VMware Fusion can now use full 3D acceleration for Windows 11 Arm on Apple Silicon chips

[Alfonso Maruccia]

In context: VMWare is one of the leading platforms for creating and managing virtual machines and virtualized OS, and VMWare Fusion is the software hypervisor specifically designed to run on host macOS systems. A new update announced by the Californian company is now promising to bring an almost-native Windows 11 experience to Apple Silicon machines.

Arm-based Apple Silicon chips have brought significant change in the way Mac users run their software, especially when it comes to gaming. Compatibility with traditional x86 applications must now go through the VM route, with no chance of getting native-like performances in every use case. For Arm versions of Windows 11, however, things are getting rosier thanks to the improvements recently announced by VMWare.

VMware Fusion, the VM manager specifically designed to run on the Apple M series of chips, got a new Tech Preview 2023 which brings a "significant leap forward" for the virtualization software on the macOS platform.

VMware Fusion Tech Preview 2023 "dramatically" improves virtualization of the Arm version of Windows 11 on MacOS hosts, thanks to the newly introduced support for full 3D acceleration.

Full 3D hardware acceleration provides a new level of graphics performance to the Fusion platform, VMWare said, giving users the chance to run "full DirectX 11 3D games" and applications with "stunning" speed. The guest OS interface is now much more responsive, and resolution changes can happen almost instantly thanks to autofit.

Gamers will surely welcome the new graphics improvements coming to Fusion, even though compatibility is limited to software designed to run on Arm chips. Which, in the Windows x86-centered PC gaming market, still is a very small niche. VMWare highlights how full 3D acceleration can improve the overall Windows 11 experience on Arm, for both gaming/multimedia experience and productivity tasks.

VMware Fusion Tech Preview 2023 also brings better support for VMware Tools, which are a set of services and modules released in ISO format to provide more seamless integration with guest operating systems. There's been a "dramatic" improvement here, VMWare stated, as Fusion can now deliver "the vast majority" of VMWare Tools features which were already available on the x86 version of the virtualization platform.

Other significant upgrades coming with Tech Preview 2023 include an "impossibly fast" drag-and-drop feature and clipboard sharing between Mac and Windows 11, enhanced security with bugfixes and an improved encryption scheme (XTS instead of CBC) for "maximum protection" with a reduced performance overhead. VMWare Fusion Tech Preview 2023 can be already downloaded and installed on Apple Silicon systems, VMWare said, while a "few more" improvements will come to the platform in the second half of the year.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99418-vmware-fusion-can-now-use-full-3d-acceleration.html

 

[Dimitriid]

This is not as promising as vmware is making it sound: its going to rull full 3D acceleration but for the windows arm version. At this point I'm pretty sure that thanks to Valve efforts, Linux has way better game compatibility than Windows arm.

Not only that but you'll see that unless you're willing to pay exorbitant prices, the performance for the entry level M1 and M2 chips on gaming even if there wasn't an abstraction layer to deal with, is nothing to write home about. Think of it as the recent arc efforts by intel at launch: the horsepower was certainly not terrible even if not up to par, but the driver support was so poor it was basically useless for gaming.

The only reason to still own Apple silicon devices is video editing, people need to stop thinking you'll ever have proper game support on Apple silicon: get a Ryzen U chip based laptop if you want gaming on top of good performance + battery, think the steam deck but in full laptop mode.

 

[Kam7r]

This is not as promising as vmware is making it sound: its going to rull full 3D acceleration but for the windows arm version. At this point I'm pretty sure that thanks to Valve efforts, Linux has way better game compatibility than Windows arm.

Not only that but you'll see that unless you're willing to pay exorbitant prices, the performance for the entry level M1 and M2 chips on gaming even if there wasn't an abstraction layer to deal with, is nothing to write home about. Think of it as the recent arc efforts by intel at launch: the horsepower was certainly not terrible even if not up to par, but the driver support was so poor it was basically useless for gaming.

The only reason to still own Apple silicon devices is video editing, people need to stop thinking you'll ever have proper game support on Apple silicon: get a Ryzen U chip based laptop if you want gaming on top of good performance + battery, think the steam deck but in full laptop mode.

but but but they want the apple's logo on their cr@p !!! If not, how they'll boast about "having" money ( or being now in debt )... Maybe 90% of the ppl I saw with apple hardware didn't needed it ( a PC would have made the job, better and for less ) everytime I see someone with an apple computer I think instantly as someone who doesn't know sh!t about computers or just bought those cr@p to somehow flex ... [SRY for you the 10% ppl who actually need those for work ]

 

[Burty117]

The only reason to still own Apple silicon devices is video editing...

everytime I see someone with an apple computer I think instantly as someone who doesn't know sh!t about computers...

Tell me you haven't used an M powered MacBook without telling me... meme comes to mind.

I've never owned or used a MacBook for personal use, I've come across them in my job but they're unfit for my role.
However...
I do have others around me who use them for work and I gotta say, the battery life on them is nothing short of astonishing. They're much quicker as well, I have £3k Dell XPS or a £2K Lenovo and a £1000 Apple MacBook Air blows them both out of the water for just day-to-day tasks.
Opening up Outlook, browsing the web, using your normal day-to-day stuff, the Apple kit destroys anything Windows based.

I wouldn't use one for work, they simply do not do what I need them to do. Would I get one for personal use though? If I had the money to burn, probably. The battery life and easy speed (that is, from off or sleep to actually doing something) are simply head and shoulders above any Windows based laptop I've ever used.

It actually happened a couple of weeks ago, I was delivering some technical training, I had someone turn up with a brand new, £1500 Lenovo L15 Gen4 (latest Intel 13th gen) and another turn up with a year old, Apple M1 MacBook Air that cost them £1000 or so.

The guy with the MacBook hadn't charged the night before but had been using it for work. The Lenovo was fully charged the night before.

By Lunchtime, the Lenovo was at 30%, the MacBook was at 84%. By the end of the day, the Lenovo had been put on charge and the MacBook was at 78%.

They are soo much further ahead in efficiency it's hard to see how AMD or Intel will catchup anytime soon. Or Microsoft Sleep not absolutely destroying the battery for no reason.

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

I get the Apple-hate... I really do, and they've earned it. However Apple hardware design is generally not only attractive but pretty well built. Now that is just build quality I'm thinking of, not repair-ability - which has been getting worse and worse over the years now with everything being integrated.

Anyway, it is indeed disappointing this VMware Fusion is only for ARM based Windows. I wouldn't mind having a newer Mac but still being able to play some of my Windows games on it. I really don't play much so what I play may still be playable on the Apple's new processors.

I generally try to avoid Windows as much as I can now, their efforts to remove or hide advanced settings/options, forcing updates and their crap apps down our throats has gone too far. I only use Windows for gaming and file management because File Explorer is superior to MacOS Finder, Finder is CRAP. I would prefer to use Linux but the whole package systems thing for apps and things breaking after upgrades is really frustrating - I just don't have the time to dink with it all the time. For the most part MacOS just works, even if Finder is junk. Most of my time is spent browsing the web through Firefox or Brave, and working on documents and emails. You don't need Winblows for that.

It's sad because I used to like M$FT... but once Windows 8 came out it went down the porcelain throat real quick, the writing was on the wall. I mainly use 10 because I have to now but that still does a lot of crap I don't like. I held onto 7 as long as I could reasonably do so but drivers are being a big issue for it. Honestly I miss XP... yes it had a super buggy start but damn, it gave the power to the USER. YOU were in control and could set things up however you wanted. Now it is just One Microsoft Way. That is M$FT's physical address by the way, and I don't think that is a coincidence.

 

[kapital98]

Tell me you haven't used an M powered MacBook without telling me... meme comes to mind.

I've never owned or used a MacBook for personal use, I've come across them in my job but they're unfit for my role.
However...
I do have others around me who use them for work and I gotta say, the battery life on them is nothing short of astonishing. They're much quicker as well, I have £3k Dell XPS or a £2K Lenovo and a £1000 Apple MacBook Air blows them both out of the water for just day-to-day tasks.
Opening up Outlook, browsing the web, using your normal day-to-day stuff, the Apple kit destroys anything Windows based.

I wouldn't use one for work, they simply do not do what I need them to do. Would I get one for personal use though? If I had the money to burn, probably. The battery life and easy speed (that is, from off or sleep to actually doing something) are simply head and shoulders above any Windows based laptop I've ever used.

It actually happened a couple of weeks ago, I was delivering some technical training, I had someone turn up with a brand new, £1500 Lenovo L15 Gen4 (latest Intel 13th gen) and another turn up with a year old, Apple M1 MacBook Air that cost them £1000 or so.

The guy with the MacBook hadn't charged the night before but had been using it for work. The Lenovo was fully charged the night before.

By Lunchtime, the Lenovo was at 30%, the MacBook was at 84%. By the end of the day, the Lenovo had been put on charge and the MacBook was at 78%.

They are soo much further ahead in efficiency it's hard to see how AMD or Intel will catchup anytime soon. Or Microsoft Sleep not absolutely destroying the battery for no reason.

I'm writing this on an M1 (2020) Macbook: For the same price, Windows 11 machines have better hardware and (usually) better battery life. The M1 chip is extremely efficient but we still live in a M$ world.

It's only when you add so many abstract conditionals that Macs start to make sense for anyone who plans to do more than web browsing (which is exactly why I'm using a Macbook right now: My wife gave it to me and it has a longer battery life than a current-gen Dell XPS).

The vast, VAST majority of people are better off getting a Windows machine. For those that only care about "efficiency": Get a high-end Chromebook. You'll get basically the same experience but with much better hardware and "efficiency".

 

[Burty117]

I'm writing this on an M1 (2020) Macbook: For the same price, Windows 11 machines have better hardware and (usually) better battery life.

That's just not true, not even close, your 2020 MacBook still has better battery life than any modern Windows based laptop. That's not debatable either, it's a fact. It's very hard to believe you own an M1 MacBook and we're only 1 sentence into your comment.

I'm using a Macbook right now: My wife gave it to me and it has a longer battery life than a current-gen Dell XPS).

Literally, your first sentence was saying Windows Laptops have better battery life, now you're saying they don't?

It's only when you add so many abstract conditionals that Macs start to make sense for anyone who plans to do more than web browsing.

No doubt, it's why I don't have one, they simply do not run the software, or have the compatibility I need for my job. The thing is, the vast majority of people out there, a web browser + office suite is pretty much all they need and Macs do this well, really well.

The vast, VAST majority of people are better off getting a Windows machine.

This was true years ago when a £600 Windows Laptop wasn't rubbish, today, you have to go to around £1000 for a Windows laptop to stop being rubbish. Which is Apple pricing.
I disagree most would be better off with a Windows Laptop. Most people would prefer a battery that can last several days, most people would prefer to open the laptop and it instantly gets back to web browsing, Most people would prefer OS updates that don't break stuff.
When it comes to Value, that's a little different, since you can get a £400 Windows Laptop that will browse the web and run the office suite without much trouble. Even if the battery will only last 2 hours at a push.

Get a high-end Chromebook. You'll get basically the same experience but with much better hardware and "efficiency".

Have you used a Chromebook? Have you tried installing Office on it? Have you ever given Chromebooks out to an average laptop user? It doesn't go well, printing doesn't work, "I can't save stuff properly", where's Outlook, Why can't I use *insert nearly any application* on here? The list goes on.
I am rooting for ChromeOS, I hope one day it can compete, but deciding it was basically just a browser early on has hurt it's chances of becoming a major competitor to Windows or MacOS.

 

[bviktor]

Too little too late. Parallels and CrossOver already do this, and more.

 

[Guybrush3epwood]

everytime I see someone with an apple computer I think instantly as someone who doesn't know sh!t about computers or just bought those cr@p to somehow flex ...

The thing with Apple is apart from the amazing build quality and performance for "day to day workloads", what you are really paying for is the software. I've worked as a sysadmin and software engineer for nearly 20years and despite using Windows or Linux daily at work, I still use Mac at home. The software stability, battery life and just pure convenience of having everything just work, photos automatically sync, messages in real time etc is worth the price. And considering my Apple laptops easily last 5 years without slowing down or breaking and my wife and kids windows laptops never go more than a couple of years without issues, the Apple devices end up being cheaper.

 

[MakeMSGreatAgain]

The thing with Apple is apart from the amazing build quality and performance for "day to day workloads", what you are really paying for is the software. I've worked as a sysadmin and software engineer for nearly 20years and despite using Windows or Linux daily at work, I still use Mac at home. The software stability, battery life and just pure convenience of having everything just work, photos automatically sync, messages in real time etc is worth the price. And considering my Apple laptops easily last 5 years without slowing down or breaking and my wife and kids windows laptops never go more than a couple of years without issues, the Apple devices end up being cheaper.

There are not a lot of people who realize this but you are exactly right. I've been in IT for just over 20 years now and having played with Windows and Linux since 1995 I've seen Windows go from the power tool that it was (peaking in 2000/XP) to a frustrating, invasive, watered down box of disappointment.

The ONLY reason I still use it at home is to play games on, but otherwise I'm using MacOS as my primary. I also like Linux, and it has come a long way but it is still awfully fiddly even with the most well rounded and complete distributions; that I just don't have the time or patience to d!ck with it when I am home. I do that all day at work with *nix servers and Windows server.

Like you said MacOS especially on native Apple hardware - just works, at least way more consistently than other options. MacOS also doesn't seem to harass and annoy you to the extend M$FT does with their effing updates, Edge taking over as default browser, and all their other shady shove-it-down-our-throat tactics. I used to love Windows but they have ruined the OS and have just bullied their way into the lead.

MacOS is lacking in their GUI file management, MacOS Finder app is utter trash and is really no where as easy to use as M$FT Windows File Explorer. MacOS still doesn't have any emulation of DirectX or really any solid way of running modern Windows games.