Windows Vista: Game On

August 31st, 2006 | by Scott Steinberg

Ladies and gentlemen, take note: I have seen the future, and it looks pretty damn sharp on a 23-inch monitor and Windows Vista.
 
That's right… An official build of Windows Vista, due for release in January (of 2043, if you believe online hecklers) recently dropped into my lap. Armed with Norton Partition Magic 8.0 and this handy Lifehacker article, I decided to take the plunge and see why Microsoft was making a major push for its Games for Windows brand in 2007.
 
The result: Forget all the fuss about Live Anywhere, an initiative which lets interactive entertainment enthusiasts wirelessly connect and share content across devices such as the cell phone, PC and Xbox 360. Even discounting the impact of desktop/console homebrew development toolkit XNA Game Studio Express as well, the advent of Vista brings several awesome enhancements to the field of electronic amusements worth staying abreast of.
 
No matter if you can't tell Company of Heroes or Crysis from a cantaloupe. The OS still boasts numerous sweeping improvements guaranteed to generate excitement in virtual circles. And yes, that goes for both casual and diehard enthusiasts.
 
Here are just a few of the finer points that struck me as welcome additions to game night:
 
DirectX 10
 
Middleware that lets game creators eke yet more graphical power and better program performance from the operating system. Now, you won't just enjoy stunningly photorealistic titles like Flight Simulator X and Age of Conan. You'll also get to do so with less slowdown, at sharper resolutions and in ways which push the boundaries of what PCs have been capable of doing to date. Picture titles featuring pixel-perfect terrain, flitting shadows and characters whose facial expressions reflect a full range of emotion.
 
Games Explorer
 
Installing, keeping track of, updating, accessing info on and downloading additional content for all your titles is easier than ever, thanks to Vista's new Games Explorer. Happily, the house Bill Gates built now views the popular pastime as a priority – hence the fact you can access this feature through a "Games" option located right on the Start menu.
 
The nice part here, besides digital diversions being organized in a central location, is that Games Explorer also doubles as a one-stop resource for your every brain cell-killing need. Rolling all related functions into a single, standalone interface, you can now do nearly anything without breaking a sweat. For instance: View developer, publisher and product info; link to manufacturer websites; pull up age ratings; tweak audio/video devices; configure Internet access; or retrieve help files updated to reflect the latest tech support findings.
 
Windows System Performance Ratings (WinSPRs) also provide an instantly comprehensible numerical representation of your computer's capabilities. Gauging your machine on areas such as processor, memory and graphics, these options immediately let you know if your PC is up to snuff for specific titles. You'll even be able to tell at a glance if driver problems, hard drive space or startup troubles are causing key issues.
 
Community Features
 
Fully compatible with games for earlier versions of Windows, you'll also find art and info readily retrievable on 1500+ titles such as Half-Life 2. But being able to easily store, configure and catalogue your collection is only the beginning. With a click, you can immediately hop on community message boards, join fan clubs, pull up saved games (which use screenshots to remind you where you left off) or download program mods too. No more futzing through obscure web pages. Now, you'll be able to connect with fellow geeks and discuss the merits of SiN Episodes' sophomoric humor (and busty beauties) in seconds.
 
Parental Controls
 
Kids are cool and all, but you don't always want them going on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas marathons. Though it'll surely seem slightly draconian to some, Vista boasts built-in parental control features designed to help keep dicey content out of Junior's hands.
 
Cheerfully, the OS defaults to your home territory's set rating system (e.g. ESRB guidelines for America, PEGI's standards throughout Europe, CERO's rules in Japan), so mature titles can be kept away from minors. You can further choose to limit children's access based on specific descriptors such as blood, gore or drug use. Time constraints can also be applied, so sprouts may only login at certain hours. Oh, and here's a personal favorite the tots will surely love – auto-generated activity reports actually monitor their progress for you, so when the parents are away, the mischievous scamps and hormonally-supercharged teens won't play.
 
Cheap Thrills
 
You know you love those fun freebies: Solitaire, FreeCell, Minesweeper et al.
 
Well, guess what? They're back, and looking better than ever, thanks to sweeping graphical improvements and bonus features like selectable backgrounds and options to save and resume games at any time. Spider Solitaire, InkBall, Hearts and Purble Place (a collection of three animated memory-matching, puzzle-solving and guessing games aimed at young children) are included out of the box too.
 
Should you spring for Vista Premium or Vista Ultimate, you'll also get two bonus 3D offerings: Chess Titans and Mahjong Titans. (Surprise – I suck at both.) Sell your soul to the gods of marketing research and become a registered "genuine" user, and you become eligible for additional free game downloads as well. w00t!
 
 
Taken together, you're looking at an operating system that pumps up the audiovisual capabilities, gives users additional feedback on/greater control over their leisure experiences and makes gaming more accessible than ever. Say what you will about Vista's corporate overlords and their decision to sell the program in 8 million different editions, but all of the above constitute big pluses in my book.
 
Considering how much easier Microsoft's newest invention is liable to make everyone's lives (once the kinks are worked out, natch), I'm walking away from initial tests with a positive impression. Just thinking about the platform's potential to draw new fans into the fold gets me all tingly inside.
 
Besides, dude – next-gen Minesweeper. Need I say more?
 
Scott Steinberg is managing director of Embassy Multimedia Consultants (www.embassymulti.com).


Post Your Comment...Comments

Barry on Aug 31st, 2006 at 9:19 AM:

haha Nex-gen minesweeper! That damn addicting game! Games explorer sounds interesting, I just wonder if it will really be useful or not.

Ian Bell on Aug 31st, 2006 at 9:21 AM:

Good reasons. I am still concerned that I will have to upgrade all of my hardware to take real advantage of Vista though, and that can get costly.

Are there any new games included with the OS rather than just revamped Minesweeper etc?

Microsoft needs to incorporate their Live Arcade into the OS, then I will be happy! :)

Scott Steinberg on Aug 31st, 2006 at 9:28 AM:

Games Explorer should make your life a lot easier in terms of layout, one-touch access. And re: hardware specs, check the official Vista site - basics aren't as bad as you'd think, but yeah. Expect to shell out for a nice video card, some extra RAM.

As for Live Arcade, just go to Download.com or visit the casual games portals (Big Fish, iWin, etc.). It'd be nice to have a single, easily interpreted interface like that on the PC, but hey - why wait?

Owyn on Sep 1st, 2006 at 12:34 PM:

Scott I think you are over Exagerating the usefulness of some of these new Features, sure they are all nice and myself being a new father know that being able to tell your children what they can't play is the best thing that parents can get... but, the fact that you tell them this doesn't mean that they aren't just going to go to a friends house and play it just because you have it blocked... parental controls are over rated and should be able to be done with software anyway so this "advancement in the OS" isn't the biggest nor is it very impressive, that's like saying that Tabbed browsing is Internet Explores New Feature.

Further, If it weren't for the fact that MS is deciding to try and FORCE the gaming community over to Vista Via Direct X 10 I think is Draconian not a parental control... Personally my machine with it's fancy pants PCI-X X1900 and 2GB of ram run great and all I need now is a PhysX processor and all well be right with the world. Yeah sure I COULD shell out 175-200$ for the Home Version of Vista but then I wouldn't have that to spend on my new hardware.

To continue, and sure I haven't seen it, the one click to get to your favorite gaming discussion forums, I can do that now with bookmarks, so once again not an advancement just a simple move of a function to the Start Bar, I love my start bar don't get me wrong but that's all this is.

And now finally onto your Happy Games Explorer, unless this is some form of quick menu that I could mouse over or use like my Steam Client then I'm not interested, currently every game that I have has a shortcut under a simple mouse over menu in my startbar as it is, with my apps under another menu and Productivity Soft, Like my copy of Open Office and such under a third.

Yeah I know I am coming off as a Vista Hating pain in the rear, but really how much of an advancement are most of the things you covered besides the drool fest that DX10 Creates, and then Why can't that just be ported back to Windows XP, oh wait because MS wants to bleed you dry, well not you cause you already got a copy of it but they sure want to bleed the base consumer dry.

Ian Bell on Sep 1st, 2006 at 6:08 PM:

I would have to say that I am right there with Owyn. There is no reason that MS cannot bring DirextX 10 over to Windows XP. They are forcing consumer into purchasing their new OS simply by stating that you NEED this system to play any new games. The hardware is there for XP, why do we need a new OS right?

Bishop on Sep 6th, 2006 at 4:25 PM:

It's going to take 3 to 5 years before the compagny make game for directx 10. To much people
will not buy Vista.

James on Sep 29th, 2006 at 8:45 PM:

I have to concur with Owyn as well. DirectX 10 is not a reason to buy an OS (nor is new and improved Minesweeper). I'm sure I'll end up buying Vista, but I'm already afraid that they haven't done a good job with security -- my biggest concern -- given that they've released bug fixes for the OS before it is even OUT! And, the bug fix was for the same problem in XP and Vista, meaning they must share a lot of the same code. That doesn't speak to years and years of improvement to me.

Scott Steinberg on Oct 12th, 2006 at 3:10 PM:

Yep, I hear ya - a lot of these items are simple refinements/functional tweaks, and certainly MS could have incorporated them into its existing system. But hey, the die's cast at this point, and you have to keep in mind the average computer user's unfamiliarity with a lot of this stuff.

Anything that puts gaming front and center for them and makes it easier to learn the basics does us all a favor. Certainly, a hardcore gamer knows where to get new mods, hit the message boards, how to pimp a rig, et al. But it's the casual markets which are booming, and I think enhancements like these - plus the surrounding publicity they'll generate - will be a boon to us all. This just opens the door for more fence-sitters to see what can be done if you really get into the hobby.

Although agreed, shoehorning DX10 in as an exclusive is mighty sneaky. Let's be thankful they haven't threatened to shut down XP's web browsing capabilities by Dec 31, haha.

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