Windows 8.1 TV Ad Highlights Return of Start Button

[w8gaming]

They need to get it through their thick skulls, it is not the start BUTTON people want, it is the start MENU. Looks like the 5 bucks I spent on start8 will remain to be well worth it.

This whole bring back the start button thing is going to backfire on MS once 8.1 is officially released. Whoever thought of making this is a good idea is probably the same person who wants dancing kids in the first Surface ads,

 

[JD88]

What Win 8 should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8_jetKEu8

 

[DiaSin]

What Win 8 should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8_jetKEu8

Too bad you can't run 95% of games on linux or I would switch in a heartbeat.

 

[skyjogger]

@egmccann
if they listened to the customer nothing would ever change and we would be left in 1985.
the other point is, they did look at how people used windows and the start menu was not something people. this is more about peoples reluctant to change. have any of you used win8? i mean like properly used it. i have, ive been on it for over a year now its great and every one i talk to who as properly used it says the same. i hope you can remove the start button its just unneeded clutter.

 

[8350rocks]

What Win 8 should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8_jetKEu8

Too bad you can't run 95% of games on linux or I would switch in a heartbeat.

You can run about 70% of them through WINE or Play on Linux...I am already doing it on Ubuntu. The 2 games that are a bit of a head-ache are BF3 multiplayer...(though single player seems fine) and that's primarily because of the Windows based punkbustr, and Crysis 3, because of DX 11 requirements. Though, with MANTLE, that may change as well. Also, CryTek is currently working on porting CE 3.5 to Linux, when that happens, no issues.

 

[JD88]

What Win 8 should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8_jetKEu8

Too bad you can't run 95% of games on linux or I would switch in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately true. Hopefully we will see some movement on that in the near future.

What games do you play? I've been using Play On Linux lately (a WINE front end) and am able to run League of Legends, Starcraft 2, D3 (even though I don't play it wanted to see if it would work), Bioshock, and others with hardly any issues. I haven't booted into Windows for nearly a month. I do miss Planetside 2 though.

Edit: @8350, what games are you able to run without issue? I wouldn't mind coming up with a list.

 

[DiaSin]

What Win 8 should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8_jetKEu8

Too bad you can't run 95% of games on linux or I would switch in a heartbeat.

You can run about 70% of them through WINE or Play on Linux...I am already doing it on Ubuntu. The 2 games that are a bit of a head-ache are BF3 multiplayer...(though single player seems fine) and that's primarily because of the Windows based punkbustr, and Crysis 3, because of DX 11 requirements. Though, with MANTLE, that may change as well. Also, CryTek is currently working on porting CE 3.5 to Linux, when that happens, no issues.

I'm confused. How exactly is it that you run DirectX based games without DirectX? Also, I would have to be able to launch the games through steam, as that is where most of my games are.

 

[JD88]

Also, to all you Linux users out there, here is a fix for Silverlight on Linux (needed for Netflix, Xfinity on Demand, and others)

http://www.webupd8.org/2013/08/pipelight-use-silverlight-in-your-linux.html

Just another issue down in making Linux a livable alternative.

 

[DiaSin]

Also, to all you Linux users out there, here is a fix for Silverlight on Linux (needed for Netflix, Xfinity on Demand, and others:

http://www.webupd8.org/2013/08/pipelight-use-silverlight-in-your-linux.html

Just another issue down in making Linux a livable alternative.

Now if only someone could hack DirectX 10/11 into the OS..

 

[8350rocks]

Also, to all you Linux users out there, here is a fix for Silverlight on Linux (needed for Netflix, Xfinity on Demand, and others:

http://www.webupd8.org/2013/08/pipelight-use-silverlight-in-your-linux.html

Just another issue down in making Linux a livable alternative.

Now if only someone could hack DirectX 10/11 into the OS..

There is already partial DX10 support via WINE/PoL. Full DX9 support, and DX11, wweeelllllllll....not quite there yet.

However, CryEngine 3.4 works on Ubuntu, and CryTek is working on bringing over CE 3.5. If/when that happens, you'll see accommodation for full DX11 support.

Also, keep in mind, if you can run the game with MANTLE, then you can run it on Windows/Linux/Mac without issue, and want to bet TrueAudio has drivers for Linux too?

 

[8350rocks]

What Win 8 should have been:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8_jetKEu8

Too bad you can't run 95% of games on linux or I would switch in a heartbeat.

You can run about 70% of them through WINE or Play on Linux...I am already doing it on Ubuntu. The 2 games that are a bit of a head-ache are BF3 multiplayer...(though single player seems fine) and that's primarily because of the Windows based punkbustr, and Crysis 3, because of DX 11 requirements. Though, with MANTLE, that may change as well. Also, CryTek is currently working on porting CE 3.5 to Linux, when that happens, no issues.

I'm confused. How exactly is it that you run DirectX based games without DirectX? Also, I would have to be able to launch the games through steam, as that is where most of my games are.

Well, here is what they do...

They use a workaround, see OpenGL actually has as much (or more) functionality as DX9/10.

So, WINE/Play on Linux, setup a Virtual Machine shell in your Ubuntu system to "fool" the program into thinking it's running windows files and DX.

However, what it's really doing is translating those DX calls/instructions into OpenGL using something akin to a "wrapper" to run the game on OpenGL using DX calls.

The entire system is extremely convoluted (primarily because OpenGL is very convoluted), however, it does work. MANTLE will fix a lot of those issues outright eventually if it takes off as well as I hope it does.

 

[DiaSin]

Also, to all you Linux users out there, here is a fix for Silverlight on Linux (needed for Netflix, Xfinity on Demand, and others:

http://www.webupd8.org/2013/08/pipelight-use-silverlight-in-your-linux.html

Just another issue down in making Linux a livable alternative.

Now if only someone could hack DirectX 10/11 into the OS..

There is already partial DX10 support via WINE/PoL. Full DX9 support, and DX11, wweeelllllllll....not quite there yet.

However, CryEngine 3.4 works on Ubuntu, and CryTek is working on bringing over CE 3.5. If/when that happens, you'll see accommodation for full DX11 support.

Also, keep in mind, if you can run the game with MANTLE, then you can run it on Windows/Linux/Mac without issue, and want to bet TrueAudio has drivers for Linux too?

The issue with Mantle is that from my understanding it will not work with games that are already out. The games have to be coded for it.. And the other issue is AMD.. I have heard that AMD is even more of a pain to deal with on linux than windows, and I have heard that Nvidia has more linux driver support. Also I had a friend tell me that OpenGL runs far better on the green side.. I know I get FAR less fps than I should in OpenGL games, even as underpowered as my laptop is the original Day of Defeat should run at more than 50 fps.

 

[Wamphryi]

There does not seem to be any recognition of the Right Click Functionality of the 8.1 Start Button. Right Click gives a massive range of common requirements such as Control Panel and Left Click takes one to a high featured interface that allows much more than the original start button. There is the Desktop and the Taskbar also. Curse you Microsoft how could you do this to us?

 

[antilycus]

YOU CAN'T ADMINISTER WINDOWS 8 unless you have windows server 2012. Guess what the first thing every admin does in windows server 2012....replaces the "Start" button ( which takes users to the real problem, metro) w/ the RUN command. Microsoft knows EXACTLY what people want, it just isn't willing to actually give it to people. Oh, btw, ALL TILES SHOW UP ON DOMAIN ACCOUNTS.. EVERY SINGLE ONE. The only way to GPO lock it, upgrade the server to 2012. S T U P I D. Linux ( debian not that annoying Ubuntu closed stuff ) is the future. Android is just Java ontop of linux and Google has already picekd Debian as their backbone. It's free, go try it www.debian.org

 

[antilycus]

To home users, you MIGHT be able to get away with Libre Office, and Linux... until they have to download a .msi or .exe or get Microsoft Exchange to work as well as Outlook. For business, crappy developers are still picking Windows because that's where the money is. I can't tell you how many programming shops are just utter crap, selling their crap to business customers and thinking they are top notch. Windows is here to stay ONLY because of business and their lack of takings risks (once they already have their pile of cash. They are more than willingn to take the risk when it's not their money they are loosing)

 

[stevejnb]

There does not seem to be any recognition of the Right Click Functionality of the 8.1 Start Button. Right Click gives a massive range of common requirements such as Control Panel and Left Click takes one to a high featured interface that allows much more than the original start button. There is the Desktop and the Taskbar also. Curse you Microsoft how could you do this to us?

Reality is, even with a certain portion of the Windows 8 hatred being legitimate, a lot of it is just herd-mentality bandwagon jumping. This is the same type of thinking that has people voting EA as the most evil company in America on the Consumerist twice.
(http://beefjack.com/news/ea-wins-most-evil-company-in-america-award-for-record-2nd-time-in-a-row/)

Yep, ahead of companies that spill oil, crash economies, and engage in the massive use of sweatshop labour while presenting a squeaky clean image, EA is the most evil company in America. Why? Because it's a company which directly relates to one of the most prominent groups to vote in online polls - the active "internet community." Be it the people at 4chan or TeamXBOX or Tom's Hardware, there are big groups of geeks that sit there and chat about stuff and they have something in common with other big groups out there - that when it becomes "cool" to extend their hate for something to hyperbolic levels, they go all in and it becomes a bit of a sport/hobby/pastime for them. So when the massive geek community got directed towards polls like this in the Consumerist through forum links and such they looked "Goldman Sachs... Nah, I like gold. British Petroleum - I hear big oil is evil, but that's just American, not those funny Brits. EA? OH MY GOD I HATE those guys, they are obviously the most evil!" and a nonsensical vote is cast. Yes, nonsensical, because it certainly doesn't make sense - but it's in line with the "cool" thing to hate on the internet.

Well, MS is that group now, and Windows 8 is on the forefront. A lot of people legitimately dislike it, and that's to be expected with a big change like Windows 8. But a good number of them don't have a bloody clue whether they *REALLY* dislike it or not. Rather a lot of them read about how bad it was probably from Gabe Newell or someone "cool" to like or something and then tried it, focused entirely on every negative thing they heard, and that pretty much summed up their experience. This is about on par with the people who go onto game review sites and rate titles that they don't like for some reason as a zero prior to its release.

It's pretty much anti-hype for an actually pretty damned good product. A product that doesn't suit everyone's needs, but still a good product. I suspect it'll pass, because I doubt Windows 8 and what it brought to the table is going anywhere.

 

[kyuuketsuki]

The start button isn't really the highlight of the commercial. It makes a pretty brief appearance.

 

[gallidorn]

With Windows 8 Microsoft forces people to adopt their tablet on a desktop metro user interface. Then they announce their Xbox One and have to retract nearly every option they tried to cram down the throats of consumers. Now we are seeing the same pattern with Windows 8.1. When will these idiots at Microsoft stop trying to reinvent the wheel, and just improve what already worked? Oooh a Start Button that flips you back and fourth between the Metro UI and Desktop! We already had this!!! IT IS CALLED A WINDOWS KEY!!!

 

[ipwn3r456]

Two solutions for you: Stay with windows 7, or download this for windows 8. http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php

 

[boby1]

ClassicShell (http://www.classicshell.net) is the best start menu replacement and it's free.

 

[sekoidd]

just an simple question, might be bit stupid but amd making new API called mantle ?
and like i understand its open source API.
API what can run BF4 kind of games what should be faster than dx11 and openGL.
well i also quess it aslo can run on linux ?

 

[elexor]

How bout just install classicshell and pay nothing you won't see the crappy metro screen ever again even on bootup. you can also change the way the start button looks and you have many different options to customize the start menu to your liking.

 

[digiex]

Windows 8, has a tile with START to bring you to the desktop with no START.

Whatever...

 

[danwat1234]

Bring back the start MENU! Start8 is awesome. Windows 8 would be great if only they had an official start menu

 

[cypeq]

I hope that steamOS will be open platform for games and developers I am really tired with windows... 7 is nice (beside it's hardware needs) but 8 and metro are just horrid. Everyone I know of asks if and how they can return to windows 7 on their new PC. Marketing trick with visually unifying systems has backfired MS. nobody using PC is happy about your aberration.