__/ [ The Ghost In The Machine ] on Wednesday 25 April 2007 19:19 \__
> This just in from the "Oh really? How could we tell?" department.
>
> http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/23/gamers.vista.ap/index.html
>
> Game makers excited about Windows Vista
>
> (Yeah? How about the users?)
>
> DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- From the movie-like graphics in the action
> game "Gears of War" to the nearly photorealistic racer "MotorStorm,"
> video games have come a long way since the bouncing blocks of
> "Pong."
>
> (No shit, Sherlock? How many decades did it take to figure *that* out?
> Pong was released in 1971 to enthusiastic raves; the original "technical
> problem" with it was that its coin box filled up.)
>
> A new breed of visually striking games promises to light up computer
> screens with even sharper, more lifelike graphics than ever before.
> But unlike the popular "Gears of War" or "MotorStorm," the games
> won't be debuting on Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Corp.'s
> Xbox 360 consoles.
>
> Instead, the PC is returning to the pinnacle of video game graphics
> -- thanks to some under-the-hood tweaks in Microsoft's Vista
> operating system.
>
> (Wow. This claim verges on the ridiculous. It's like
> the graphics card has absolutely nothing to do with it. I
> might have an old 6845 and a Trident bumbling about...think
> you could port Vista, DirectX10, or MotorStorm onto either
> of those? Hello?)
>
> The technology behind these improved visuals, called DirectX 10, is
> the result of a collaboration among video game developers, graphics
> card makers and Microsoft. For years, they have been working to
> streamline and standardize the software used by Windows-based PCs to
> display graphics.
>
> (Puff, the magic sales piece...)
>
> "If you want to play next-gen games you have to have a
> next-gen operating system," [JJ Tarno, age 31, owner
> of Warezabouts LAN Center in Forney, Texas] said. "A
> game like 'Crysis' comes out and you just say, `How
> much is that game?' About $1,500 with new video card,
> RAM and processor."
>
> (Did someone forget $349 for Vista Ultimate? Dare I
> mention that there are XPS "monsterboxes" out there
> which can cost over $7K? The XPS 710 Red in particular
> does *not* offer Vista -- and it's their highest-priced,
> highest-performance model. All four XPS 710s have an
> XP option. Gee, I wonder why?)
>
> As the demands from game makers (and players)
> have grown increasingly complex, so too have the
> capabilities of DirectX. The software lets programmers
> tell the 3-D computer chips in graphics cards whether
> to simulate a wisp of smoke or a mirror's reflection.
>
> DX10 not only makes games look better, it also promises
> to improve performance by simplifying how the graphics
> cards process video information and display it on
> the screen.
>
> (Notice here there's nothing about actual *gameplay*!
> Never mind whether the enemy soldier shaved in the morning
> and cut his face while doing so near the tatoo on his left
> cheek; I want to be able to *shoot* him, while protecting
> my one squadmate who forgot to tie his shoe and the other
> who had a little accident 12 years back with a firecracker
> and has a scar on his chin or something. Sheesh.)
>
> Chris Donahue, group manager of Microsoft's Games for Windows unit,
> admits that DX10 is an example of the PC surpassing the consoles.
> The company's own Xbox 360, for example, uses a custom version of
> the older DX9 standard that can't be upgraded.
>
> (Whoops.)
>
> Turns out the original writer was Matt Slagle, though I'm
> not sure where he got this material from. (I can make a
> few guesses.)
>
> Somehow, CNN lost his tagline. (Another whoops.)
>
> </grumble>
>
> At some point I might have to research DX10 versus OpenGL.
> But this sort of thing I consider just plain silly.
Of course they are very excited. Now they can hire more developers to 'fix'
their existing line of games.
Vista breaks 90% of games, claims game publisher
,----[ Quote ]
| Alex St. John, chief executive of game publisher WildTangent, today
| blasted his former employer for a half-baked and negligent way of
| treating the majority of game publishers - small development studios
| and individual programmers of casual games: St. John claims that at
| least nine out of ten games do not work with Vista.
`----
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2007/01/30/vista_games/
And right from the horse's mouth:
Valve questions Microsoft's commitment to PC gaming
,----[ Quote ]
| Half-Life 2 developer Valve thinks that Microsoft's current
| "Games for Windows" marketing push is a cynical ploy to sell
| more copies of Windows Vista, rather than a genuine effort to
| invigorate the PC gaming market.
`----
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2007/03/12/valve_questions_microsofts_commitment/
Vista gaming will be 10 to 15 per cent slower than XP
,----[ Quote ]
| So if you play Battlefield 2 or FEAR or any other popular game you are
| likely to get lower frame rates with Vista. That is certainly not a
| good buying argument but don?t think you and I have much choice as it
| looks like a take it or leave it deal. I like Vista as the 3D desktop
| looks sexy but that is probably its key feature.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34915
Microsoft doesn't yet play games on Vista
,----[ Quote ]
| The firm has its Vista logo all over its boothm, but all the machines that
| we investigated were running Windows XP.
|
| Obviously, it is still not the right time to switch to Vista as things
| might be not stable for current games. We hope that they can meet the
| early 2007 schedules.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33924
As I've said elsewhere, CNN could be doign some promo here, nothing less.
--
~~ With kind regards
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Signature pending approval"
http://Schestowitz.com | Open Prospects ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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