Windows Store may only have a few thousand apps when Windows 8 is launched but Windows 8 tablets and PCs running on AMD processors will have access to hundreds of thousands of more apps. Hundreds of thousands of Android apps and games, to be more specific.

AMD has teamed up with Bluestacks, the company that allows simulation of Android apps on Windows, to bring seamless integration of Android apps on Windows 8. Through this partnership, AMD and Bluestacks have developed AMD’s “AppZone player”, which is powered with Bluestacks technology. Anyone that downloads and installs AppZone player on a Windows 8  tablet or PC will be able to download and install any and all Android apps. The best part? AMD has specifically modified its processor code so that Android apps properly scale to fit on Windows 8 screens (which are larger than typical Android displays) and run seamlessly. In other words, it will feel like you are running native Windows apps but you will actually be running Android apps and games. Or, at least in theory it should — we will only learn more when Windows 8 comes out and people actually give AppZone a try.

The catch, of course, is you will need a Windows 8 tablet or PC that runs on an AMD processor to take advantage of AppZone. The good news is AMD is working on ARM-based processors so you should be able to grab Windows 8 Pro or Windows RT tablets that run on AMD processors; there will, obviously, be Windows 8 desktops and laptops that run on AMD.

If you don’t have an AMD-based Windows 8 machines, all is not lost. Bluestacks is an independent company and offers a third-party, standalone simulator that will allow you to run Android apps on any and all Windows machines, regardless of if they are powered by AMD or not. The drawback, however, is AppZone on AMD Windows 8 machines is better optimized to run Android apps than the standalone Bluestacks player, thanks to the code modifications AMD has made.

I’m not too sure how useful Android apps will be on Windows 8, aside from games, but having the possibility to run them is a nice incentive to purchase AMD. Plus it really does add more value to Windows RT tablets, which will not be able to run Android and Windows. Do you agree? Discuss in the comments below!

[via BBC]