Gamers React to Vista Launch

As cranky as IT folks are about having to roll out new Vista installs, support them, update them, etc, gamers are matching them in irritation. Ars Technica recommends you dual-boot XP and Vista if you want to keep gaming on your PC. Voodoo Extreme explores Vista's crappy audio setup, while Computer and VideoGames reports that some small developers think Vista will ruin PC gaming (a comment we've heard before). C&VG does have a slightly more hopeful article up too, talking about the future of Vista gaming and what the new OS could mean for games ... once all the kinks are worked out.

Comments

A gamer's reaction...

[Endo13]

I'm a gamer. In fact, the only reason I still use Windows at all is for gaming. And yes, I play all kinds of games, from little java games in a web-browser to WoW, HalfLife2, Medieval 2:TW, etc. etc.

And my reaction is that Vista is going to have to offer a whole lot more than DirectX10 to get me to switch. There's far far too many items on the minus side, and only one on the plus (for my purposes, at any rate). At this point, I've decided that unless the landscape has drastically changed by the time games start requiring DX10, I'll just be living without those games.

Some positive side effects

[Ruprecht the Monkeyb]

It breaks WildTangent stuff? Cool. There's a good reason to upgrade to Vista now.

There might be some other positive aspects. For one, I noticed last night a demo wouldn't install on my PC running Vista x64, because it's crappy copy-protection (and what morons put copy protection in a freakin demo?) couldn't install it's drivers because they were unsigned. Maybe at the least, if we're going to have to live with obnoxious copy protection in games, the developers of the crap will have to be a little more responsible and careful before just crudding up someone's PC.

Lack of hardware sound

[Frenchy_2001]

Voodoo extreme has nothing to do with this article. They are only pointing to it.
The real article is at IGN:
http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/759/759538p1.html

Please, skip the redirections and ad views...

And I must say that this decision (no hardwrae acceleration) will badly hurt Creative Labs. Maybe, just maybe, this screw up will restart some competition in the sound card market?

Re:My Reaction is...

[XaXXon]

If you're playing WoW (and SWG for whatever reason), then we all know you have no time for sleeping.

Level 70 yet?

Next on Slashdot:

[Rob T Firefly]

Bankers react to Vista Launch
Claims Adjusters react to Vista Launch
Baristas react to Vista Launch
Southpaws react to Vista Launch
Episcopalians react to Vista Launch
Underwater Basket-Weavers react to Vista Launch
Pizzeria Owners react to Vista Launch
Pre-Op Groin Shavers react to Vista Launch
etc.

Re:Xbox?

[Anonymous Coward]

But then why make DX10 Vista only?

If they didn't limit some of the new functionality to Vista, why would users move off of 2000/XP? Limiting the release of particular features can be a way to force users of your older products to your newer products.

Jim

Vista in just 2 URL's

[Idaho]

A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection - and yes, an increased cost of video cards is very much relevant to me as a gamer - as is bad sound support, such as lack of EAX.

The completely spin-doctored reaction by Microsoft didn't help much. Be sure to read the comments on that one..they're basically getting slaughtered on their own weblog.

Just a highlight I'll quote here:

Question: Will the Windows Vista content protection board robustness recommendations increase the cost of graphics cards?

Answer by MS: evades the question, but suggests the answer is no.
Answers from an ATI presentation:

"These costs are passed on to the consumer"

"This cost is passed on to all consumers"

"This cost is passed on to purchasers of multimedia PC's"

"Costs are passed on to consumers"

"Costs are passed on to consumers, especially early adopters"

Says it all for me, really.

Re:Xbox?

[StikyPad]

now that Microsoft has a console, we are supposed to stop gaming on PCs?

Nope. Apparently you haven't heard about Microsoft's efforts to revitalize PC gaming. Well, now you have.

Re:Xbox?

[Sancho]

Exactly.

Windows will have a place in the business world for some time, and certainly on the desktop in commodity PCs. Microsoft is in no danger of losing what is arguably their flagship product (though some would argue that Office is their bread-and-butter).

Now they want market dominance in consoles. With PCs as gaming systems, they are competing with themselves for dominance (Xbox vs PC), and they flat out don't get any royalties for games sold on the PC. They know that they have dominance on the PC even without gaming, so the easiest way to gain console dominance is to try to move people off of the PC and onto the Xbox.

Now I don't think they'd blatantly sabotage gaming on Windows--certainly, they're using gaming as leverage for Vista upgrades via DirectX 10. But they probably won't work to maintain it as a viable platform for that much longer. DirectX 10 represents the start of a merger between the SDKs for Xbox and PC. I suspect that soon, we'll see the SDK for the Xbox start to become more advanced than the PC version. Eventually, the main optimizations and improvements will go to the XBox.

Sneaky people, if this is their strategy, but effective. The PS3 is looking more and more like it's going to flop, and the Wii targets a completely different market (though it's catching up to the 360 in sales, regardless, and despite being released a year later). They've got a virtually clear path to hardcore console gaming dominance.

Vista? Who cares?

[amuro98]

Vista is just a conspiracy between Microsoft and the hardware companies to get everyone to spend at least $500 on hardware for an OS no one really needs.

Could someone PLEASE explain to me why it is that Aero NEEDS a 128MB video card when it doesn't do anything beyond what Stardock.com's Object Desktop has been doing for the past 8 years!?