Microsoft Responds to Windows 8 Hate From Game Devs
Recent negativity stemming from the gaming community has forced a Microsoft rep to defend Windows 8.
Several key developers in the gaming community have made it perfectly clear that they're either not seeing a reason to upgrade to Windows 8 anytime soon, or that they see the new OS as a huge catastrophe waiting to be unleashed. There's also fear that Microsoft is creating a walled garden, that it hopes to push all software exclusively through its Windows Store, shutting out platforms like Steam and Origin.
"If Microsoft decides to lock down Windows 8, it would be very, very bad for indie games and competition in general," said Minecraft creator and founder of Mojang, Markus "Notch" Persson.
Yet despite criticism from developers, Microsoft is pushing Windows 8 as a gaming platform. Just recently it was revealed that the Redmond company plans to offer its built-in games and related achievements under the Xbox Windows label. Xbox Live is already integrated into the OS, and Microsoft has vowed to continue its support for Games For Windows Live. The current and future Xbox will be closely tied with Windows 8 as will Windows Phone 8 set to launch in November.
"With Xbox on Windows 8, we created easy entry points into the types of entertainment that you’ll enjoy, including games," a spokesperson told VentureBeat. "The Games app prominently features your avatar, profile, friends and Gamerscore and allows you to explore your friends’ avatars."
"Windows 8 is able to serve both hardcore and casual gamers, with the power you’ve come to expect from a PC," said Windows 8 project director Christopher Flores during E3 2012 back in June.
One of the things Microsoft has pointed out is that despite the "Metro" interface (yep, we said it), the new OS will offer backwards compatibility for older Windows games. And for those who own the Xbox 360, the OS will even let customers make purchases for their console and queue them up for downloading. Microsoft has even talked about developing multiplayer games that will be playable across all Windows 8-based screens: PC, console, tablet and smartphone.
Still, right now developers are skeptical. "Windows 8 is trying to be all things to all people, and thus failing to be good at anything in particular," said Brad Wardell, the CEO of Stardock. "We hope to release software that will make Windows 8 more usable for desktop users, but I’d prefer if Microsoft had a more coherent strategy in the first place."
The latest backlash against Windows 8 essentially started with Valve's CEO who called the OS a "catastrophe." Blizzard’s Rob Pardo seemingly backed up the assessment, saying the new OS wasn't good for Blizzard either. id Software's John Carmack sees no benefit of upgrading to Windows 8, and Stardock's Wardell used words like "schizophrenic," "obnoxious," and "nightmare" when describing the OS earlier this year.
Could this be why the Android-based OUYA has become so popular? Is the industry looking for something new, something outside the Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo closed-console universe?
Whoopdeedoo.
Let the developers talk about Windows 8 and keep the PR crew confined to doing what they do best: churning out fluff press releases.
If Microsoft locks Windows down to the detriment of PC games then Microsoft won't be getting my business in the future but if Microsoft truly believes this will benefit us gamers then I'm open to at least giving it a chance.
Whoopdeedoo.
Let the developers talk about Windows 8 and keep the PR crew confined to doing what they do best: churning out fluff press releases.
well......I try to explore some of my friends from the inside.........
Developers can target their games for the XBox specs. That way gamers know if they buy the console it will run well. Then users with uber gaming computers can crank up the details like they do now and let the game really shine. While people with wimpy computers can tone down the settings for their older hardware. Then have a keyboard and mouse for the XBox for games that require it or work much better on it.
I don't believe that. None of my 16 bit DOS games from the 80's and early 90's work in Win 7 x64. I know there are workarounds. Many more recent Direct X 8 and 9 games don't work either without some sort of patch or hack.
i think its because they might make the direct x api and the windows live market place along with your apps all one big cluster everything linked together crap bucket. that will constantly check anything you have with windows live online etc. i can totally see this being pidgeonholed this way.
- Corporate (office) environments are already moving to Linux/LibreOffice (which obviously include all the software for web surfing and other accessories), they don't need windows anymore
- Casual gamers have in the most part moved to consoles, soon they will have the option of a very cheap and open-source console ( the OUYA ), or playing on tablets/smartphones.
- Serious gamers could move to Linux if Valve promotes game development for Linux (since they are about to launch Steam for Linux). Alternatively, the go the Apple route.
- Creative work (graphics, music) is already done on Macs (most of it), so there's another category of users which don't need windows.
- Windows 8 is a piece of crap which will only land in the hands of those that don't have a clue what they are buying (and will buy expensive PC's with Win8 installed)
- most Servers have been on Unix/Linux for a long time already, the Windows server marketshare has been in decline for years already.
- People that only want to browse the web and use socializing networks have the option of smartphones, tablets... they don't really need an expensive PC with an expensive Windows for that.
- OEMs are being screwed over by MS with their recent policies, and might choose more and more to deliver PC's without windows installed (either with FreeDOS or Linux), I've seen a TON of laptop models lately without windows at tall.
Conclusion ? In less than 5 years Microsoft will be pushed out of the operating system business, and it's doubtful that they will gain any significant share in other businesses... and they will slowly but surely die like the dinosaur they are.
Losing PC gamers is the critical point in which the definitive decline of windows will happen.
I am and have always been a windows user/administrator/programmer, but I'm thinking seriously of learning to use/understand/program on other OSes (Unix based), this includes Android, Apple desktop OS, mobile iOS and obviously Linux itself.
Thank you MS for the wonderful ~20 years spent with you
then they can sue as much as they want chine will just show them there careface
Before some idiot suggests that Linux will magically start getting viruses, when it gets sufficient marketshare, that's just not true. 90% of web servers run Linux, are all of those vulnerable right now? Wouldn't that make them a sufficiently large target to interest hackers if they could be hacked?
See:
http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-hides-behind-linux-for-protection-3039115920/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_Microsoft_use_a_Linux_server_for_their_website
http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/05/03/2225234/microsoft-using-linux-to-optimize-skype-traffic
Part2: Android viruses aren't really viruses. They are applications that the user has to install. Show me one website that can infect my Android phone just by visiting it, or any worm or trojan that could possibly infect an Android device under any normal circumstances. It's purely limited to social engineering, and even then it's quite a bit harder than Windows. Antivirus companies make products for Android and release "reports" because they are in serious danger of becoming irrevlevant.
Yes, Linux really is more secure, or Microsoft wouldn't have to bruise it's own ego by using it for their web operations.
Why bother? Why not just use the older version?
sorry but i really needed to went out some anger from this mess.