What is BlueStacks
The list of games for mobile platforms has tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of titles – from the primitive “three in a row” to high-budget shooters and MMORPG. Projects with the most beautiful graphics require appropriate hardware, which not all users have.
This is where BlueStacks comes to the rescue – an Android emulator for the PC, which allows you to play the hardest hits on your computer – on the big screen, with a mouse and keyboard (or gamepad).
The first version of the program appeared in 2009, and since then has undergone many changes. Initially, it was shareware (the user could purchase a one-year subscription or put up with the installation of sponsor applications), now you can download it for free by agreeing to periodic advertising (which is generally familiar to any smartphone owner using free applications).
BlueStacks contains a wide range of settings and capabilities, including the choice of virtual “smartphone” parameters, multitasking, Root access, application synchronization between a PC and a mobile device, installation of virtual SD cards, apk installation, and much more.
But first and foremost, the utility is sharpened for games. When you first start, you get access to an extensive library of a wide variety of games in dozens of genres. And even on the official website, the lion’s share of the main page is occupied by games.
Compatibility
Unlike other competitors such as GenyMoton, YouWave, and Andy, BlueStacks has the highest compatibility with the applications available for Android today. In all, it has support for 96% of the apps and 86% of the games distributed and marketed through the Play Store.
The program integrates with your computer’s camera, has native support for Windows graphical features, runs applications with 64-bit architecture or ARM, can use your PC’s microphone, mouse and keyboard attached to your machine, and more. It is a practical, simple, and functional option for anyone who wants to try Android.
Latest Version of BlueStacks
At the moment (2019) BlueStacks 4 is the most up-to-date version of the program. It uses a powerful virtualization engine that provides the best graphics and performance of mobile games on the PC, while automatically adjusting to the characteristics of the computer.
As for the PC configuration: for comfortable work with the utility, you must have at least 2 GB of RAM, 4 GB of free hard disk space, a quad-core processor and internet access. The more powerful your computer is, the better, but it will be possible to play on a laptop with a built-in video card.
On a modern gaming PC, with the PUBG Mobile program running at maximum settings, the program consumes no more than 25% of processor resources and 5% of video card resources.
Chrome OS
In its official page, BlueStacks claims to be able to run another Google operating system: Chrome OS. Used on Chromebooks (the company’s official notebooks), the platform is all cloud-based (i.e., the web) as if it were an expanded version of the Google Chrome browser.
Install and configure BlueStacks
Starting to use the BlueStacks program for Windows is very simple – the developers made the installation and configuration process as intuitive as possible. First you need, of course, download the installation file – you will find it on the official website of the utility. Incidentally, there are several useful sections, for example, a blog with tips and game guides (including PUBG
Mobile), program updates, mobile apps and games reviews, and a detailed FAQ on using BlueStacks.
After downloading, run the file, agree with the license terms, and set additional parameters – for example, select the folder where you want to install the program. A few minutes of waiting – and you can click the “Finish” button.
We start the BlueStacks emulator. The program needs an initial setup. Nothing complicated – to set the language, enter the data of the Google-account (without it you can not install any game) and agree to the terms of use
Google immediately beeps the alarm and sends a notice to enter the account from an unknown device – confirm that it is us.
Please note: BlueStacks is defined as the flagship Pixel 2 XL tablet with powerful gaming fillings.
The initial settings are ready, and we finally get to the desktop of our virtual mobile device. Here, everything is extremely concise: a folder with the labels of system applications and icons of installed games.
BlueStacks Access direction
On the main panel of the program window, there are tabs of running applications, between which you can freely switch, as in a browser. To the right are the icons Pika Points (a special currency that is issued for various actions and allows you to purchase various bonuses in BlueStacks), wallpaper changes (most of them are not free), notifications, user accounts and settings.
We should talk about the latter in more detail: by clicking on it, we get to the menu where you can set various application parameters – screen resolution, graphics mode for games, number of processor cores and RAM, and so on.
If we need to configure not the BlueStacks program, but the Pixel 2 XL virtual tablet, then open the System Applications folder on the Desktop and launch the Settings application.
Under the main panel, you can see four tabs. “My applications” we have already reviewed – this is the desktop of the virtual Android system. On the “Application Center” tab, there are games sorted into categories. Although framed as a separate library, you can still download it from the Play Store.
The “Help” tab contains a BlueStacks FAQ and allows you to contact technical support if you have problems. Finally, the Pika World tab is a kind of mini-game in which you can earn Pika Points.
At the bottom of the program window, there are four icons with which you can turn on multi-window mode, install the application from the * apk file, delete the application, and change the desktop wallpaper.
Playing on BlueStacks
So, with the utility interface, we figured out, it’s time to start testing games. First of all, of course, download PUBG Mobile – one of the most popular multiplayer shooters today. A short wait – and the game icon appears on the desktop.
After launching, BlueStacks offers to configure the game management – here you can agree and set any control keys that are comfortable for us, or skip this step and use the default settings (quite convenient – for example, when you press F1 on the keyboard, the game is controlled like a regular shooter on the PC).
Run the game and join the online battles. PUBG Mobile immediately determines that it is running via an emulator, and sends us to the same users – alas, it will not be possible to dominate the players on smartphones.
When you first started the game showed not the best graphics and performance, but after we added the number of processor cores and RAM in the BlueStacks settings, the shooter started working without brakes.
As for the other games, there were no problems with them either. Online strategies, races, puzzles, RPGs, quests, as well as any applications work perfectly, and besides, for each of them, you can customize the control “for yourself.”
What is the result, Is BlueStacks safe?
BlueStacks is a convenient and intuitive program with which you can run any Android applications on a virtual mobile device, emulated by a computer. If you do not pay attention to annoying ads (where is it not now?), Then you can quite comfortably use the utility – just enough time for all the games from the extensive Google Play Store library.