PC Why older PC games lack a proper windowed mode?

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I understand that some games didn't have wide-screen mode built-in and that OpenGL wasn't standard but I dislike having to wait a bit in fullscreen and seeing it stretched...

There should be a way for Windows to create a "virtual desktop to emulate fullscreen" as a separate window.

 

[Deleted member 560402]

I understand that some games didn't have wide-screen mode built-in and that OpenGL wasn't standard but I dislike having to wait a bit in fullscreen and seeing it stretched...

There should be a way for Windows to create a "virtual desktop to emulate fullscreen" as a separate window.

i'm fine with it as long as you can exit out of it. it's just like the old days. :) 4:3

 

[dingus69dingus]

full-screen-windowed is the way to go, you should have that option

 

[Onionstarz]

sVGA is 800 v 600

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I need to rewrite my sentence btw.

Is there a program to allow you to create a fake full screen? I don't know how to properly use Loseless Scaling.

 

[Rocket2049]

I know MS-dos games can run in window via dos-box
any other game idk, try alt+enter

 

[DZero]

I need to rewrite my sentence btw.

Is there a program to allow you to create a fake full screen? I don't know how to properly use Loseless Scaling.

I think that Dgvoodoo let you do that with old pc games (free) and borderless gaming (paid, Steam)

 

[petran79]

I've stumbled upon newer games too

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I think that Dgvoodoo let you do that with old pc games (free) and borderless gaming (paid, Steam)

I have bought it long ago yet I couldn't manage to find the option to force windowed...

 

[bfinch]

Most games pre ~2010 didn't expect you to multitask or were made in engines that just didn't support anything other than fullscreen.

On windows you could try a regular VM and make it the default launch application for that program. Not much else I could think of off the top of my head but you could ask in the RetroTechCollection forum. Not many people but pretty smart ones!

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Most games pre ~2010 didn't expect you to multitask or were made in engines that just didn't support anything other than full-screen.

Maybe to prevent cheating?

On windows you could try a regular VM and make it the default launch application for that program. Not much else I could think of off the top of my head but you could ask in the RetroTechCollection forum. Not many people but pretty smart ones!

VMs are nice but mostly a band-aid thing because it requires emulating another OS just to be able to enjoy a game like that.


I still wish Windows made an option to create an artificial fullscreen within a window.

 

[bfinch]

Yeah that should be a thing Windows includes by default. I know on a few Linux desktop environments you're able to force games into a windowed mode.

There was a tool in XFCE in Arch that let me force Stardew Valley when the built in windowed mode was bugged for a while.

 

[King Torro]

Have you tried a program called "DXwnd" ? I remember using it for an older FPS game that was absolutely infuriating to deal with in terms of alt tabbing etc.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Have you tried a program called "DXwnd" ? I remember using it for an older FPS game that was absolutely infuriating to deal with in terms of alt tabbing etc.

I've tried once and it wasn't really conclusive. I don't know why it didn't work.