Kotaku- Windows 8 doesn't need to kill Microsoft, and it doesn't need to kill PC gaming. But it sure seems to be trying its hardest to. The newest version of the world's most commonly-used operating system is set to launch on October 26. And so far, Microsoft has provided essentially no reason for anyone to upgrade.
Instead, major PC developers have expressed very deep, very public concerns. One after the next, they worry. The head of Stardock has described the killer problems in the OS. Blizzard execs are not thrilled with where Windows is heading in the future. Notch, of Minecraft fame, has cautioned that as it stands, Windows 8 could be very bad for indie developers. And most famously, and infamously, Gabe Newell of Valve said that Windows 8 "is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space."
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I imagine the same goes for many other pc gamers. Blizzard and Valve pretty much control the future of pc gaming. If they decide they aren't supporting Win8 then I simply stick with 7 it's as simple as that.
I will buy it
This time is different, they're pushing Metro but not forcing it, the usual interface will be there, sure it'll be some option when installing, dumb people who only use the browser for facebook and to listen music will go for the easy way, those who do more will have the choice to stick with the old interface
@JBSleek below
Some Devs are complaining because Metro will be equal to a walled-garden in which MS will control everything, they don't want that, but Apple does this already and no one complains, MS can do the same, those who don't want Metro, will not use it...
Thank for some technical information. To me this is a bunch of bitching by moistly sheep started by people who fear losing their position in the gaming world. I understand Newell to a certain extent because when PC gaming was dying Valve were the ones that revived it. But all of this bitching about an interface is stupid. Especially if the improvements meet mentions are accurate. Most people I know have s bunch of icons on their desktop. Who cares if they look different.
I understand the fear of MS starting a closed store. But I would bet that has nothing to do with all of the bitching. The Windows 8 store must be really good and they know it. If it were closed developers would just continue to use Steam and Origin.
I think the reality is the next Xbox(Windows 8) will play PC games from that store. And it will be sold for $99 dollars with a subscription to Live. It will be sold through cable companies and used as a cablebox and DVR. Windows 8 will already act as a DVR so that will eliminate your $15 DVR fee from your cable company so it's a push on cost. And that opens it up to millions of potential customers that can't build a cheap PC, won't pay for a gaming PC or can't pay for one.
This is really an attempt by Gabe and a few loyal people to kill a baby(huge baby) in it's crib. Unfortunately it's Windows. And if it runs better like Meet says, people will switch. They spend hundreds on a new GPU to get a few more frames, if this gives it to them without new parts they will change. And the business community will switch. And many will buy it as a cable box just to get away from the monthly DVR fee.
It seems everyday gaming gets more and more like politics and politics suck now.
The only threat is for ARM devices as Microsoft has it's own store but no way is that a threat to gaming.
Also Blizzard has no involvement in Call of Duty.
So once again name me one problem that Windows 8 poses to PC gaming? This is a bunch of nonsense that has less to do with gaming and more to do with Microsoft has their own store and Live integrated into Windows 8.
Uninformed people who have probably not even touched windows 8 but will go with what two people said about yet won't take into consideration that these companies don't like the competition Microsoft is giving.
Then, MS predicted that PC sales will decline by 2013 and tablets will rise.
That doesn't give me much confidence with MS's "commitment" to PC gaming. Especially when W8 is heavily promoted to be optimized for mobile devices first, PC second.
When the X box 360 came out we see tons of MS games for it, nearly none for the for the PC. And a lot of PC game studios under MS were ripped apart and their staff were relocated to work on console games. Prime example would be Ensemble Studios, the creator of X Box 360 exclusive RTS Halo Wars. They were famous for their Age of Empires series and the moment they finished their first ever console RTS, MS closed them down. That incident reminded me of the king who commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal and later ordered the execution of all the engineers and architects so that no one else can copy his creation.
We've seen a lot of MS games for the 360. Will we see the same kind of love for the PC with Windows 8 or will we see MS supporting only Surface and Windows phones games?
I think it's crazy to criticize a company for making moves to address changes in the market. There are few permanent jobs. And at least they placed people with other companies. Age of Empires I and II were two of my favorite games of all time. But it was a dying(maybe dead) genre. And the direction of the titles was getting crazier and crazier. I love RTSs and would love to see them make a major comeback. But I'm probably in the minority on that. Hell, I still play Civ Rev almost everyday.
And the fact that there is a Windows 8 store for games built into the OS says they are pretty serious. Which is the real reason there are so many complaints about the UI. Because they don't seem to have anything they can complain about when it comes to the OS itself or the store it will contain.
Just like you said, I too would like to see RTS (no, it's not dead) making a comeback but if it can only be allowed to flourished on Windows tablets or X Box Next with Smart Glass assist (to get rid of the old problems of traditional controller unable to play RTSes properly) then it validates the threat Windows pose for PC gaming. We've seen DICE all alone promoted BF3 in DX11 while MS promoted the DX9 Modern Warfare 3 at last year's E3. We're only seeing DX11 interest rise this year thanks to rumors that X Box Next might have DX11 hardware. NOT because all the other game studios were suddenly blinded by the beauty of DX11 in BF3 for the PC that they wanted a piece of the action but all because MS's next console might have that hardware. They only go DX11 because they need their programmers to learn that stuff in time for the next gen to appear. There were no incentive for them to learn DX11 before but now everyone's learning it for the sake of next gen console, not for the PC's sake. Once next gen arrive and they have their coders all prepared for it, I'm sure we'll have "PC is Dead 2.0-Now with ARM-powered Mobile devices striking from the shadows!" flame war.
In short, I don't care about the UI but I do worry how MS's actions (mostly trying to be Apple by making everything all about themselves) will affect PC gaming. Their X Box focus didn't go well with PC gaming and they've added mobile devices into the mix.
I will wait on my gaming PC and see how it holds up in major reviews after a few months. I also want to see how well it supports the majority of my games on Steam.
All in all, I think I'm just going to play the "wait and see" game. In my experience, it's generally a good idea to wait for SP1 to come out anyway before adopting a new OS (Windows 7 was the exception to that rule). I'm not against Windows 8 in any way, but the pros will have to outweigh the cons before I make the switch and right now I see more cons than pros. Hopefully that will change over time or with Windows 9.
I am not going to drop $500 to upgrade unless there is a damn good reason.