Thanks to BlueStacks, you can use the screen, keyboard, and mouse, as well as the power of your computer to run Android games and gain ergonomics and precision against your opponents.
BlueStacks is an Android emulator for computers. It comes in the form of software that simulates version 7.1.2 of the mobile OS. It comes in 32-bit and 64-bit variants, the latter improving performance and RAM management. The minimum requirements to use it are a computer running Windows 8 or later, with virtualization options enabled.
The BlueStacks emulator can be used for free, with the presence of advertisements. By subscribing to a paid version, the user can remove ads, benefit from advanced customization options, and receive priority technical assistance.
In this article, we will review the main functions of BlueStacks and show the advantages of this Android emulator for playing on PC.
Installing and Configuring Android on BlueStacks
The BlueStacks installer is mainly automated and does not require any specific knowledge. However, like most newer Android emulators, BlueStacks requires the activation of virtualization technology to avoid stability issues. To do this, you must go to your BIOS when you start your computer. The procedure varies depending on your configuration and the brand of the PC.
In general, you can access the BIOS by pressing one of the Esc, Del, F1, F2, F10, or F12 keys as soon as your computer screen turns on. In the menu that appears, find the option “Intel Virtualization Technology” and verify that it is activated or “Enabled”, in English.
Once the installation of BlueStacks and Android is complete, the next step is to log into your Google account, just like any new device running the mobile OS. You can then access your Google Play account and download from windowsburner.com and install your previously purchased applications on your smartphone or tablet. It may be necessary to validate your Google Account connection from a new device via a notification on your mobile device or a message in your Gmail inbox.
BlueStacks emulates version 7 of Android: Nougat. The home screen displays a shortcut to the Google Play Store, installed apps, some game recommendations, and a toolbar offering access to settings, camera, browser, media managers, and instances.
A comprehensive and modern settings menu is deployed by selecting the gear-shaped “Settings” icon at the top right of the window. It allows you to define the resolution, the device profile, the graphics mode, the RAM, the number of CPU cores allocated, the display of notifications, and the parameters specific to the game mode.
Adding / Removing Applications
BlueStacks is very easy to use. All Android users will immediately be comfortable installing applications since it suffices to go through the Google Play Store, as on a smartphone or tablet.
It is also possible to install APK files from the home page through the menu represented by the three vertical dots, next to “Installed applications.” You will be able to directly run APKs stored on your computer without copying them into your Android session of BlueStacks manually.
To uninstall applications, there are also the same possibilities as on any Android device: through the Google Play Store, through the application settings, and by long clicking on a shortcut from the home screen. A handy tool built into the Android version of BlueStacks by default is the Media Manager. It is suitable for software to import easily and export documents between the computer file system and Android session.
This media manager opens immediately when an application searches for content (images to share or videos to edit, for example). You can then select files directly from your computer for use in Android applications (You can download applications from windowsburner.com )
Practical Features of BlueStacks
At the bottom of the software window, several buttons provide advanced functionality. There is notably a “KeyMapper”: a utility for assigning keys to define game controls. To open it, select the keyboard-shaped icon in the bar at the bottom of BlueStacks. You will then be able to determine keystrokes to perform combos and manage options to support zoom, free gaze, repeated tapping, tilting the device, etc.
The main interest of using BlueStacks is to take advantage of a controller, keyboard, and mouse to handle games whose interface is intended for tactile use. But this requires assigning physical keys to touch keys on the screen. BlueStacks supports the most popular games and directly offers default key “mapping “.
As soon as a game application is launched, the game control window appears to allow you to customize the keys used. It can be opened during the game by clicking on the KeyMapper icon in the bar at the bottom of the window.
Right next to it, an eye icon offers “Toggle game controls”. This means that it allows to display or not the “mapping” of the keys and their position on the screen by setting the opacity.
The next two options are still dedicated to players. The first allows you to lock the mouse cursor position and the second to record a video capture of the game. To use the latter, BlueStacks asks for confirmation to download a video recording plug-in and then offers to choose the directory to save the files.
This Android emulator, of course, offers the possibility of forcing the screen to rotate and to run in full-screen mode. Another useful feature of BlueStacks is location modification. The software allows you to define your choice using Google Maps, with a simple click on the map or a text search. You will be able to access certain servers or applications that filter the location of users.
Captures in image format can be made by clicking on the penultimate icon representing a pair of scissors. The files are saved in your Pictures folder, inside a “BlueStacks” directory. The last function present in this toolbar is the simulation of a phone shake, which can be useful in some games and applications.
Conclusion:-
BlueStacks is dedicated to all Android gamers looking to gain the upper hand over their opponents in multiplayer mode. It allows you to play with a controller or the keyboard and mouse, from a large screen and taking advantage of improved graphics performance. What to confer an undeniable benefit during the game! This Android emulator is rich in features and designed for video game enthusiasts (video capture during the game, customizing the “mapping” of the keys, and allocating hardware resources).