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| Windows Vista Explored 1/11/2006 7:14:00 PM With all the hubbub of CES focused on the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray, microscopic video players, and more cell phone accessories than you’ll know what to do with, Microsoft was busy showing off their new operating system Windows Vista. While it’ll most likely be what powers your PC in the next few years, gamers are going to want to keep a close eye on what will run their future games, as well as bridge the gap between their computer and Xbox 360 console. For anyone who has used a Mac in the past few years, Microsoft’s new operating system looks even more like the Mac operating system than previous incarnations. It’s shiny. It’s glassy. It’s got widgets. Seriously, if I were Steve Jobs I’d want a cut of the money pie that Microsoft is going to rake in after Vista is released. While at its core, it’s just a new operating system, Microsoft is overtly billing it as a “gaming platform.” Windows Vista is built on Direct X 9, Direct 3D, and is a 3D operating system. Since it’s built on Direct X 9 technology, to run Windows Vista, you’ll need a video card that supports Direct X 9. Microsoft hasn’t released any minimum hardware specifications for Windows Vista, but has stated that PCs should have a “modern CPU”, at least 512MB of RAM, and a graphics processor that supports Windows Display Driver Model. Most likely, if your PC is playing current PC titles, you should be set when Vista is released by the end of the year. Over the years PC gaming has gotten much easier for the average computer user to install and run PC games. Long gone are the days of boot discs to run DOS games and tweaking with IRQ and DMA settings. But even with Windows XP, PC games can sometime be tricky to install to run properly. Obviously, in the past Windows has run PC games, but Microsoft hasn’t previously fostered the experience for the developers to get their games to run on operating system. This is changing with Windows Vista. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/9...gfwvista004.jpg When installing games in Windows Vista, all of your games will be placed in the games folder in the start menu. Microsoft wants the games folder to be the central location of everything having to do with PC games. When you install a game, the executable for that game will automatically be placed in the games folder instead of creating a separate folder for each game you install. If you’re one of the people who will install Vista over the top of a previous Windows operating system, you’ll notice that your previously installed games will automatically be placed in the games folder when you boot up Vista. In your games folder you’ll notice your games listed as high resolution box art. Clicking on each game, it’ll list pertinent information for each game such as the last time the game was played, and if you're connected ot the internet, developer, publisher, as well as the ESRB ratings (or whichever game rating board governs that particular country) Other elements can be shown here for each game such as website links to game community sites, mod sites, patch sites, and so forth. Microsoft will keep everything current for any game you install, and for games of the past Microsoft has an online database of over 1500 games. Not only will your specific games populate the games folder, but everything having to do with games will be consolidated in the games folder. Video card tweaking and other gaming hardware will also be listed here as well. If you ever have to call technical support for a game or game hardware, most likely you’ll find everything you need in the games folder instead of perusing through the control panel or your system settings. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/9...gfwvista009.jpg Windows Vista will have games built into the operating system, and for the first time ever you’ll be able to see the next generation of Solitaire! Holy crap! The future is here! But in all seriousness, Microsoft showed off a number of new games built into Vista including Chess Titans, Purple Palace (a children’s edutainment type game), Shanghai Dragons (Mahjong), Solitaire, FreeCell, Spider Solitaire, Minesweeper, and more. Each of these games will take advantage of DirectX 9, so you’ll see graphical touches like reflections and transparencies. Granted, these are simple games, and it’s not like you’re going to see anything too mind blowing. But for free games that come with Windows, they’re not too shabby. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/9...11/image015.jpg Parental Controls are going to be very rich with gaming. So if you’re parents don’t want you to be playing Grand Theft Auto and they set up the family computer correctly, most likely you’re not going to be able to play Grand Theft Auto. Much like Windows XP, you can set up different accounts for people. Most likely the parent setting up the computer would be the administrator who would be able to set up other limited user accounts for their children. Now parents can set which ratings of games their children can play. Parents can also designate what times of the day each program can run. So if little Timmy shouldn’t be playing World of Warcraft after 10pm, he won’t be able to. Windows Vista will allow the parent to tailor limits for specific content of games. Say, for example, the parent feels some Mature games are okay for their child, unless the game has nudity, use of drugs, or strong language - you'll be able to designate exactly what's allowable. Also, if you are concerned that your child will be able to hack through these parental controls, Vista is rather secure if the accounts are set up properly. And unless your child knows your password, they’ll most likely not be able to break through the ACL level security (basically the C2 security level that the government uses) to be able to play restricted games. If they can, Microsoft will most likely want to hire them. One problem Windows XP had with limited user account was that unless you were the administrator of the machine, you couldn’t install a patch or an update for a game. Limited user patching will be available in Windows Vista. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/9...12/image016.jpg Because Microsoft is billing Windows Vista as a “gaming platform” they are planning on having a number of launch games to go with the release of Vista. The only game the company has officially announced is Flight Simulator X (tentative title). Over previous incarnations of Flight Simulator, the game will take advantage of DirectX 9, shader 2.0, bump mapping, transparencies, and reflections. Microsoft is working to make Flight Simulator X the most realistic and visually beautiful Flight Simulator yet. The game will be based off of all real world data, and will ship with planet Earth’s 24,000 airports and all seven continents. The demonstration of the game still chugged quite a bit, but that’s expected since the game is still in pre-alpha stages. The company is working to make the world extremely detailed and more of a dynamic living entity. You’ll see birds flying around, dolphins swimming in the ocean. They’re actually borrowing assets from the Zoo Tycoon team to help the realism factor. You’ll also see cargo ships following real trade routes. In fact, Microsoft is working with their Map Point team to make sure all of the shipping routes, and any roads and major highways in North America you fly over are accurate down to the on-ramps and off-ramps. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/9...13/grab_061.jpg However, the demo was just a quick glimpse of a helicopter taking off from a yacht near the northern coast of Maui. While they used an Xbox 360 controller (Vista just like XP will support the Xbox 360 controller as well) to control the helicopter, Flight-Sim aficionados will most likely be taking to the skies in their hardcore flight stick setups. While we would have liked to have seen more of the games, Microsoft is planning on announcing and demonstrating more of the Windows Vista launch line-up at E3. The company stated that Flight Simulator will be playable at the upcoming show, and they’ll be announcing a number of new features for the game as well. But could Flight Simulator ever make it to the Xbox 360? Even though the game is built with the same technology as Xbox 360 games, the audience that plays Flight Simulator on the PC is quite different than the console crowd. And the game itself is highly dependent on mouse/keyboard support. But since the Xbox 360 could support USB mice and keyboards, I wouldn’t count anything out at this point. It would be a lot more fun to play a game like Flight Simulator on a large display such as a widescreen HDTV. Windows Vista and your Xbox 360 Windows Media Center functionality will be built into Windows Vista, so if you have a Vista Computer, up to five other PCs, Xbox 360s, or TVs using Media Center Extenders will be able to stream content from a Windows Vista PC. This is great news for people who are interested in Media Center functionality, but don’t have a Media Center Edition PC. Just like a Media Center Edition PC, television shows, video, music, and pictures on Windows Vista PCs will be streamable over a network through your Xbox 360. Since Microsoft is on the HD-DVD bandwagon, I expect to see some interesting elements with 360 playback of those as well. HD-DVD technology allows HD-DVD movie owners to make digital backups of their HD-DVD movies on their hard drives, allowing Media Center devices (or other computer playback setups) to play the files so the owner can keep the original HD-DVD in safe keeping. Windows Vista will allow the user to then stream the HD-DVD content through an Xbox 360, which should be good news for movie buffs. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/9...14/image017.jpg Finally, Windows Media Player 11 will be included with Windows Vista and will be heavily reliant on the newly announced URGE music service in which is the offspring of a Microsoft and MTV partnership. Much like Apple’s iTunes, users will be able to download music from a library of over 2 million tracks. Users will be able buy songs, full albums, or get music through a subscription type setup. Why does this matter to a gamer? While Microsoft slyly tried to avoid our pestering, we’re going to guess that the Xbox 360 will be able to interact somehow with the new URGE service. Whether or not you’ll be able to stream music purchased through URGE through your Xbox 360 or connect to URGE directly with your Xbox 360 is unknown at this point. But with how heavily the Xbox 360 utilizes the Marketplace, we wouldn’t be too surprised. Final Thoughts Even though it’s just a new operating system, we have to say from what we’ve seen we’re pretty impressed with what’s on the horizon with Windows Vista. We like the new look even though it’s still more or less a prettier Windows XP that heavily borrows from its Apple competitor. Since we’re heavy PC gamers, we like the direction they’re going on that front, and making things simpler for Average Joe Computer User should make the PC game experience less frustrating, and allow for more important things – like less installing and more playing. The built-in Media Center functionality is the frosting because while we love listening to music and checking out pictures stored on our computer, video and television would make the Xbox 360 Media Center Extender ability so much sweeter. Just upgrading our current gaming rigs with a TV tuner card or two will be a much less expensive than ponying up for a full on Media Center Edition PC. -Billy Berghammer |
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| PRESS RELEASE: Master Chief Dual-Wields His Way to Windows Vista Press release supplied by Games Press 17:09 09/02/2006 9th February, 2006: "Halo 2," the award-winning sequel to the instant classic "Halo: Combat Evolved" to make its PC debut on the Windows Vista platform "Halo 2," the game that redefined first-person combat and multiplayer action for millions of gamers worldwide, is set to explode onto PCs exclusively for Windows Vista. "Halo 2" for Windows Vista will be developed by a dedicated Microsoft Game Studios team in partnership with Bungie Studios. Only for Windows Vista, "Halo 2" will offer gamers both the single-player campaign and multiplayer experience of the original, as well as the additional maps offered in the "Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack." Gamers will also have the exciting opportunity to build, create and customise their own multiplayer levels. "Halo: Combat Evolved" and its sequel, "Halo 2," have achieved phenomenal success on the Xbox video game platform as gamers around the world follow the saga of Master Chief in his battle against the Covenant forces. In 2003, the original "Halo" roared onto Windows PCs. In "Halo 2" for Windows Vista, the action picks up where the first game ended. Master Chief, with the help of a small group of marines, has destroyed the religious artefact and artificial world known as "Halo," and is making his way back to Earth. There, he and the last surviving Earth forces will mount a titanic struggle against the marauding Covenant enemy. To date, the Halo franchise has sold more than 14.5 million games worldwide with over 600 million hours of multiplayer action logged across Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service. About Bungie Studios Bungie Studios was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve its real goal of total world domination. Over the past 10 years it has produced games such as the "Marathon Trilogy," the first two "Myth" games, and the "Halo" franchise, hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world. Released in 2004, the award winning "Halo 2" for Xbox has achieved phenomenal success and has sold more than 7.3 million units worldwide. More information on Bungie can be found at http://www.bungie.net/. About Microsoft Game Studios Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox® and Xbox 360TM video game systems, the Windows® operating system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows (http://www.microsoft.com/games), including such franchises as "Age of Empires®," "Flight Simulator" and "Zoo Tycoon®;" Xbox and Xbox 360 (http://www.xbox.com), including such games as the upcoming "Gears of War" and franchises such as "Halo®," "Fable®," "Project Gotham Racing®" and "Forza MotorsportTM"; and MSN® Games (http://www.games.msn.com), the official games channel for the MSN network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and "Hexic®." *** Provided by Games Press Games Press is the leading online resource for games journalists. Used daily by magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, online media and retailers worldwide, it offers a vast, constantly updated archive of press releases and assets, and is the simplest and most cost-effective way for PR professionals to reach the widest possible audience. Registration for the site and the Games Press email digest is available, to the trade only, at www.gamespress.com. |
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| Today, Microsoft announced it will bring Halo 2 to the PC -- and more specifically, exclusively to the upcoming Windows Vista operating system. Microsoft Game Studios has set up a dedicated development team to work with Bungie on the project. The PC version of Halo 2 will offer the full single-player campaign and multiplayer maps of the original Xbox version, with the addition of the content in the Multiplayer Map Pack as well as a tool for building and customizing levels. Microsoft has not announced a release date for the PC version of Halo 2. The company did clarify, however, that the game will only run on Windows Vista and not on earlier versions of Windows. Wildly popular on the Xbox console, Halo 2 continues where the first game left off. Having helped destroy the original Halo -- a religious artifact and artificial world -- super-soldier Master Chief returns to Earth, only to join a fierce new battle against the alien Covenant forces. Halo first appeared on PC in September 2003, when Gearbox Software brought the Xbox hit to Windows, offering enhanced graphics and a classic mouse-and-keyboard FPS control scheme. As the next iteration of Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows platform, Windows Vista will offer enhanced security, media handling, search and organization, and an overhauled user interface, among other features. Vista is expected to arrive in the second half of this year. Interestingly, just last week Bungie posted job openings for PC programmers. While no specific project was revealed, it was clear the studio famous for the Halo series was planning something for mouse and keyboard users. While some suspected a new title, it also seemed likely the studio would bring Halo 2 to the PC. It isn't clear whether the PC positions are related to today's announcement, however. |
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| Windows Vista Pricing Revealed? 8/29/2006 6:10:00 PM According to a report by UK website The Register, Microsoft Canada accidentally spilled the beans on their website on how much each tier of Windows Vista will cost. Needless to say, if true, the prices are not cheap, and slightly higher than Windows XP prices. Dollar amounts have been converted from US dollars from Canadian. Full Versions: Vista Home Basic: $233 Vista Home Premium: $269 Vista Business: $341 Vista Ultimate: $449 Upgrades: Vista Home Basic: $116 Vista Home Premium: $179 Vista Business: $224.83 Vista Ultimate: $269.93 Microsoft Canada has since removed the listing, and according to The Register’s report, they have confirmed these prices. However, we contacted our representatives from Microsoft here in the states, and they’re not confirming these reports at all. “A number of pricing models are undergoing consideration internally, however nothing has been finalized. Microsoft is currently finalizing its pricing model and will have more to share at a later date.” While the full versions of Vista seem rather pricy, if you’re getting a new Vista PC when Vista ships most of the costs will be swallowed into the price of the PC. -Billy Berghammer |
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| Microsoft Reveals Official North American Windows Vista Pricing 9/5/2006 6:48:00 PM While not too far off from the Canadian numbers released last week, Microsoft today details pricing on their upcoming operating system, Windows Vista. But people, it's not just an operating system...it's a "gaming platform." Save up those pennies kids, because pricing starts at $99.95 for the most basic version. We've broken down the price list for both the full version and upgrade for Windows Vista: Windows Vista Business Full: $299.00 Upgrade $199.00 Windows Vista Enterprise Not Available For Retail Purchase Windows Vista Home Premium Full: $239.00 Upgrade: $159.00 Windows Vista Home Basic Full: $199.00 Upgrade: $99.95 Windows Vista Ultimate Full: $399.00 Upgrade: $259.00 For most users, Home Basic and Home Premium will be what you're looking for. Home Premium will have Windows Media Center built in, as well as Windows Aero. Basic is mainly for people with simple PC needs. For more information, head to the official Windows Vista website. -Billy Berghammer |
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| Problems Plague New Microsoft Windows Vista Stewart Stogel Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007 NEW YORK -- Bill Gates, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and a small legion of Silicon Valley honchos turned out to launch Microsoft's first new operating system in almost six years: Windows Vista. The bash took place in New York City yesterday. Throughout Times Square neon signs flashed the message: "The WOW starts now!" But the new operating system may not live up to the hype. Last Friday, salespeople at Best Buy and Circuit City (the nation's two largest electronic retailers) were already taking orders and demonstrating computers loaded with the Vista operating system. Under directives from Microsoft, retailers could not deliver any Vista computer or copies of the operating system until Tuesday. "This is not something I would run out to buy, yet we expect lines to form early in the morning," confessed one Best Buy salesman at its store on 5th Ave. That sentiment was echoed by many in attendance at the Microsoft "launch" at the Nokia Theater in Times Square. "I have no intention to convert. In fact, my daughter is buying a Mac," acknowledged one software engineer at the Vista party. What was more newsworthy at the Microsoft event were the tactics Bill Gates and company using to push the operating system on a public that may not really want it. Officially, Microsoft says that any computer older than two years may not be able to handle Vista. In reality, computers bought as late as December 2006, may not be handle the full version of Vista whose Ultimate Edition weighs in at a hefty $399. A NewsMax reporter bought a new laptop in August 2006 with a sticker that clearly stated "Windows Vista Compatible." On the advice of several software developers, the reporter ran a Vista compatibility scan available at the Microsoft Web site. The scan's report stated that the computer would run a severely stripped version of Vista (Home Basic: $99). It also revealed that the more than 20 programs that came pre-installed with the laptop (including CD burning and video storage) would have to be deleted or simply would not boot up using the new system. Other software developers at the Microsoft confab told NewsMax that to really run Vista Ultimate, the version with all the bells and whistles, 2 gigabytes of memory is preferable, not 1 gigabyte as Microsoft states. "I ran a test version with 1gig and it burned out my hard drive," one Vista tester stated. In fact, the potential of damaging your computer by trying to load Vista seems much greater than in past Microsoft operating systems. "We expect to have people buying the [Vista] upgrade and coming back with damaged computers," confessed a manager at Best Buy's 5th Ave store. But the tactics Microsoft is employing to push Vista go beyond fancy parties, PR stunts, and TV commercials. Best Buy officials tell NewsMax that they "were instructed" to pull all computers running Windows XP (Vista's predecessor) from shelves last week. It was not uncommon to see empty shelves at several Best Buy and Circuit City stores. To add to the confusion, the chains had some shelves with computers on display that they could not sell, because they contained Vista which could not be officially released. Consumers were left with no option other than to purchase a computer loaded with Vista, whether they wanted it or not, and in some cases they had to wait several days to do it. The problem was further compounded by the fact that Vista Ultimate is only available on laptop computers retailing above $1,400 and desktops above $750 on average, says Best Buy. At those prices, the full Vista OS, will run on less than one-half of all computers currently being sold. Most of the computers retailers are expected to push will not be able to handle Vista Ultimate. On Tuesday, Best Buy (with some personal appearance help from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer) began a sale on a Compaq-Vista computer for only $499. But that price-buster only runs Vista Home Basic, the $99 offer that does little more than provide some increased security from viruses and an updated Internet Explorer browser. Try to load Vista Ultimate into the $499 special and you will "destroy" the computer, confessed another Best Buy manager. The manager also admitted that many whom he expects to line up to grab the special will mistakenly believe the unit will be loaded with a full version of Vista. What happens to the Windows XP units recently pulled? Look for sales on those popping up from smaller Internet computer vendors in the near future. Meanwhile, the glitches did little to dampen the spirits of the revelers at the more than $10 million party, which started at sunrise and was still going strong at sunset. It was an outrageous celebration even by the standards set in the city that never sleeps. Wall Street, however, seemed unimpressed by the Microsoft blitzkrieg. By the end of trading on Monday, Microsoft stock showed little movement on the Nasdaq exchange. |
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| Brute force keygen cracks open Vista Posted Mar 2nd 2007 1:35PM by Donald Melanson Filed under: Desktops, Laptops There's already been a workaround discovered for using a Vista upgrade DVD to perform a full install, but some intrepid hackers now appear to have opened up an even bigger flaw in the shiny new OS's armor, developing a brute force keygen that spits out valid product activation keys. While the keygen has been confirmed to work by a number of sources, it's hardly a quick-and-easy hack, requiring some significant horsepower and quite a bit of patience, needing anything from a few hours to a few days to churn out a key. Not to mention the small problem that Microsoft could seemingly stop this particular hack in its tracks relatively easy. As ZD Net points out, however, the keygen could very well cause some additional headaches for Microsoft once the keys generated start overlapping with those already out there in legitimate copies of Vista, presumably leaving anyone who picks the wrong box out of luck. |
| QUOTE (Wax @ Mar 6 2007, 12:42 PM) |
| well, i was part of the vista beta, and have been running it since august. so i guess if anyone has any questions feel free to ask? |
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| Windows Vista Hits 20 Million Mark 3/27/2007 10:49:00 AM Microsoft has announced that its Windows Vista OS has sold more than 20 million copies, according to GamesIndustry.biz. Vista had its worldwide release January 30 and is already selling more than twice the rate of Windows XP during its launch. "We are encouraged to see such a positive consumer response to Windows Vista right out of the gate," said Bill Veghte, corporate vice president of the Windows group at Microsoft. “While it’s very early in the product lifecycle, we are setting a foundation for Windows Vista to become the fastest-adopted version of Windows ever." |