MAMEWorld Forums - EmuChat - Re: How good is VirtualBox?

> > > How does it compare to DosBox, how is the performance, and are there any
> emulation
> > > issues? It looks like it takes much more time to set up. But if you're trying to
> > play
> > > an old Windows game, VirtualBox is probably the only option.
> >
> > Your best bet is to just try it. VirtualBox is ok for XP and up. But if it uses
> > anything more fancy than directx frame buffers (ie 3D) it stinks and is very hit or
> > miss. You would be better off with vmware. DOSBox is very good for DOS games. The
> > solutions for win95 are fairly hit or miss. DOSBox can handle win3x pretty good.
> > However win95 compat is all over the place. If you can get it to run the speed is
> > pretty good on both. With vb you can sometimes run into odd issues where you can
> not
> > even install win9x. There are whole websites out there dedicated to just getting
> > win9x running and patched.
> >
> > As for setup virtualbox is about the equiv of installing an OS then getting the
> > software to install. There are plenty of tutorials out there (including the vb
> site).
> > DOSBox is more like setting up an application and then running the dos application
> > installer. Both can be kinda quirky but nothing you cant figure out with a bit of
> > google.
>
> Yep, I agree with lharms. I am a long time DOSBox and VirtualBox user and have tried
> lots of things under VirtualBox: a dozen or more flavours of Linux, every version of
> DOS from v1.x, every version of Windows since v1.x, BE OS, OS/2, and various others.
> I do 95% if my daily work in various VirtualBox VM's.
>
> For games, VirtualBox can be "iffy", especially if they require 3D or they "push the
> hardware". Simple games like PokerStars, Monopoly, Bad Piggies, Plants Vs Zombies,
> etc work fine, but anything more advanced can have issues. e.g. Hearthstone (the
> collectible card game) is unstable and crashes fairly often in a VM.
>
> Your best is to give it a try and see if it works for whatever you want to do.

I actually find VirtualBox to be a little bit faster than VMWare in some respects. I use it to run an emulated Windows 98 system to play old Windows 3.1 / 95 / 98 era games that use *shudder* QuickTime.