Bluestacks

[Mikeyqp]

Hello all, for those of you who have tried this android emulator, I just wanted to get your opinions on it. Good or bad.


I read on some sites that there are scaling issues

Problems with uninstalling

Frame rates aren't as good when playing games

Crashes

Can you install app via .apk

I use kindle on android and heard the windows kindle isn't as good. Can you add PDFs to certain programs through the emulator

Can u snap the emulator to one side while still being on the win desktop


I had other questions but can't think of them right now lol. Anyways, anything you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks (btw I've never tried windows 8/8.1, only windows 7, but I'm planning to get this surface and the nokia icon phone)

 

[leeshor]

Bluestacks is a hit and miss from my experience. Most of what you heard is true but it depends on the underlying system performance and other installed software. I have tried it every time there was a new release and just don't find a satisfactory experience. The same can be said of some other virtual environments as well but Bluestacks ranks top of the list for possible issues.

 

[Mikeyqp]

Do you have a preferred android emulator? I just want a stable, smooth, good looking emulator. I'm really not going to be playing many games on it

 

[jrhillma]

I have bluestacks on my SP2. The first time I installed it I couldn't get past the registration screen for Google. I deleted it and then re-installed it a couple days later and it works sort-of OK. The only screen that comes up is the app screen and it keeps telling me it's installing mandatory (free) apps every day, but I don't see them anywhere.

 

[be77solo]

I actually tried it this week for the first time... previously I tried the "geni" or whatever it's called emulator with terrible results.

Honestly, I was impressed with Bluestacks as a desktop program (no idea how well it would work in the Metro interface, if at all). Definitely room for improvement, but I was able to link to my Gmail account and load my Google Play store apps/games without issue. Not sure how the latest and greatest games would play, but all the apps I tried as well as one of my favorite slightly older games (AirAttackHD) played smoothly. It doesn't run at the full 1080p res, so yes at full screen it will scale. But, it's free

This was on my laptop, so my experience might differ on the Surface, but I haven't tried that yet.

 

[ojdavies]

I've swapped over from Bluestacks to Andy which is much better in my view - gives a more realistic Android experience complete with Play store access/sync. Can't comment on gaming suitability.

 

[hertsjoatmon]

I'm going to try Andy on my surface pro 2 (8GB) this week. I'll report back my results. Wanted access to my google play apps since my tablet was stolen and I cant afford another android device at present. From what I can tell there are performance issues which can be expected from an emulator, but these seems to be the best option since Bluestacks now charges or makes you download a free app everyday.

 

[tuchas]

Bluestacks is iffy and can be very slow depending on the app. Recently I learned of a Kickstarter project that will allow for dual boot between Windows and Android. It's not supposed to be available until December, but I'm holding off until then.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mmv/console-os-dual-boot-android-remastered-for-the-pc

 

[mcsenerd]

I've got Bluestacks installed just to be able to fend off my CoC addiction every now and then. It makes the SP3 fans spin like no tomorrow, the hot spot of terror appear on the back in no time, and generally requires me to put up with sluggishness that has no right to exist... BUT... it does work and is generally as stable as you'd expect android on top of windows to be, so I'm ok. It's not like I was expecting much in the first place...

 

[ctitanic]

Do you have a preferred android emulator? I just want a stable, smooth, good looking emulator. I'm really not going to be playing many games on it

Try DuOS. http://amiduos.com/

 

[hertsjoatmon]

Played about with Andy last night. Changed the RAM allocation to 3GB and the video RAM up to 64MB just to test. I got an AnTuTu score o 18246 with my benchmark test which is about on par with a Samsung Galaxy S3. That should give you an indication on how it runs.
Ran Anomoly 2, it seemed to play OK.
I then had to go out for the evenin so havent had a chance to play with the virualisation settings a bit more to see if I can get better performance.
The tablet ran hot though. CPU was at about 60-90% loaded through out my testing.
I can now see the benefit of being able to dual boot rather than run an emulation.

 

[ctitanic]

Played about with Andy last night. Changed the RAM allocation to 3GB and the video RAM up to 64MB just to test. I got an AnTuTu score o 18246 with my benchmark test which is about on par with a Samsung Galaxy S3. That should give you an indication on how it runs.
Ran Anomoly 2, it seemed to play OK.
I then had to go out for the evenin so havent had a chance to play with the virualisation settings a bit more to see if I can get better performance.
The tablet ran hot though. CPU was at about 60-90% loaded through out my testing.
I can now see the benefit of being able to dual boot rather than run an emulation.

All the Androids VM make the SP3 to run hot.