Parallels Launches Desktop for Mac 3.0 with 3-D Gaming to Boot

Parallels just announced that it has released a release candidate of Parallels Desktop for Mac 3.0. The release candidate is in the final stages of a Parallels private Beta testing program that has been going on for the last several months. The final release is expected within the next few weeks.

The latest version of the product includes over 50 new features and enhancements as well as over 100 bug fixes. The three new features that stand out the most to me include 3-D graphic support, Snapshots and SmartSelect.

One thing I have personally been waiting for these past 8 years has been the ability to truly run a 3-D game or application in a virtual machine. And today’s announcement should be welcomed news for any gamer who has tried to install, run and successfully play such a game. The 3.0 version will offer support for both DirectX and OpenGL graphics within a virtual machine. And as expected, it didn’t take long for people to start trying out Half-Life 2 in a VM.

Another important feature within any good virtualization platform these days and one that has been missing in Parallels Desktop for Mac until now is a good snapshot manager. Being able to save a virtual machine’s state at different intervals or having the ability to rollback to a previous state in case something bombs or corrupts within the virtual machine is one of the things that sold me on virtualization early on in life. The 3.0 version finally brings this functionality to Desktop for Mac users.

And finally, 3.0 offers a feature called SmartSelect. This is a new built-in integration tool that allows users to open any file from Windows or OS X with any program from either OS. SmartSelect’s total application and file integration adds tremendous value to the seamless multi-OS interface introduced by Coherence. Together, Coherence and SmartSelect give users the easiest, most fluid way to run multiple OSes and their applications simultaneously, without rebooting or switching desktop environments.

Other features mentioned by the company include:

• Offline access to virtual machine files with Paralles Explorer

• Coherence 2.0, including shared folders and UI enhancements

• Linux Tools for seamless integration betwen Mac OS X and Linux

• Expanded support for USB 2.0 devices

• USB connection assistant quickly connects you to your OS of choice

• Shared printers for cross OS printing

• Significantly enhancements performance and audio quality

• Control the levels of integration and isolation with Security Manager

Ben Rudolph, Director of Corporate Communications at Parallels, said, “The release of Desktop for Mac 3.0 represents another opportunity to help computer users get the best of all operating systems on a single, seamless desktop”. He continued, “We look forward to feedback on the important new features like SmartSelect, 3D graphics, and Snapshots as we prepare for the full launch very soon.”

And if these features alone don’t sell you on the upgrade to the 3.0 version, Parallels is offering a discount upgrade price of $39.99 until June 6 to convince you. After that, the product will be $49.99 to upgrade and $79.99 for a new copy. Find out more information by going to the Web site, here.