Former Steam boss Jason Holtman working for Microsoft

[lupi]

If you can't grasp a basic understanding of what has been said here, there is no hope for you.

 

[smackababy]

God forbid people actually remember that Microsoft gave us DirectX, and without that where would all our games be? Even Carmack admits that OpenGL is behind these days.

OpenGL has always been behind. It tried to become a competitor to DirectX and just was never as good. DirectX was feared when it first released and a lot of developers wanted to stick with DOS. But it eventually was adopted and is now the standard.

 

[cmdrdredd]

If you can't grasp a basic understanding of what has been said here, there is no hope for you.

If you can't see that without windows and without Microsoft's support of directx you would have shit for gaming on the PC there is no hope for YOU.

 

[smackababy]

If you can't see that without windows and without Microsoft's support of directx you would have shit for gaming on the PC there is no hope for YOU.

We'd all still be using DOS and everyone would be happy right?

 

[cmdrdredd]

We'd all still be using DOS and everyone would be happy right?

No lol...I'd be using a Mac for computer stuff and console gaming only.

 

[blackened23]

Probably because he said (emphasis added by me):

"Yes, I have joined Microsoft where I will be focusing on making Windows a great platform for gaming and interactive entertainment."

:whiste:

I stand corrected, my mistake. Although to be fair, as cmddredd mentioned, XB1 is also using a form of Windows and windows store.....

I dunno. GFWL 2.0 seems like a long shot. GFWL was not and still is not well received, most publishers have given up on it - in fact, the last GFWL publisher that i'm aware of is capcom and Warner. Warner just recently dropped GFWL in favor of steamworks, if you'll notice - the new MK9 PC game is not using GFWL. This is in addition to the fact that 2k, bethesda, and rockstar all dropped GFWL in favor of steamworks a couple of years ago. Capcom is also rumored to be switching; it turns out that most consumers hate GFWL, me included. Anyway, if MS is re-focusing on Windows gaming DD, then I feel it will be something other than GFWL. Maybe windows store in windows 8.1, who knows.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Gfwl is dead and will have the store shut down. The content will still function. They are merging it all into a Microsoft live system that combines the Xbox ecosystem and windows I would guess. I posted the link in a previous reply.

 

[smackababy]

Hopefully, the new Live system they are talking about works as well as the Xbox Live on the Xbox does. I haven't had any problems with GFWL, but I don't have many games that use it. Dark Souls is the only one I put any significant amount of time in and it worked perfectly.

 

[lupi]

If you can't see that without windows and without Microsoft's support of directx you would have shit for gaming on the PC there is no hope for YOU.

Not only do I recall playing games before either of those, I still own some of them.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Gee... I dunno.. maybe we'd be all using Warp or BeOS or one of the several other OSes that were around during the beginning.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Microsoft has been stabbing Windows gamers in the back since the Xbox came out.

Microsoft converted all their Windows gaming studios into Xbox only studios, or shut them down. They pay other studios to cancel or delay their Windows games so they can have more Xbox exclusives.

Microsoft is a Windows gamer's worst enemy. I doubt one guy can change their entire corporate strategy of trying to push Windows gamers to the Xbox, except Ballmer, and it's doubtful that will ever happen.

I dont know if microsoft pays other studios to delay PC games, but otherwise your post is spot on. I still remember fondly the days when Microsoft sponsored Ensemble studios and they made such great games. Does anyone remember the MSN Gaming Zone: lots of free games, and free online play for CD games, and only the host needed the CD? Still remember how sad I was when I found out that support for Age of Empires and Galactic Battlegrounds and all the other games on the MSN gaming zone was gone. Oh well, enough nostalgia, I played many, many hours on these games with my grandson, and the custom maps were fantastic.

I used to be a supporter of Microsoft, because when you think about it, Windows and Office, and all the other software they make was an amazing achievement. But in the last 5 years or so, they seem totally out of touch or self destructive, or maybe just so egotistical that they want everybody to use what MS thinks is best. I just dont understand how they can make such stupid decisions, I mean there must be a smattering of people in the company that have some common sense along with all their formal IT training, and dont they ever, you know, actually use the stuff they design?

It all pretty much started when they forced the ribbon on office (I know, I have finally come to accept it at least), then Vista, then Win 8, then Win RT, then the Xbox 1 debacle. it just goes on and on, and the only outstanding product in that time period was Win 7. I also dont know why MS continually tries to give the shaft to PC gamers, because gaming is probably the only reason I would install Windows on a PC I built myself--otherwise, I would just use Linux.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I stand corrected, my mistake. Although to be fair, as cmddredd mentioned, XB1 is also using a form of Windows and windows store.....

I dunno. GFWL 2.0 seems like a long shot. GFWL was not and still is not well received, most publishers have given up on it - in fact, the last GFWL publisher that i'm aware of is capcom and Warner. Warner just recently dropped GFWL in favor of steamworks, if you'll notice - the new MK9 PC game is not using GFWL. This is in addition to the fact that 2k, bethesda, and rockstar all dropped GFWL in favor of steamworks a couple of years ago. Capcom is also rumored to be switching; it turns out that most consumers hate GFWL, me included. Anyway, if MS is re-focusing on Windows gaming DD, then I feel it will be something other than GFWL. Maybe windows store in windows 8.1, who knows.

The "interactive entertainment" part bothers me. Does that mean that they will make it as intrusive as they tried to make Xbone? I guess a lot of people do use this kind of functionality, but our house has a cable box and a dvr, so I dont really feel the need to use a PC to control my entertainment.

 

[smackababy]

The "interactive entertainment" part bothers me. Does that mean that they will make it as intrusive as they tried to make Xbone? I guess a lot of people do use this kind of functionality, but our house has a cable box and a dvr, so I dont really feel the need to use a PC to control my entertainment.

By as intrusive do you mean online checks and DD DRM, because the Xbox One was catching up to the PC status quo.

 

[frozentundra123456]

By as intrusive do you mean online checks and DD DRM, because the Xbox One was catching up to the PC status quo.

I was referring to the always on kinect and the periodic need to phone home to Microsoft.

I am not sure what you are referring to on the PC that is similar. I play on steam in offline mode and haven't connected online to steam in weeks.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I was referring to the always on kinect and the periodic need to phone home to Microsoft.

I am not sure what you are referring to on the PC that is similar. I play on steam in offline mode and haven't connected online to steam in weeks.

You mean referring to things that are not happening. Both of those are gone.

 

[BladeVenom]

OpenGL has always been behind. It tried to become a competitor to DirectX and just was never as good. DirectX was feared when it first released and a lot of developers wanted to stick with DOS. But it eventually was adopted and is now the standard.

OpenGL came out first. Microsoft's threat to stop supporting OpenGL is what caused many developers to switch to DirectX. That and their massive marketing is why it became popular, not because it was better. http://blog.wolfire.com/2010/01/Why-you-should-use-OpenGL-and-not-DirectX

 

[lamedude]

D3D 3 kinda sucked going from the history page on Wikipedia. It looks like by 6 it started to gain ground, and the ARB took forever to standardize new features that by 8 it was ahead and only recently with Kronos basically mirroring D3D has it caught up.

Not only do I recall playing games before either of those, I still own some of them.

You remember the fun that was setting up VESA and sound drivers. Buying a fancy Roland or GUS but needing a SB for games that didn't support it.

 

[frozentundra123456]

You mean referring to things that are not happening. Both of those are gone.

Yes, but not through any good-heartedness of MS. They tried to force it down our throats, but the outcry against it was finally so great that MS had to relent.

Not to mention that the xbone is still inferior hardware to the PS4 at 100.00 more expensive. That is great product planning.

 

[Stringjam]

God forbid people actually remember that Microsoft gave us DirectX...

I wonder where openGL would be if it weren't for DirectX.....it certainly would have meant that nvidia and AMD would have placed a primary focus on developing drivers for it, and it would likely be in a far more advanced state if it had become the de facto API.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Funny, I just left Live/PSN to become a PC gamer and use Steam...bad move on his part I guess. It won't be long before these console companies find out that people are sick of getting gouged on prices and charged for services that are free on the PC.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Funny, I just left Live/PSN to become a PC gamer and use Steam...bad move on his part I guess. It won't be long before these console companies find out that people are sick of getting gouged on prices and charged for services that are free on the PC.

Right...cause nobody buys console games anymore and everyone is buying new video cards for their PC.

 

[smackababy]

Right...cause nobody buys console games anymore and everyone is buying new video cards for their PC.

Yeah! Haven't you heard, the PC version always sells more than the console version of every game that is released on both platforms.

 

[KaOTiK]

Sorry for bumping this old thread, but oh, it is so fitting.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...ture_of_PC_games_evangelist_Jason_Holtman.php

This guy is the true hero among gamers. Infiltrates MS, gets rid of GFWL, then bails out.

 

[Texashiker]

This guy is the true hero among gamers. Infiltrates MS, gets rid of GFWL, then bails out.

That is epic.

Wonder how long before he goes back to work for valve?

 

[Red Hawk]

Yeah I saw this news. Gosh darn it, this gave me hope for Microsoft back when he was hired. But this means either he got fed up with the practices at Microsoft or Microsoft had enough of what he wanted to change. With that, my interest in Linux gaming and SteamOS spiked a bit.