Microsoft Solitaire Collection From Windows 10 Now Available For Android and iOS (betanews.com)

BrianFagioli quotes a report from BetaNews: Back in the the mid-1990's, everyone thought they needed a computer. After all, Windows 95 made using one particularly easy, and the internet was a very attractive thing. Unfortunately, once some people got their first-ever PC set up in their homes, they didn't really know what to do with it. In the end, it would turn out that some consumers spent thousands of dollars for a machine dedicated to one thing -- playing Solitaire! Yes, this fun Windows game is responsible for much wasted time, but not just at home -- at businesses too. The card game has historically been viewed as a negative for productivity. Fast forward to 2016 and fewer people are sitting in front of large desktop computers at home -- people are increasingly turning to tablets and smartphones for entertainment. Today, just in time for Thanksgiving, Microsoft Solitaire Collection comes to both Android and iOS. "Microsoft Solitaire continues to be one of the most-played games of all time on Windows for more than 25 years. What's more, the version of Solitaire you know and love on Windows 10 and Windows 8 PC and mobile devices, Microsoft Solitaire Collection, has reached more than 119 million unique players in the last four years alone! And now, those on iPhone, iPad and Android devices can play the popular card game for free," says Paul Jensen, Studio Manager of Microsoft Casual Games. "[...] with Xbox Live integration, you can sign in with your Xbox Live gamertag or Microsoft account to earn Xbox Live achievements and Gamerscore, compete with friends, and continue playing on any Windows 10, iPhone, iPad, or Android device while on the go since your progress and game data are saved in the cloud. If you're not an Xbox Live member, signing up for a free membership through the game is easy and totally worth it." It's worth noting that the "freemium" model features advertisements, but players can go "Premium" to remove those ads for $2 per month and receive other perks. You can download Microsoft Solitaire Collection from the App Store, Google Play, and Windows Store.

Comments

In the past what casinos had solitaire tables?

[Joe_Dragon]

In the past what casinos had solitaire tables?

Re:In the past what casinos had solitaire tables?

[Mister Transistor]

Quite a few of them. In Vegas, they bet on EVERYTHING.

Re:In the past what casinos had solitaire tables?

[Deadstick]

It used to be a fairly popular table game in Vegas. You'd buy a deck for $52, and a dealer would hand you back $5 for each card you put on the upper stacks. You'd go through the undealt deck one card at a time, only one pass through, so it was pretty tough to beat.

It was largely eclipsed by other games, and I don't think I've seen it in fifty years.

Re:In the past what casinos had solitaire tables?

[FudRucker]

since they are giving away spamware microsoft is the only one cashing in on this game

Solitaire's ok, I guess

[willoughby]

But hover is/was my favorite game from Microsoft - even beating out Pinball.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/1...

Re:Solitaire's ok, I guess

[UltraZelda64]

I *loved* Hover! I put so many hours in that game.

I also was a fan of Monster Truck Madness, 1 and especially 2. Such a great modding community way back then, more tracks than you could possibly imagine. Loads of great ones from "Yeastman" and I distinctly remember one called "Darkstar" or something by a designer called Oliver Pieper (sorry for fucking up the name if I did, which is entirely possible--this was almost 20 years ago).

I wish they would re-release those games for purchase on GOG.com... I'd buy them all again.

Re:Solitaire's ok, I guess

[unixisc]

My niece was a fan of Purble Place in Windows 7, and I liked the Chess that came w/ it

Spy Solataire

[rtb61]

So it will send you ads and likely spy on you, seriously M$ that is the best you can do?!?

What we really need

[TylerJWhit]

1) Pinball
2) Minesweeper

Done

Re:What we really need

[Anonymous Coward]

3) No ads.

There is a no-ads version. I think what you meant to say, is "No subscription required to get no ads".

Re:What we really need

[TylerJWhit]

What are you smoking! That thing was the bomb. I wasn't going to spend a dime on a 3d pinball game.

"News for Nerds,

[jenningsthecat]

Stuff that Slashvertisers Shill For". I find it hard to believe that this had sufficient votes to be accepted. 'Editorial licence', perhaps?

Re:"News for Nerds,

[BeauHD]

I take it someone isn't a Solitaire fan?

Re:"News for Nerds,

[Bing Tsher E]

What quite a few of us aren't a fan of are moderators/editors on Slashdot with seven digit UIDs.

Re:"News for Nerds,

[jenningsthecat]

I take it someone isn't a Solitaire fan?

I AM a fan of Solitaire. My game count on my current phone is up over 1K; I figure that across my devices I've played over 5K games. I'm just not a fan of advertising, nor of anything that looks / smells like it.

Ripoff

[Gavrielkay]

What a ripoff.

Solitaire used to be free with no ads on windows and then the era of monetizing anything and everything struck and what was a tool to learn to use a mouse is now a money maker? Blech.

Solitaire Subscription?

[CanEHdian]

players can go "Premium" to remove those ads for $2 per month

So even Solitaire is now following the subscription model? And $2 = $24 per year... quite pricey, if you ask me. And all that for online leaderboards?

microsoft is giving away spamware

[FudRucker]

contains ads * in-app purchases

not only is microsoft run by greedy old skinflints, they are peddlers of spamware now, how low can you go limbo lower now

Re:microsoft is giving away spamware

[Dutch Gun]

Hey, leave Limbo out of this, as that was an awesome game!

But yeah, I can't believe they're trying to get people to pay monthly for this. This is the first time I've felt like the M$ moniker was really appropriate. This seriously makes me want to create a nice, basic Solitaire game for those platforms and sell it for $1, no ads, no bullshit, just to undercut them. Or maybe someone already has.

Re:microsoft is giving away spamware

[NotAPK]

There are thousands of Solitaire versions out there, many free.

You can also run the Windows 7 (if you have that OS) version of the game, but you have to edit the EXE file due to Microsoft fuckery. Surprisingly, this piece from The Guardian covers it pretty well.

You Better Off With 3rd Party Software

[gymbrown]

You are better off with Pretty Good Solitaire for US $24.95 with free upgrades through the end of 2019. I purchased it late 20th century because it had a wizard to create your own solitaire games. I renew it every few years for no good reason as the new features are not that useful. The latest version did add 4k monitor support so I would have renewed this year just for that.

The quality of the cards, variety of card backs and game play make it a winner. You can try it for free (lame number of games allowed). See http://www.goodsol.com/.

There are plenty of other 3rd party games that you can buy instead of rent. Skip this for a better deal elsewhere.

Re:You Better Off With 3rd Party Software

[ledow]

I wouldn't pay $24.95 for a solitaire app if it wasn't even my money.

That kind of game is freebie territory unless they put a lot of extraneous effort in. Compare and contrast to, say the Hoyle's Card Game series (crap, but has hundreds of card games) or things like Dead Man's Draw (not solitaire, but is just a card game).

Fancy card backs or not, a computer card game is a dollar item nowadays, and has been since the days of the ZX Spectrum.

Re:Ya

[CaptainDork]

This.

Classic Windows Solitaire is NOT the 8/10 variety.

[Bing Tsher E]

Microsoft twisted the classic sol.exe badly in the translation to Windows 8. And it was such a nice clean little piece of code.

This is a bastardized Solitaire. Who would want that.

I wish they would just compile sol.exe for a 64 bit environment and be done with it.

XP solitaire under WINE

[Neo-Rio-101]

You can just run Windows XP's version of Solitaire under WINE in Linux with no issue.
Same with all the other games.

Monthly subscription = one star review

[blibbo]

I'm not even interested in using the app, but this kind of BS inspires the social justice warrior / idealist in me to go to Google play store and leave a one star review.

Some services, perhaps that include monthly changing content or might be too expensive to pay for outright, could be justified with a monthly subscription. This can't. Removing ads doesn't provide $2 worth of value per month.

Come with me. Who else wants to give an entitled anti-capitalism 1-star vote?

Or an ironic 5 star review?: MS, you cured my cancer! And let my 3 pet blind mice see again. So worth the $2 per month.

Thank you Microsoft

[blibbo]

You are a beacon of hope. You give my life meaning. $2 per month? I'd pay hundreds each month for the privilege. A subscription service to remove ads is a stroke of genius. In 10 years you'll have $240 dollars from me for this quality software.

Sigh.

[ledow]

"To celebrate our World Wide launch, we are giving our players FREE PREMIUM for one month!
* NO ADS! GAME BOOSTS! DOUBLE COINS for ALL DAILY CHALLENGES!"

Yep. Microsoft is now Yet Another Ad-support App Outfit.

Well done, MS. From market monopoly to fake-coin social media in a matter of years.

iOS: Card Shark Solitare/Deluxe

[wikthemighty]

If you're on iOS, get Card Shark instead.

Card Shark Solitaire(free)

Card Shark Collection($2.99)