Windows 8 Is Not Good For Gamers

[Smoblikat]

The Windows 8 hate is all about being forced to use the new UI. Most versions of Windows have had new things that made me go yuck. . . In XP I always went back to the old style of Start menu and Classic theme. In Vista I quickly turned off the Widget area. In Windows 7 the first thing I do is switch the taskbar to small icons and never combine.

Stubborn mules like me have always been able to take a fresh version of Windows and change the options until it looks like Windows 2000 again. The fact that we can't is the root of all the hate.

Lol, I assumed EVERYONE did that, it looks like shit otherwise.

 

[ViRGE]

The article fails to mention any way that Windows 8 is bad for gaming...

Just complaints about the UI.

I'd say that's about as good a summary as you're going to get. This is mostly lamenting about the UI and the fact that now Microsoft has their own game store (as if having EA trying to muscle in on Steam wasn't bad enough). Which is not to say that Windows 8 is particularly good for gaming, but most importantly it runs games just as well as Windows 7 - there are no performance or functionality regressions to be concerned about.

Long term I'd be more interested in seeing what Microsoft pushes game developers towards on the API side of things. Right now games are written against DirectX + Win32, with Microsoft looking to put Win32 out to pasture. So do game developers switch to Metro (DirectX + WinRT), or does Microsoft extend WinRT to the desktop to have a common API between the two (since the desktop won't die)? And what does that mean for game developers? WinRT supports C++ so it won't require a language change on their part, but will the underlying API changes and sandboxing impact game development at all?

The answer to the above will be the true gaming legacy of Windows 8, not Metro and the app store.

 

[Lonyo]

Gizmodo is shortsighted and not seeing the possibility of MS moving towards a closed system, where all games eventually have to go through Windows Live.

MS has been screwing over PC gamers since the Xbox came out, and Games for Windows Live sucks.

You are being longsighted and talking about a situation where Microsoft no longer have a monopoly, and therefore it's irrelevant whether "all games" have to go through Windows Live, because "all games" won't be "all games" it will be "the minority of games which are playable on a Microsoft system".

If you think there will ever be a situation where Microsoft both hold a monopoly on PC gaming, and ALSO are able to freeze out other people, you are looking at a world where the USA and the EU have ceased to exist, and no one cares about anti-trust.

You are scaremongering and talking about things which, based on past experience, WILL NOT be allowed to happen. It's already been shown that the EU doesn't like Microsoft bundling a BROWSER and a MEDIA PLAYER with their OS. You think that the EU or USA are going to allow Microsoft to lock down their operating system so hard that things must go through a Microsoft system to be usable at all? You're having a laugh.

 

[thespyder]

It's not bad for gaming. If anything MS throwing their XBOX division behind PC gaming will do a whole ton of good for it.

It's Valve being afraid of Xbox eating into their sales and pushing out their shills to try and rave against Win8 to protect Valve's bottom line. I own over 250 games on Steam, so I love their product. I'm all for Origin, Ubcrapwhatever, Xbox etc. on PC. All these digital services are why PC gaming continues to grow and why EA makes more money on the PC than they do the PS3.

We need more of this. This will be the resurgence of PC gaming not a Steam monopoly or a Steam temper tantrum on Linux.

Not thinking that throwing the XBOX division behind it is going to help matters. In the first place, the problem is that they are again changing the underlying architecture. Which will have an impact on older games.

Second, pretty much the main focus from the XBOX games lately is more towards main stream casual gamers. So any tweaks or fixes that come from that quarter will very likely be geared the same way. And runs the significant risk to miss out on stuff that more discerning gamers might wish for.

 

[Arkaign]

Yeah, throwing the 'Xbox' name into Win8 is meaningless unless there is some SDK that devs can use that will make porting of Xbox titles either automatic or extremely easy.

And I'm betting that it's not that way, and it's just a 'branding' gimmick.

 

[Dumac]

If I can't use my desktop like a desktop (ie: have multiple resizable windows showing at the same time) then this is not an OS I will use.

You can do that

 

[Arglebargle]

I just see zippo de nada reason to get Win8 now. And I can get it for free.

Perhaps once it is been hacked to the point I can make it work like I'd prefer rather than how Microsoft 'knows' it's best.

But I do, very much, care about the nature of the UI.

 

[exar333]

Win8 for desktops (non touch-screen setups) seems a little silly to me. I like Win8 for tablets, it works pretty well. KB/Mouse is not nearly as good.

Keep Win7 for desktop...I understand MS is pushing Win8 across all platforms for uniformity, but I don't think companies really want their rank and file workers using, and having to train on, Win8.

 

[thespyder]

Win8 for desktops (non touch-screen setups) seems a little silly to me. I like Win8 for tablets, it works pretty well. KB/Mouse is not nearly as good.

Keep Win7 for desktop...I understand MS is pushing Win8 across all platforms for uniformity, but I don't think companies really want their rank and file workers using, and having to train on, Win8.

Problem is, MS wants it to be THE platform. And when people don't adopt, they will very likely do something like bundling DX13 (or whatever) or other feature which requires people to adopt. MS doesn't like people not locking step with what they want to do. And will often try to act like a monopoly and force behavior.

 

[Skel]

Problem is, MS wants it to be THE platform. And when people don't adopt, they will very likely do something like bundling DX13 (or whatever) or other feature which requires people to adopt. MS doesn't like people not locking step with what they want to do. And will often try to act like a monopoly and force behavior.

Is that any different from any other company developing a product? I personally can't think of any company that didn't withhold some feature to get users to migrate towards their direction.

 

[Mem]

Problem is, MS wants it to be THE platform. And when people don't adopt, they will very likely do something like bundling DX13 (or whatever) or other feature which requires people to adopt. MS doesn't like people not locking step with what they want to do. And will often try to act like a monopoly and force behavior.

Its obvious desktop users got the short straw with Win8,what they should of done was have a desktop version ie boots straight into desktop with start button and all Win8 features ie metro as option to go to after,instead they made it a tablet OS with desktop users as a second thought.


Microsoft should know better because there are plenty of desktop users out there ,as well as laptop users,so why they failed to see that is beyond me.


I'm sure I'm not the only person that does not own a tablet,infact nobody in my family does.
As it stands Win8 offers nothing new for the gamer at the moment.

 

[Aikouka]

Lol, I assumed EVERYONE did that, it looks like shit otherwise.

I leave mine on large icons + combine. The only thing that I change is how Windows hides system tray icons.

Yeah, throwing the 'Xbox' name into Win8 is meaningless unless there is some SDK that devs can use that will make porting of Xbox titles either automatic or extremely easy.

And I'm betting that it's not that way, and it's just a 'branding' gimmick.

You mean like XNA?

 

[thespyder]

Is that any different from any other company developing a product? I personally can't think of any company that didn't withhold some feature to get users to migrate towards their direction.

Just because everyone wants to do it, doesn't make it right. And MS not only wants to do it. They have proven time and again that they can and will do it. And have gotten their hand slapped on more than one occasion because of it.

 

[HeXen]

There will be plenty of 3rd party UI conversion apps and tweaker apps out there. Stardock has been working like crazy on one, i'm sure many other devs have been too.
Its a shame you can't just switch desktop environments like you can in Linux, the best you can do is just use hackery apps that modify the existing locked files to make it look different with some added registry entries for new functions, which tend to affect performance in some form or fashion.

 

[thespyder]

Its obvious desktop users got the short straw with Win8,what they should of done was have a desktop version ie boots straight into desktop with start button and all Win8 features ie metro as option to go to after,instead they made it a tablet OS with desktop users as a second thought.


Microsoft should know better because there are plenty of desktop users out there ,as well as laptop users,so why they failed to see that is beyond me.


I'm sure I'm not the only person that does not own a tablet,infact nobody in my family does.
As it stands Win8 offers nothing new for the gamer at the moment.

The tablet world is expanding much faster than the desktop world. And more and more businesses are moving towards tablets. that makes it a HUGE market opportunity. Plus selling the execs on fancy new toys can really make a lot of profitable sense.

So with the tablet world exploding, they figure that is where the money is. And they are going that direction. It's not that they are marginalizing the desktop. But it is definitely a shrinking market.

And again, MS philosophy is to indoctrinate everyone into the path of what they think the market should be. And if you don't lock step, they steam roll over you. History has shown this time and again.

 

[Mem]

The tablet world is expanding much faster than the desktop world. And more and more businesses are moving towards tablets. that makes it a HUGE market opportunity. Plus selling the execs on fancy new toys can really make a lot of profitable sense.

So with the tablet world exploding, they figure that is where the money is. And they are going that direction. It's not that they are marginalizing the desktop. But it is definitely a shrinking market.

And again, MS philosophy is to indoctrinate everyone into the path of what they think the market should be. And if you don't lock step, they steam roll over you. History has shown this time and again.

Ask yourself how many people still use desktop PCs and laptops/notebook etc for general use and business?... PC gamers obviously prefer desktop PCs or gaming laptops,and you see the market is still huge....I'm talking about current PC user base in all fields and we all know its still huge and will be for a long time ,have Microsoft forgotten about that?
Microsoft should of made two versions one for desktop and one for tablet users,its not rocket science.

I have no intention of getting a tablet even down the road ,worst case scenario Microsoft kill desktop OS and PC gaming then I will go Linux for desktop use and console for gaming.

 

[thespyder]

Ask yourself how many people still use desktop PCs and laptops/notebook etc for general use and business?... PC gamers obviously prefer desktop PCs or gaming laptops,and you see the market is still huge....I'm talking about current PC user base in all fields and we all know its still huge and will be for a long time ,have Microsoft forgotten about that?
Microsoft should of made two versions one for desktop and one for tablet users,its not rocket science.

I have no intention of getting a tablet even down the road ,worst case scenario Microsoft kill desktop OS and PC gaming then I will go Linux for desktop use and console for gaming.

So I am not denying that "Currently" the Desktop environment is still big. My comment was that it is not growing anywhere near as fast as the tablet market is. And if you plot that line into the next 5 years, I can definitely see tablets significantly overtaking the desktop (if only in potential profits). Particularly if the only hold outs are the PC gamers (which is a teeny, tiny sliver of the entire PC market).

Where I work, all of the sales force, and most of the executives all have tablets. And it is growing. Plus all of the casual 'Coffee shop' users are going more laptops and increasingly tablets.

I am just saying that I think MS is seeing the growth of the tablet market and seeing dollar signs. Plus, yes. I do think that is the wave of the future for the casual (much larger than the enthusiast) market.

But I also think that MS isn't dumb. They are blending the two because that way they can focus all of their efforts on building one platform that covers both eventualities. Are they slanting towards tablet? Apparently yes. but not so much that they are likely to slit their own throats because of it. And with the majority market share, they can afford to be heavy handed about it.

 

[Kristijonas]

http://kotaku.com/5936535/windows-8-is-not-good-for-gamers D:

I haven't read through this all, but it doesn't seem to mention actual gaming. Does windows 8 run games slower? No. Does it have more problems running games than windows 7? No. So no, I couldn't possibly agree with this article.

 

[Dominato3r]

Problem is, MS wants it to be THE platform. And when people don't adopt, they will very likely do something like bundling DX13 (or whatever) or other feature which requires people to adopt. MS doesn't like people not locking step with what they want to do. And will often try to act like a monopoly and force behavior.

Chill. We are just now getting developers off of DX9 and onto DX11. By the looks of it is Windows 7 is the next XP. No one is going to force you to upgrade.

 

[thespyder]

Chill. We are just now getting developers off of DX9 and onto DX11. By the looks of it is Windows 7 is the next XP. No one is going to force you to upgrade.

Because MS didn't try to do that either. Right?

 

[Dominato3r]

Hey if you want to stay on XP no one is stopping you. The world however is moving on and in particular software. Nothing is rendering your older operating systems useless and ancient but themselves.

 

[Skel]

Because MS didn't try to do that either. Right?

I’m a little confused on the idea that MS is forcing people to upgrade, and not caring at all what people think. Vista’s short life showed that MS isn’t entirely out of touch with its users. It’s also been pointed out to me recently that almost all of the criticisms that MS is getting on the UI was said when Win95 introduced the start button in the first place. This might be a time will tell kind of thing where 20 years from now we’ll wonder how we ever lived without live tiles in the first place (personally doubt it). Of course the way the world is turning odds are MS won’t be a major player at that point.

At the end of the day I just don’t the fear that a lot of people have about MS. It’s a company selling a product. They’re not some kind of government agency that forces people to do things. You don’t like what they’re selling pick up something else. Now more than before there are real options out there. It’s no longer windows and everything else. It’s windows, Linux, chromebooks, and whatever Apple is calling their desktop OS this week. Even Android and IOS are becoming even more real options for a full blown OS. (having said that I’m sure it’ll be pointed out that they already are). My point is, MS doesn’t have the stranglehold on the desktop that it used to, which isn’t a bad thing. I’ve personally been one of those people who’ve been asking developers like ID to port their games over to Linux, and will continue to do so. Rather than deal with MS not caring what you think, pressure the devs to write for other platforms, and remind MS that Windows only works when people buy it.

 

[Mem]

So I am not denying that "Currently" the Desktop environment is still big. My comment was that it is not growing anywhere near as fast as the tablet market is. And if you plot that line into the next 5 years, I can definitely see tablets significantly overtaking the desktop (if only in potential profits). Particularly if the only hold outs are the PC gamers (which is a teeny, tiny sliver of the entire PC market).

Where I work, all of the sales force, and most of the executives all have tablets. And it is growing. Plus all of the casual 'Coffee shop' users are going more laptops and increasingly tablets.

I am just saying that I think MS is seeing the growth of the tablet market and seeing dollar signs. Plus, yes. I do think that is the wave of the future for the casual (much larger than the enthusiast) market.

But I also think that MS isn't dumb. They are blending the two because that way they can focus all of their efforts on building one platform that covers both eventualities. Are they slanting towards tablet? Apparently yes. but not so much that they are likely to slit their own throats because of it. And with the majority market share, they can afford to be heavy handed about it.

You forget consumers like a choice and don't like being forced down a particular road,this is where competitors can benefit if and when Microsoft screw up,in my area I don't know many people with a tablet,smartphones are more popular in my area then tablets ie Android etc....its a bold move by Microsoft trying to blend tablet and desktop interface,obviously its not ideal for those many desktop users out there that have been using Microsoft operating systems for decades,will it hurt Microsoft only time will tell.

 

[wuliheron]

You forget consumers like a choice and don't like being forced down a particular road,this is where competitors can benefit if and when Microsoft screw up,in my area I don't know many people with a tablet,smartphones are more popular in my area then tablets ie Android etc....its a bold move by Microsoft trying to blend tablet and desktop interface,obviously its not ideal for those many desktop users out there that have been using Microsoft operating systems for decades,will it hurt Microsoft only time will tell.

I would add that having real competition encourages innovation and gamers are sick of MS dominating the market. Dx is used in perhaps 95% of all games meaning developers have to wait for MS to add improvements whenever it suits their profit margins. Without real competition in the desktop market we are all at the mercy of MS which has a conflict of interest in improving desktop gaming because of their xbox console. It just is not a healthy relationship for gamers in the long run and now that we have gpu compute functions there is no point in MS maintaining its near monopoly.

 

[diesbudt]

whatever Apple is calling their desktop OS this week.

Mac-Attack 2012