Blizzard Exec Backs Valve's Critical Windows 8 Outlook

[biggiebody]

[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Play the same game side by side on a 50" LED TV like I have and and I beg to differ..lol I love getting under PC gamer's skin...it's too easy.[/citation]

Are you trying to say you can play games on a TV rather than a monitor or are you saying that you can play games on a BIG TV. Let me keep you in check,
1) my computer is hooked up to a LCD TV and I play games on it.
2) 50 inch LED TV is still 1080p, doesn't matter how big it is, while PC's can play much on higher resolutions than your" 50 inch LED TV" and will usually look much better.
3) My PC is about 2 years old, hardly obsolete and completely destroys your "console", and my other PC which cost me only around 200 dollars to build can play anything your "console" can, and that's not even a "gaming" PC.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]hasten[/nom]I actually disagree after laying on octacon all day. The rumors are saying that the PS4/orbit will be pushing somewhere around a 7870 for its GPU. Wouldn't call that obsolete, especially with the fact it's specialized hardware. I'm basing this off what Tom's recently reported as leaked processing power...[/citation]

I've heard of a "ridiculously powerful" 16 core CPU and CFX with at least one APU for the Xbox 360's successor too. I've also heard that the PS3's successor will have an APU with a Tahiti-like GPU that seems similar to the 7950's Tahiti Pro rather than a GPU similar to the 7870's Pitcairn. Internet rumors (even on Tom's) don't always come to pass. Heck, most probably don't. If these console really come out in say 2014 like I've been reading, then even if they have such graphics as something similar to the 7870 or the 7950, they might still be only lower mid-ranged in graphics performance for the time once they actually launch.

If the rumors about the next gen consoles being more similar to PCs even in CPU hardware are also true, then we might be able to expect games that are ported to PCs to run on the PC environments more optimally than games ported from the Xbox 360 or the PS3 to Windows can perform in the PC environments. If that happens, then the consoles could have one of their greatest advantages over PCs diminished. We just don't know how it will all turn out just yet. Don't forget that there have also been rumors about the Wii's successor using Radeon 4000-based graphics and that the PS3's and Xbox 360's successors using graphics based on the Radeon 6670 which would put them into very low end by the time they launch and only upper low end even right now.

 

[Belardo]

[citation][nom]A Bad Day[/nom]I'll be installing Windows 7 onto my future rig in 2013.[/citation] Unless you buy your Win7 OS today, you may not be able to buy in 2013.

[citation][nom]ravewulf[/nom]I won't be switching to Linux,~ If things stay bad I might consider moving to ReactOS (not linux/unix, but an open source Windows-NT based system) when it is stable and feature complete (currently only in the alpha stages).[/citation]
ReactOS has no future, you think they are not on MS' radar - then your kidding yourself. MS will let them develop to a stable Beta stage (if it ever happens) and then put them out. No legit business will touch it... for fear of wrath from MS and security/bug issues.

 

[nicodemus_mm]

Just a thought... MS got slapped with antitrust suits because of integration of IE in Windows. Isn't this somewhat similar? Instead of IE they're bundling in an app store (or whatever it will be called) that offers them an unfair (depending on the point of view) advantage over the competition. IE integration was deemed monopolistic. How would this not be similar?

Disclaimer: No, I'm not a Mac user. Actually, I flat out refuse to buy Apple products. I'm just concerned about where MS is taking this.

 

[buzznut]

WIN8 isn't for enthusiasts and gamers anyway. I just removed it and I'm much happier back on 7. may as well stick with that.

 

[cscott_it]

I think these guys are making a bigger fuss of this than they should. They aren't being forced to use the platform nor are they really being impeded with their current distribution methods.

I'm rather surprised that Gabe took this route rather than creating a Steam "App" that mimics the current Valve App, but leverages the APIs tied to "Apps" within Windows 8 (versus the stand-alone steam).

Honestly, I don't see it doing much better for games than GFWL. Though I think that some of the home productivity apps may see a slight upswing in sales due to this (though Office and the like have had trials bundled with major OEM PC's for quite some time).

All in all, I think they are looking at this a bit too much - unless Microsoft pulls a big rabbit out of their hat, this will not cause damage to their current business model.

::In Other News::
Software vendors argue that software provided by platform will destroy their business and drive others away.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]Unless you buy your Win7 OS today, you may not be able to buy in 2013.ReactOS has no future, you think they are not on MS' radar - then your kidding yourself. MS will let them develop to a stable Beta stage (if it ever happens) and then put them out. No legit business will touch it... for fear of wrath from MS and security/bug issues.[/citation]

React is legal. The devs went to great lengths to make sure that it is legal. The problem with it is that it moves too slow. MS might be able to crush it in some other way, but legal problems aren't one of them right now. However, OSX and Linux together have something like almost 8-10% market share on consumer x86 computers, so I'm not sure if MS is the company to accuse of killing off competitors right now.

If, like so many people seemingly want it to, Windows 8 fails so badly that MS gets seriously hurt, they might not be able to do anything about React if it manages to make some serious improvements before MS recovers, granted both of these are unlikely scenarios IMO. Regardless, React is still interesting and if it does manage something great, then the most that MS can do is stop it from going anywhere further. They can't stop people from distributing it once it's name is really out there if people want to and they also can't stop people from developing it illegally if people really want to, especially if this is done in Asia.

MS hasn't come close to stopping people from making Windows cracks that work for any version of Windows. Cracks are often made prior to the release of the newest version of Windows that they work on, even for server versions of Windows. How can they stop a legal project such as React if they can't even stop illegal activity with Windows, and even if they manage to do so, how would they stop illegal continuation of React? The answer is simply that they have almost no chance at all of succeeding in that.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]buzznut[/nom]WIN8 isn't for enthusiasts and gamers anyway. I just removed it and I'm much happier back on 7. may as well stick with that.[/citation]

Since when has any version of Windows been designed specifically for enthusiasts and gamers by MS?

 

[Guest]

1. Linux will never be popular.
2. Most people will be on Windows 8 even though the say they won't leave 7.
3. Consoles will still be vastly more popular and have more good, exclusive games.
4. People will post the same thing about Windows 10, PS5, XBOX 1080.

Keep posting and pretend like anything you say is even remotely realistic. If this, if that, blah blah blah. Why even bother writing such long draw out posts if they aren't based in reality?

 

[vektsilver]

[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Anyone who says anything on here bad about PC gaming gets thumbed down...lol. As your comment did.[/citation]
The problem you dont see is the pc market is not pushed by people who know pc's. its pushed by large companies buying the new OS and people that we have all heard say " oh I want the newest windows not that old (insert version).

While a techincal underachievement its dumbing down pc's for the masses so it works like a phone cause they can use that atleast.

 

[egmccann]

[citation][nom]tului[/nom]No reason to thumb this guy down. He isn't saying anything that isn't true. Well, I don't console game, but I can't say his statements are invalid.[/citation]

Er... yes, he's saying things that are decidedly untrue. Specifically the "every six months" nonsense. (I say as I just exit a game on my several-year-old i7-860 that has only had RAM upgraded - and that because I run multiple VMs at once.)

Meanwhile, if I want to game, I have a much, *much* larger library to choose from - going all the way back to text-based (such as Zork) and DOS based (Crusader: No Remorse, or the original Syndicate) to the latest and greatest, the majority of which give, quite honestly, no problems.

So, if someone's going to criticize PC gaming, they should at *least* get their facts straight. If they don't, yes, they'll get a thumbs-down on their comment (and likely be laughed at as well.) Can new hardware come out on fast cycles? Yes. Does that mean you're immediately obsolete and MUST upgrade to continue? No. Do some people do so anyway? Sure. Just like people go out and get the newest model of their car every year - not everyone does, very few in fact, and it doesn't make the road obsolete for everyone else.

 

[faster23rd]

These Windows 8 bullshits are a telling symptom of how companies are jumping into tablet/mobile computing bandwagon. I'm not into business enough to know if this is a great idea but as a solid PC user, I mourn these developments. I just wonder if MS listens to us.

 

[DjEaZy]

... Blizzard Exec Backs Valve's Critical Windows 8 Outlook... at least i'm and others, who tested windows 8 shit preview, are not the only ones... windows 8 is crap...

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]DjEaZy[/nom]... Blizzard Exec Backs Valve's Critical Windows 8 Outlook... at least i'm and others, who tested windows 8 *** preview, are not the only ones... windows 8 is crap...[/citation]

Funny thing is that when people say that Windows 8 is crap, they don't give logical reasoning, yet when people say that it's not crap, they tend to give logical reasoning, granted a few of the proponents have said things that are far more stupid than what has been said by most of the naysayers. Windows 8 is superior to Windows 7 as an OS in pretty much every relevant way. The only issue is the UI issue with Metro's very poor implementation and intended to be forceful adoption. The problem with calling this a logical reason for hating Windows 8 is that it takes only a few minutes to download and install a new start menu program. Don't like the rest of the UI? Classic Shell can make even more extensive changes, among other programs that can.

No one who claims to be an enthusiast should care about this. Even most non-enthusiasts shouldn't care about this. Most of us are willing to go to much greater lengths for a variety of things with our computers, yet you guys are disgusted by not having a start menu by default and being able to install one if you want to with just a few minutes of your time, if even that long? That's just ridiculous. This trolling about Windows 8 was out of hand since the beginning of it. Enough is enough. If you guys can't give valid reasons for disliking it, then you might as well not waste reader's time with your BS.

 

[peroludiarom]

Hey Rob Pardo, you can talk about other software companies, when YOUR SH*TTI game get fixed! It is rather brazenly to share opinion that some software is crappy, when you sell something unfinished (lying the clients)!

Also i don't think that Steam is insulted in any way - it's about the client to decide which store to use. Personally i don't like Steam and Xbox Live.

 

[billgatez]

@otacon72 : I stopped PC gaming years ago. I buy one piece of hardware hook it into my LED TV and don't have to upgrade anything for years. PC hardware is obsolete 6 months after you buy it. Thumb me down all you want I don't care..lol

My old media PC with an old 8800 GTX still out paces you xbox ps3 playing most games at 1080p. Well an xbox has trouble playing games a 720p. 30 FPS
You pay all the money for a 1080p what plus inch TV only to hook it up to a up-scaled 720p signal.

 

[hannibal]

Hmmm... MS is in so important role, that competition/anti monopoly laws would not allow closed platform, so don't be afraid of. The steam and other companies can sell their stuff at reasonable price allso in the future!
The MS-store may be closed, but who is gonna use it in anyway?

 

[grumbledook]

[citation][nom]shawn808[/nom]Enjoy your 2006 technology.LOL @ every 6 months....My year old 2600k with 580 gtx SMOKES your 360 /PS3[/citation]

You can build a $300 pc that smokes the 360\PS3 (without OS mind you but still).

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]grumbledook[/nom]You can build a $300 pc that smokes the 360\PS3 (without OS mind you but still).[/citation]

You can download an eval copy or use MS Dreamspark if you know a college student. Both mean legally free Windows.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]killerclick[/nom]Quibble all you want, but Linux is much more important than Windows in terms of what's running it and what depends on it. Microsoft's importance in the grand scheme of things is diminishing every year, and the Windows 8 debacle will make that clear even to die hard fanboys.[/citation]
Linux has one singular flaw which keeps people away; It is not a unified OS like Windows and OSX are. The reason Linux is so popular in the server market is because of security, and that it is moldable by the user to suit a specific need, and has the ability to turn everything not needed off. Linux is popular on phones because it is dirt cheap, and phone manufacturers can have a higher profit margin using android (and again, modify and lock it down to their specific and stupid requirements). If we were to seperate phone hardware from the phone OS I could almost guarantee that linux/android would be on the bottom of the pile again.
I am not saying that linux is bad (I have used several versions over the years), just that when it comes to choosing which flavor of linux the average user is simply dis-interested because they do not want to learn to be a CS major just to use their computer. They want something that simply works, is supported, and can run all of the standard software on the market. Linux has gotten much better about the 'simply works' and 'support' aspects (though still far from perfect), but they still lack major software support from a lot of big name companies.
Personally, I think that win8 (or at least metro) will be a delayed success. A lot of people will be put off by the start screen at first, after a year or two into it, and people see it in use then they will move over. As an example, my MIL who is entirely computer illiterate, was able to figure out win8 on my computer after just a few minutes. I just had to explain that the start menu was replaced by the start screen, and that the charms menu was there to change settings/features and then she used it just like any other computer. Yes, she still struggled, but no worse than on win7, and she enjoyed having the live tile information on the start screen (something I could personally do without). I think a lot of the complaints about win8 are simply overblown.

@ article
I don't understand why steam or blizzard feel threatened by win8. Yes, there is a store front, but it will be mostly for metro applications because software makers do not want to give 20-30% of their profits to MS just for the 'privileged' of selling software. With that fee model it would be cheaper to sell titles on systems like Steam, and steam offers many other great support mechanisms for both developers and gamers which the Windows Store simply cannot offer. For the x86 versions of win8 there is nothing preventing services like steam from running, and with the new win8 APIs there will even be neat new ways for steam to integrate into win8's social and cloud functionality which could be pretty neat.

 

[bluekoala]

[citation][nom]tului[/nom]No reason to thumb this guy down. He isn't saying anything that isn't true. Well, I don't console game, but I can't say his statements are invalid.[/citation]

The problem here is that he is stating that he "doesn't have to upgrade for years" where he should be saying he "CANNOT upgrade for years". This implies that the hardware of these consoles magically upgrades itself every time a new title comes along. It also implies that these titles are not scaled down so that they can run more or less smoothly on outdated hardware.

 

[aggroboy]

[citation][nom]bluekoala[/nom]The problem here is that he is stating that he "doesn't have to upgrade for years" where he should be saying he "CANNOT upgrade for years". This implies that the hardware of these consoles magically upgrades itself every time a new title comes along. It also implies that these titles are not scaled down so that they can run more or less smoothly on outdated hardware.[/citation]
For the multiplatform games, the experience between 3 systems are more or less then same. It doesn't matter to me if I'm viewing thru my 24" monitor at 1900x1280 or I'm playing at my 42" TV.

 

[Belardo]

[citation][nom]blazorthon[/nom]Funny thing is that when people say that Windows 8 is crap, they don't give logical reasoning, yet when people say that it's not crap, they tend to give logical reasoning, granted a few of the proponents have said things that are far more stupid than what has been said by most of the naysayers. Windows 8 is superior to Windows 7 as an OS in pretty much every relevant way. The only issue is the UI issue with Metro's very poor implementation and intended to be forceful adoption. The problem with calling this a logical reason for hating Windows 8 is that it takes only a few minutes to download and install a new start menu program.~~[/citation] Er, no. The people who say that Windwos8 is crap HAVE given logical reasoning. Its just that YOU don't like the answers.

Like the BS in Vista "Turn off the OCP if it bugs you" or "add another 4GB if is slow" - just to make it usable like an XP install... The OS should be GOOD, out of the box. Windows7 is *GOOD* out of the box. Vista isn't, Win8 is not. Most people WILL NOT know how to re-add the start menu, period. Are you going to advertise in every BB, Fry's, Walmart on how to do this? You going to go to their homes and hand hold them on how to add a 3rd party add-on?
Most people are NOT going to spend 1 minute to screw with this shit, they won't know where to begin.

Since Metro is part of the Windows8 "package" - it means the WHOLE Windows8 is flawed.

Nobody is saying that there are not good things in Win8, there are things to like about it. But the new skin, the metro etc makes it useless to most people. I don't care that you like it. More power to you. But those who HATE Windows 8 have a valid reason to do so, period. It doesn't work for them. iPhone4, a great product... no doubt about it, doesn't mean its right for me.

The best way you may educate people is to create a website with a domain that says someting like "fixthiswindows8shitnow.com" which has links and how-to's to remove metro and replace the Start menu. And still, most people will never know about it.

 

[A Bad Day]

[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]Unless you buy your Win7 OS today, you may not be able to buy in 2013.[/citation]

Ebay

 

[tajisi]

[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Play the same game side by side on a 50" LED TV like I have and and I beg to differ..lol I love getting under PC gamer's skin...it's too easy.[/citation]

Well, there's your problem. Your TV is high end... circa 2006 or 2007. Maybe it can't keep up with the newer breed of television, running at 65+ inches and 480htz. Then again, with all the money you saved by not doing hardware upgrades I'm sure you can splurge a little on a good TV.