PC gaming is doomed, but Windows Vista gaming is not

baron calamity · Post by **baron calamity** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:20 pm

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3142401

According to the Microsoft message: Windows games is becoming a big priority.....
Sikora talked about big plans to get the PC out of the gaming ghetto -- the back, crap racks in retail stores. Basically, there's going to be a big push at retail to create a Windows gaming space, right there next to where you're accustomed to seeing the Xbox/X360, Playstation 2/3, and GameCube displays.....
But the big news, obviously, is the new OS. "When people want to show off what Vista and DirectX 10 can do, people will be showing off games. That's what [Microsoft's] executives do,"....
The other thing I immediately noticed, as a gamer, was a link to a Games folder, right off the start menu.....
Making gaming a big part of the OS also makes this a pretty big target for Washington, D.C. hacks that insist on using GTA: SA as political tool. However, Donahue assures that adding parental controls isn't some sudden cow-towing effort: "We've been planning on adding parental controls into Vista for a long time now.".....
Other new features, like the Xbox-ish "Tray and Play"-ability have been talked about for a while. No more installation fuss is required. Drop in the disc, the game is cached/installed on the PC, and you're good to go.....

Its good top see someone finally waking up and trying to deal with this mess

Kobra · Post by **Kobra** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 1:33 am

I'm dubious of these claims.. Especially after how Microsoft screwed PC gamers when the XBox was released - and continues to screw us with fake delayed titles.

It will take more than words to bring back Mechwarrior 5 that they cancelled when they bought FASA Studios - and forced them to work on Xbox crap. Much much more than words.

knob · Post by **knob** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 3:52 am

I still really don't like the idea of the Console-like gaming (putting just the CD in and going).

I really hope that this brings back the choice of installation types. Full installs or just play it off the disc. Or, better yet, PC developers ignore it all together (I'm sure those porting fanatics will love it).

Who knows, maybe it'll be great. But I just see it being a pain in the ass when it comes to patching, moding, or doing anything someone would typically do on a PC. There's a reason why a lot of us are PCGamers, there's a lot more freedom on a PC.

baron calamity · Post by **baron calamity** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 7:12 am

Kobra wrote:I'm dubious of these claims.. Especially after how Microsoft screwed PC gamers when the XBox was released - and continues to screw us with fake delayed titles.

Remember Microsoft isn't uniform in its devotion to the Xbox and some feel that turning away from the pc for gaming has hurt to company. Take away gaming from Windows and what advantage does Microsoft have against Apple? Especially since Apple is now coming on Intel.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:01 am

Last night I went to three different computer gaming stores in the mall - and I never felt like more of an outcast. The rack space HAS shrunk and every store had the PC gaming wedged in the back. The boxes looked like they were run over by trucks and two of the stores didn't even have them organized in any way - the games were just randomly placed on the shelves.

So....if Vista can somehow change that - I'm all for it. But I think that's a lot to hope for.

JayG · Post by **JayG** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:44 am

Well I've no intention of buying any new versions of Windows , and the PC I have now should do me another 3 years. The good thing about the decline in PC gaming is that it's finally giving me a chance to catch up on my gaming backlog. EQ 2 and GTA:SA already give me more gaming hours then I could have for the next year. And playing the lucusart's classics on my PSP show me how much the mainstreaming of gaming is destroying our hobby. Games have lost the enjoyment factor they once possessed for me. Where are the fun FPS like NOLF and Duke Nuke'em? All we are getting now are World War 2 clones and serious Doom like games. And how many RTS clones do we need? Star Wars, AoE 3 (which I am looking forward to), Age of Legends (which also looks very promising), Battle for Middle Earth 2, Dragonshard, etc, all the same old,same old. I remember the first time I played Starcraft and being amazed by the variety. The amazing soundtrack, great characterisation, depth of tactics, it actually felt new, even though it was just another varient of Warcraft. And don't get me started on the awful RPGs we are seeing today. There are some games worth looking forward to, the Movies, Black and White 2, Dragon Age and the Witcher all look very promising, and I have very high hopes for Bone. But the main reason I love GTA:SA is because the game is fun. Very frustrating, but also a lot of fun. And that is why I started gaming.

Peacedog · Post by **Peacedog** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:47 am

If digital distribution is the future, I wonder how that will affect "tray and play".

Ridah · Post by **Ridah** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:01 pm

Well I've no intention of buying any new versions of Windows , and the PC I have now should do me another 3 years. The good thing about the decline in PC gaming is that it's finally giving me a chance to catch up on my gaming backlog.

That is a very greedy way to look at it though when you think about it, considering not everybody has the same backlog you do. Sure, I have some games I haven't finished that I could touch up on to pass the time, but I don't go out and buy games just to store them in my closet as a backlog for when there is a drought. That's never been the way gamers have done it on PC or console, we want new games on a regular basis because it gives us something to look forward to. I don't know if its just me or what, but these past 3-4 months have been insanely bleak in terms of worth-while PC game releases. I don't have any huge expectations from Vista besides some new convenient features, but if there's a possibility of bringing PC games back into the spotlight I'm all for it.

Dirt · Post by **Dirt** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:50 pm

Of course. This fits right into X-Box. What other OS do you think third iteration of the X-Box is going to be running?

JayG · Post by **JayG** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:53 pm

Ridah wrote:
Well I've no intention of buying any new versions of Windows , and the PC I have now should do me another 3 years. The good thing about the decline in PC gaming is that it's finally giving me a chance to catch up on my gaming backlog.
That is a very greedy way to look at it though when you think about it, considering not everybody has the same backlog you do. Sure, I have some games I haven't finished that I could touch up on to pass the time, but I don't go out and buy games just to store them in my closet as a backlog for when there is a drought. That's never been the way gamers have done it on PC or console, we want new games on a regular basis because it gives us something to look forward to. I don't know if its just me or what, but these past 3-4 months have been insanely bleak in terms of worth-while PC game releases. I don't have any huge expectations from Vista besides some new convenient features, but if there's a possibility of bringing PC games back into the spotlight I'm all for it.

I don't see it's greedy, especially as any game I have tends to be budget by now anyway.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 8:54 pm

Last night I went to three different computer gaming stores in the mall - and I never felt like more of an outcast. The rack space HAS shrunk and every store had the PC gaming wedged in the back. The boxes looked like they were run over by trucks and two of the stores didn't even have them organized in any way - the games were just randomly placed on the shelves.

So....if Vista can somehow change that - I'm all for it. But I think that's a lot to hope for.

Heh you must have gone to the Rockaway Mall. It's really depressing to see the EB upstairs it pretty much looks like a clearence rack up there now. I never liked that store anyway but man it's depressing. The Gamestop downstairs is better but not by much. Unless you know what your looking for you will never find anything with the way they display games anymore.

I remember when that place used to be a software station and I picked up my team disks for micro league baseball. Sad to see how things change over time.

Giles Habibula · Post by **Giles Habibula** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 8:42 pm

I got into PC gaming when I realized the POTENTIAL the PC gave anyone who wanted to the ability to create anything they wanted.

It's been fascinating watching all that potential evolve into reality. However, there's so much more that can be done, and is just waiting to be done.

If Vista makes this potential easier to realize, I'm all for it.

If it makes things ultimately more restrictive however, that's what I'm worried about.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 9:12 pm

Smoove_B wrote:Last night I went to three different computer gaming stores in the mall - and I never felt like more of an outcast. The rack space HAS shrunk and every store had the PC gaming wedged in the back. The boxes looked like they were run over by trucks and two of the stores didn't even have them organized in any way - the games were just randomly placed on the shelves.

So....if Vista can somehow change that - I'm all for it. But I think that's a lot to hope for.

Based on the other thread and the linked article, it looks like the Microsoft Marketing Machine(tm) is gearing up to do exactly that.