Hi all — it is finally possible to run audio games with speech on Mac without a virtual machine. Here's what you'll need and how to set it up.
Requirements
- Crossover
- NVDA — pre-configured on a Windows machine or VM (portable preferred)
- VOCR
- Whichever game you wish to run
Setup
1. Configure NVDA for Speech Output
Use an add-on or, preferably, eSpeak — SAPI is not supported.
2. Transfer NVDA to Your Mac
Get your configured copy onto your Mac however you'd like: USB drive, network share, Bluetooth file transfer, etc.
3. Create a New Crossover Bottle
Set it to Windows 11 (Windows 10 might work, but 11 is preferred).
4. Launch NVDA First, Then Your Game
You can install the game or run a portable executable via the Run Command option. It is essential that NVDA is running before the game.
5. Verify the Wine Windows Version
Use VOCR to check that the Windows version is set to something modern (Windows 10 or 11) in the Wine configuration dialog. Note: this is entirely separate from the bottle version setting, apparently.
Final Notes
At some point, I want to write this up into a full guide, but I frankly do not have the time or patience. More testing from the community would also be appreciated.