BlueStacks App Player

BlueStacks App Player is an Android emulator that lets you enjoy Android apps on your Windows PC.

You don’t actually need an Android device to enjoy Android apps. The BlueStacks App Player lets you play a wide range of free and paid apps via Google Play, Amazon Appstore and other app stores. Installation is fast and streamlined, and running the emulator is nothing more than double-clicking an executable. The program is very user-friendly, and you don’t need much technical understanding of Android or emulators in general to have this up and running fast and well on your computer.

BlueStacks also runs surprisingly well for an emulator. It doesn’t have a large footprint or consume a lot of RAM and other system resources. It also doesn’t confine you to a relatively small phone- or tablet-like display. Most apps it supports can be run in full-screen mode or a screen size of your choosing, and most of these apps generally look pretty good. Although the user experience can diminish when running apps in resolutions higher than 1080p, but even that limitation should fade in time.

BlueStacks is not a perfect emulation solution. Few perhaps no emulators are. The software doesn’t support all Android apps. In fact, the apps that will run without being specifically accounted for are few and far between, and if an app you want isn’t currently supported, then your only option is hoping the next update supports it. The good news is that most of the most popular apps are supported, but if you want a niche app, not only is it likely not supported, but you may be waiting a while.

This emulator distinguishes itself form other Android emulators for PCs in that it’s game-centric. Most emulators emulate the traditional Android home screen, but BlueStacks goes in favor a complete redesign that presents your games and other apps as a media collection. For many users, this is probably the right way to go since they likely just want access to handful of games and other Android apps. However, the advanced user who wants true Android emulation will likely be a bit disappointed.

This all changes when running an app particularly when doing so in full-screen mode. Windows fades into the background, and games and apps execute and look just as they would on an actual Android device. There’s full support for your mouse and keyboard, but the emulator also supports multi-touch if you have a touchscreen interface, and it even supports sensors. Don’t worry about having the appropriate input devices. BlueStacks let you map most controls, including swipe, tilt and zoom, to a hotkey, a mouse button or a button on game controller or similar device.

Pros

• Run Android apps on Windows
• Supports full screen

Cons

• Not all apps supported