For the first time in five months, Microsoft has released three new add-ons for Windows Vista Ultimate edition. Free downloadable add-ons were one of the big selling points of the most expensive edition of Windows Vista.
The new add-ons include “Tinkers”, a puzzle game; A Windows sound scheme based off of Tinkers; and new content for Dreamscape – a video-based screensaver.
So far the reactions from users have been flat — users of Microsoft’s Vista support forum have expressed disappointment. Quoting a user that goes by the name of ‘John Barnett’ – “They are a little disappointing.” While another user going by the name ‘BChat’ said – “I downloaded them, installed them, viewed them, and will be un-installing them.”
It appears that Microsoft has suffered criticism for over a year surrounding the Ultimate Extras. Back in June of 2007 bloggers such as Long Zheng, who writes iStartedSomething, and Josh Phillips, author of WindowsConnected, both pounded Microsoft for releasing only a small number of the add-ons since Vistas debut earlier that year.
Last September Microsoft shipped one extra in response to the increasing complaints. Microsoft also noted that it had no intentions of dropping the Extras feature.
Users of the elite edition of Windows continue to sound off with complaints today. Quoting a user going by the name ‘Roeland’ in a comment to a Microsoft Company Blog;
“Microsoft said Vista Ultimate Extras would contain cutting edge, innovative programs, can’t you do something better than sound schemes and a stupid game? I feel so betrayed, spending hundreds of Euros on what I thought o be a great OS with a lot of (coming) features.”
The extra cost one pays for Vista Ultimate covers more than just the ‘Extras’ feature – however it is disappointing to see that a serious lack of either attention or motivation is the drive behind the ‘Extras’. Maybe Microsoft has something else brewing? For now, the new updates can be download by Vista Ultimate users from the Windows Update screen.
