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virtualbox-ose package

Graphics on VirtualBox

Asked by GODSMACK

I have installed windows 7 32-bit on virtualbox on my Ubuntu 10.04 & I installed virtualbox guest additions but the graphics performance are very low.

You can't start a game & the themes work like you have no driver installed for your VGA card.

I'm asking if it possible to run games on virtualbox windows 7 like borderlands, DiRT 2, Splinter Cell Conviction ((heavy games)) or not?

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delance
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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#1

Never try.
There is EXPERIMENTAL 2D and 2D drivers on Virtual Box. You can configure your virtual machine to use it.
You can also configure graphic memory (and RAM memory.
But I have to deactivate it for Lucid (both guest and host).
Virtual Box, as others virtualizers, are largely oriented in 2D graphic.
I advise you to switch ON each option one by one.
I'm curious to know result.
For the moment, I use dual-boot for games and Virtual Box for others Windows programs.

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GODSMACK (godsmack-dmx) said : 		#2

Enabling 2D & 3D but nothing happens.

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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#3

What do you means by nothing happens ?
The game is always too slow ? It doesn't start ?

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GODSMACK (godsmack-dmx) said : 		#4

The games can't even start. And as I said before the themes working like you have no driver installed for VGA card.

And the system rating I get
(( graphics acceleration 1))
(( 3D 1))

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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#5

The games can refuse to start for another reason. Do you use real hardware CD-ROM or ISO image.
Most of games detect the ISO image (called virtual CD-ROM) and refuse to start.
I don't know how they see hardware CD-ROM: as a real device or via an interface like virtual CD-ROM.
3D must also be enabled in VBoxAddition, else link between host and guest is not done.
The Microsoft Chess game told me I have no hardware acceleration.

For the moments, it looks there is no 3D hardware acceleration, despite proposed options.
You could ask on Virtual Box forum.

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GODSMACK (godsmack-dmx) said : 		#6

Actually it looks like there is no 3D hardware acceleration

But if it was could virtualbox run high end games like crysis, modern warfare 2 you know this kind of games?

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Best delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#7

I don't think so. Virtualization is not for gaming as there is no direct way to virtualize 3D graphic card.
Another solution is, perhaps, to have a look at Wine.
Wine is a set of libraries which emulate Windows and also Direct3D.
In this case, Windows games are linked to interface of Wine's library, which translate Direct3D commands into OpenGL commands (3D under Linux...and also sometimes Windows), which is more efficient.
There is also a not-free version of Wine, which is compatible with more games.

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GODSMACK (godsmack-dmx) said : 		#8

Thanks delance, that solved my question.