or M2. Both programs also allow you to create virtual machines that run various versions of Linux too, which is a useful feature for many developers and students. And, crucially, you can run your Windows apps right alongside your existing Mac apps – rather than having to switch back and forth between Mac and Windows as you have to do when using Boot Camp on Intel Macs (and, of course, Boot Camp is no longer available on Macs with Apple Silicon at all). This virtual machine emulates the workings of a Windows PC, allowing you to install a full copy of Windows on the virtual machine and then run any Windows software or games that you need to use. In recent years, though, VMware has seemed to focus more on its high-end corporate products and, since the introduction of Apple Silicon in 2020, Fusion no longer really competes with the annual updates to Parallels Desktop anymore.īoth programs work in basically the same way, allowing you to create a virtual machine (VM) that runs on your Mac just like any other Mac application. Every time Apple released a new version of the macOS we would see Parallels and VMware release their own updates, and this competition was great for Mac users as it meant that both programs continued to offer new features and performance improvements every year. And, with a free version available for non-commercial use, it’s also the most affordable option for home users and students.įor many years Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion fought a long battle to produce the best virtualization software for Mac users who needed to run Windows software on their Macs. Support for Apple Silicon is still a work in progress, but Fusion 13 remains a good option for Mac users who need to run Windows 11 or Linux apps on their Macs.
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