Version 3 users: Should the rest of us upgrade?!

I have been a user of Parallels for about 6 months now and have been
very happy with version 2 and all its updates.

This recent release of version 3 sounds quite promising, though I must admit
I'm rather surprised that after spending $70, that users are being asked to fork
over another $50. It's a rather expensive upgrade and I would consider it only
if this version lives up to the hype.

So, for those of you who are actually using version 3, the questions are....

1. Does this version actually support 3D gaming?
2. Does this version support Vista Aero?
3. Is there any performance problems with version 3 over 2?

Would really like to hear testimonials on how much better or worse this
new version is. This is important to those of us on the fence about spending
$50 to upgrade.

Thanks in advance!

 

Okay let me answer question by quenstion:

1. No, forget it for now. There are some games working, the majority is not. Performance is still relatively poor.

2. No, Vista Aero is not supported. It probaby will be as soon, as Direct X 9 is implemented.

3. I cannot really say, it feels like it takes more CPU but it is just a subjective feeling and I did not prove it, yet.

Well, in my opinion I would suggest to wait if you can. If possible evaluate the next release first before paying for it and if you like it you know what to do.
For now I strongly recommend not to buy it as it is beta software and cannot really be called a final release. So for the principle I would not spend money on this, maybe they learn from it.

 

Cynic,

Thank You for these answers.

It is apparent that most of us should just wait.

I'm rather angry that the developers of this product felt that
we should be charged $50 for this upgrade. While I consider the
original $80 pricetag to be fair, upgrades to this product should
have been more reasonably priced at $30. I have no doubt that
in time, we'll be asked to fork out money again for another upgrade.

Just my opinion.

 

Yes I think you are right. Well, but I also think it is more the marketing than the developers.
I paid 39$ because of the preorder offer. Back then I did it, because I have never been disappointed by Parallels and SWSoft.
However, after the 3.0 Release I will not preorder Parallels again.

 

FWIW, I'd second what cynic is saying, especially based upon your three questions. Snapshot support alone made the upgrade worthwhile for me, as I was managing snapshots manually and it was a real PITA.

I'm extremely skeptical that any VM can ever approach native graphics speed; given the heavy GPU requirements of most modern games, I just don't see virtualization as a viable option. I switched from the PC to the console for gaming several years ago and have never regretted the switch (The recommended graphics card for a title I wanted on the PC was more expensive than an XBox!)

I also agree that $49 was a steep price for this upgrade, especially considering that I got my copy of Parallels for $20 after rebates at a retail outlet.

 

DON'T GO NEAR IT!

it's buggy beyond reason. what's worse, when you REALLY need help and dish out money for their phone support, IT'S NOT WORKING EITHER!

Give it a few months, or wait until Mac gets bootcamp working properly and maybe bury this nightmare.

STAY AWAY FROM IT!

 

Should I upgrade to 3.0?

Just a reminder to everyone who is questioning whether Parallels was "justified" in charging for an upgrade to their software--Parallels has added major advancements to their product in the last calendar year, i.e. Boot camp support, Coherence, USB support, Transporter, Disk Utility, Compressor, Parallels Tools, Drag & drop, Etc. All of these features have have been added into the past upgrades--for FREE.

It's a software industry standard to charge for annual upgrades. As an example, I bought MS Streets & Trips several years ago and pay for the upgrade every year. Why...because I love the product and look forward to the new features.

Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0 has some pretty cool NEW features including Snapshots, Smart Select, 3-D support, and Parallels Explorer. If you really want the new features, drop the dime and upgrade. If you don't really care, then stay with what you've got. If you want to test drive the new stuff before paying for it, then download the new software and get a free trial key.
No brainer!

 

Well, directx 8.1 games often work. Personally, I upgraded because I like playing random Indy games, especially freeware ones. I'm pretty happy with 3.0, personally. I haven't noticed any actual performance improvement, but I don't normally run anything that abuses the system. I will comment that some 3d games that were unplayable on my T30 laptop due to poor performance work perfectly under Parallels. If your goal is to play next gen FPS games, you might very well be disappointed. However, if your goal is to play random old games from a few years ago, you should be pretty happy.

 

How about features which were broken after build 1970 (http://forum.parallels.com/thread10094.html) ???? Anyone care to comment if the Icon issue and screen resize issue has been fixed?

I don't want to download a trial of 3.0 and ruin my now (mostly) functional 2.x

Thanks

 

I would probably buy the upgrade ... if I could find out how!

I was aware of the pre-release upgrade special offer, but decided to hold off until I could try it. Now that I have done so, I can't find ANY links to an upgrade option. I never received the email to tell me about the upgrade, so I don't have that link, and the online store only seems to have the full price product.

I've emailed Parallels twice, enclosing my original confirmation email for version 2.x, with no response. What do I have to do to give you guys money?

My trial key is about to expire, and so I currently have three options:

- Revert to version 2.5* and then what? Wait for Parallels to respond to my emails?
- Pay full price for a v3 activation key?
- Jump ship to the competition

No brainer, indeed!

* Reverting would be non-trivial. The uninstaller for v3 says I don't have Parallels installed!

 

Try this one:
http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/upgrade

 

I pre-ordered the upgrade and I've been very happy with it -- none of the problems other users are reporting (although, to be fair, I haven't even tried gaming). Running MBP core 2 duo with 3 Gb ram, with Windows Vista enterprise running off a boot camp partition.

 

Thank you, kind Sir Why can't Parallels do that?

In spite of Parallels' callous disregard I've upgraded ... but I also have the other product now, so a couple more strikes and they'll be out!

 

Parallels did do that. That link has been around since 3.0 was released. I first found it in the News section of the home page which is where I look for news from Parallels.

 

My optician and I would both be interested to know where that link is now. I did try quite hard to find it yesterday before posting, having been fully aware of the fact that it *was* around at the time of the release.

 

Broken after 1970... sounds familiar. I've been trying to get them to support my dongle for many builds now, which did work in build 1970.

 

Hey Alan,
Sorry about the confusion. Like many sites I visit, sometimes things are a layer or two deep.
From the Parallels.com page, click on "products" from the menu bar at the top, then choose Parallels Desktop for Mac. From there, you can purchase a new license, upgrade from a current version or download a trial. Thanks!

 

I read your previous thread that you cited in your above quote. I want to try to reproduce or at least better understand the difficulties you're having with version 2.5 and screen resolution. Can you send me a step by step document that I can follow so as to reproduce the same results on my end? You can email me at Parallels.tech.support@gmail.com. Thanks!

 

Thank you. I was sure I looked there. Back to the optician, then!

 

I think it's maybe not whether this release is justified, but perhaps the 3D support was a little oversold? from your website: "Play Windows-only 3D games, such as World of Warcraft, Half-Life 2, and Unreal Tournament". When I boot up winxp through BootCamp, I play half-life 2 1680x1050 and get totally reasonable gameplay (50-ish fps). In Parallels, I've turned all the graphics settings to their minimums and at 640x480 I get 8 fps. That cannot be considered playable - great proof of concept perhaps - but that's all.

Sorry, as much as I believe that Parallels is a great product which has really helped me become the Mac fanboy I've always wanted to be, I feel very misled with this release.

so to answer the thread's question - if you want to upgrade so you can play HL2 engine games on your Mac, don't do it.

pete.