MSFT: 'Mature' Games Allowed in European Windows Store
Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 8's marketplace -- which is a native app in the new operating system -- would not offer games with a rating over PEGI 16, ESRB Mature ("M"). This rule, which resides in section 6.2 of the Windows App guidelines, applies to all software sold within Microsoft's new virtual storefront and would mean no PEGI 18 or rated 'A' content in the store. The new system affected European users more because some PEGI 18 games are actually rated 'M' in the U.S.
Here in the States, games sporting an 'A' rating would be banned from the Windows 8 store under Microsoft's guidelines. However, because a number of extremely popular titles carry a PEGI 18 rating in Europe, they were covered by the ban even though they're rated 'Mature' in the United States. These include The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Mass Effect 2 and 3, Fallout: New Vegas and many more.
Today, Microsoft confirmed to Gizmodo that the company would now determine which titles are available through the store using a different system. In short, if a game carries an M rating in the United States but carries a PEGI 18 rating in Europe, it will still be allowed in the Windows 8 store.
The company's Windows App guidelines have yet to be updated, and still use the same language as before (nothing over PEGI 16 or ESRB M), but we're sure Redmond will get around to it.
Now allow boot to desktop, add a start button, and give us the option to disable tiles.
And maybe remove the Windows Marketplace altogether and add in integration code for Steam.
Translation: Just give up on WIN8 for desktops, and put out a good service pack for Win 7 :P
I'm hoping the same. Looks like the Steam Linux Beta maybe next week during the UDS. It's an interesting turn of events, not something I thought would happen when I started using Ubuntu in 2008.
1) Why do you need a start button?
2) Go get Start8 from Stardock if you have to live in the past.
3) The Windows Store and Steam are two different things, they are not the same at all.
Makes the world go around.
Within seconds, I can get any kind of so called "mature" electronic media of any type with a flick of the wrist....
1. What's wrong with the start button, I use it quite often.
2. M$ is actively trying to DISCOURAGE 3rd party start buttons.
3. Both Steam and Windows Store sell games.
You, my friend, should work on validity before sharing your ignorant views.
/s
The button itself is still kinda there, it's the menu that is gone. Do you ever look at the start button when you use it? I've always just moved my cursor to the corner and clicked, haven't taken a single look at the button itself.
Classicshell and Start8 still work...
The Windows Store i mostly ment for ARM based stuff for Windows RT, but Microsoft are trying to make the tablet and desktop experience more like the same thing, so they have it for the desktop version too (and cus some tablets run x86). And there is still no problem with using Steam, MS ain't trying to get Valve out of the market...
Well, I know. But after over a year without it i don't really care about the menu, it doesn't give me anything more than the star screen. I like the search function in the start screen a lot better than the one in the start menu, but with that said, there is nothing else with the start screen itself that gets me to use it. But i like the other ways the new UI goes together with the old one, for example how you connect to a wireless network.
I have to agree with the change thing, it's not always a good thing to force change upon someone, but sometimes it has to be done. I have heard that when Windows 95 came out, they said that the UI was unusable, but I'm not old enough to know... But I've got this quote from someone about Windows XP: "This new version of Windows is going to be a disaster. It will be completely rejected by businesses, who will stick with old versions even after Microsoft drops support for them.
And its new interface is so hideous and unusable that customers who are forced to use it will trip over themselves finding ways to restore the old Start menu".
It doesn't seem like a big problem, but it goes back to the idea that you never know how much something matters till its gone.
All across Windows 8 there's decisions that are so heavy handed. We want to phase out the start button so we'll just drop it completely. We want to phase out gadgets so we'll just drop it cold turkey. we want to be ready for the tablet reality so we'll design our OS on a tablet interface and ignore our entire established consumer base.
I understand where there trying to go with this and I even agree it was the right way, I just think the way the went about doing it was not the right way.