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Why Games For Windows?
Windows Vista offers a dramatically improved gaming experience that continues the
long trend of gaming innovation happening on Windows. Windows Vista includes enhancements
that make it easier to access, play, and manage your computer games as well as experiencing
next generation gaming graphics.
The enhancements include the Windows Vista Games Explorer, Parental Controls, DirectX®
10 graphics technology, and compatibility with Xbox 360 game controllers and accessories.
Anyone who plays games on their PC loves the nearly limitless choices for games
compatible with Windows. But finding and launching those games hasn't been that
easy. Some games install into the Start Menu. Other games put icons on the desktop.
With Windows Vista, finding and playing the games you want is easier than ever before.
Easily find and access all your games
Games are a first class citizen in Windows Vista. The Games Explorer, right off
the Start Menu in Windows Vista, provides a central launching pad for all games
currently installed on your PC. Icons for each game provide easy access to the games
and also display detailed information about the game, such as the game publisher
and developer; when you last played; which version of the game you own; box cover
art and the release date, genre, and rating for each game. Right-click on a game's
icon for easy access to a menu of play tasks (which can be customized by the game
developer for each game) and any online options, such as linking to the game's website.
You can also easily access any game related settings for your software or hardware
directly from within the Games Explorer, using the Games Explorer toolbar, including
accessing the player community for each game; get help, support, and important publisher
updates; or easily add or remove games.
Of course, we haven't forgotten about the games that included "in the box" with
Windows. Windows Vista includes updated 3D versions of several classic games, including
"Solitaire" and "Minesweeper." In addition, Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate
will introduce several brand-new games, such as "Mahjong Titans" and "Chess Titans."
Family Safety and Parental controls
Windows Vista allows parents to set appropriate boundaries around what the gaming
experience will be for their children. With Windows Vista
Parental Controls,
parents are in control of their children's gaming activities. You can create personal
settings for each child, restricting their access to games according to:
-
Game title
- Game rating, such as the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) rating system
in the US, or the PEGI (Pan European Games Information system in Europe)
- Category, and/or
- Type of content, regardless of the game's rating
For example, you may choose to allow "Cartoon Violence" while blocking "Intense
Violence." You can also decide which days and/or times you want to allow your children
to play. You can even block specific games.
Parental Controls help ensure a safe and appropriate entertainment experience for
everyone in your family.
Unmatched Library of Gaming Choices
One of the best things about Windows is the massive library of gaming choices. Windows
Vista automatically detects when you install many of the most popular games of the
last few years, and will automatically put the game icon in the Games Explorer,
as well as download the title, rating, and box art. Windows Vista will automatically
download this additional information for approximately 1500 pre-Windows Vista games,
and the list is expanding. If you happen to install a game that Windows Vista doesn't
automatically recognize, you can easily drag the game shortcut into the Games Explorer.
Next-Generation Gaming Graphics and Gaming Hardware
One of the most exciting developments in Windows Vista is the groundbreaking graphics
technology. Windows Vista makes the gaming experience better in two ways; first,
an improved graphics driver model delivers more stable and reliable gameplay. Second,
many of the newest Windows games will take full advantage of the next-generation
graphics technology in Windows Vista called
DirectX® 10. DirectX® 10 will provide an incredibly detailed experience
for gamers of every type. DirectX® 10 in Windows Vista delivers advanced graphics
technology never before seen that will enable game creators to increase the game's
level of realism, enhancing details and complexity in gaming worlds, apply effects
like dynamic lighting and weather, and much more. While Windows Vista is fully compatible
with games and hardware that use older versions of DirectX®, the new DirectX® 10
features are available with a DirectX® 10 compatible graphics card and games designed
to take advantage of this new technology.
Windows Vista also includes native support for the XBOX 360 controller for Windows,
giving you more gaming control choices than ever before. Simply plug in the XBOX
360 controller to your Windows Vista PC's USB connector, and you're ready to go.
And Microsoft is also introducing new gaming accessories for Windows Vista, such
as the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. This lets you take your quality,
wireless gaming experiences available for the XBOX 360 and experience them on Windows
Vista, including the XBOX 360 wireless controller, wireless headset, and wireless
racing wheel.
With more user- and family-friendly features, a huge catalog of games, new titles
optimized specifically for Windows Vista, and more powerful graphics technology
than ever before, Windows Vista will make gaming on the PC easier and more fun for
everyone. To learn more, check out
WindowsVista.com.
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About Games For Windows
You already know that Windows is a phenomenal gaming platform-the most popular gaming
platform on the planet, in fact! That's why you're here.
But what you may not know is that Microsoft and some of the gaming industry's biggest
names have worked together to make the gaming experience on Windows better than
ever. And Games for Windows is the result. What is Games for Windows? It's a promise
of games that deliver the great new gaming experiences on Windows.
The Games for Windows brand on games means four key things:
1) Quality. Games for Windows branded titles undergo extensive testing,
and not just by the publisher. Microsoft also invests in quality checking each title
to ensure they meet performance and reliability standards.
2) Compatibility. Games for Windows branded titles work on Windows
XP and Windows Vista based PCs, including both 32- and 64- bit editions. Games for
Windows titles that support controllers are also compatible with the Microsoft XBOX 360 controller
for Windows, including the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows.
They even support widescreen resolutions and more.
3) Safety features. You can be confident that any title carrying the
Games for Windows brand will support the new parental controls and family settings
features in Windows Vista.
4) Easy to Play. Games for Windows branded titles are easy to install,
find and remove, especially in Windows Vista. Every Games for Windows title appears
in the new Windows Vista Games Explorer (no more hunting around the start menu for
that game you just installed). And Games for Windows branded titles all offer some
form of "easy install", putting you in the game more quickly.
Why are these important? Because Games for Windows is all about letting you focus
on the FUN.
Many great
titles already carry the Games for Windows branding with many more on the
way in 2008. Be assured of these great new gaming experiences by looking for Games
for Windows branded titles.
What is Games for Windows - LIVE?
Join this free service and get three major things:
-
Connection to a community of more than 14 million gamers-including the ability for you and your Xbox 360 friends to play the same game at the same time
-
Game updates that are downloaded and installed automatically for you
-
A single identity that works across both Games for Windows - LIVE and Xbox LIVE.
"I'm most excited about this release of Games for Windows - LIVE because it was built by PC gamers for PC gamers. This isn't a console service retrofit to the PC. It's the result of listening to PC gamers and creating a service they will love using."
-Kevin Unangst, Senior Global Director, Windows Gaming at Microsoft
These and other benefits are described below:
Identity
Chris Early, manager of Games for Windows - LIVE technology, says: "One of the questions man has asked throughout history is 'who am I?' We define ourselves as gamers, and as members of a larger gaming community, our gamerscore and gamertag help define who we are."
Friends!
Connect to your gaming friends easier than ever before. Chat live by voice with friends on your friends list, whether they're on a PC or Xbox 360. Plus, you can invite friends to join a game while it's in progress so no one has to wait until the current game ends before jumping in.
Learn more about playing with your Xbox LIVE friends here.
TrueSkill™ matchmaking
Make new friends with TrueSkill matchmaking, which pairs you with other gamers of your skill level. You won't have to worry about being the only n00b in a pack of hardc0res or not finding a worthy opponent again.
Learn more about friends and TrueSkill matchmaking here.
A Guide
A handy guide appears whenever you press the HOME key from within a Games for Windows - LIVE enabled game. With the Guide you can invite friends into a game, view your achievements, chat with friends via voice or messages, manage your account, and much more.
Learn more about the Guide here.
And there's a Games for Windows - LIVE client that lets you browse free content in the Marketplace, including game demos and videos, as well as buy premium downloadable content like additional maps and levels for your games.
Learn more about the Games for Windows - LIVE client here.
Both Windows Vista and Windows XP
Games for Windows - LIVE works on both Windows Vista® and Windows XP® machines (32- and 64-bit versions) and includes support for widescreen monitor resolutions. So now you can use this new service with the rig you have. If you have an Xbox 360 you can use that controller for PC games too (in games that support it).
The Label
If a game has a Games for Windows branding it means the PC game has gone through rigorous testing to make sure it plays well in Windows, including being easy to install, find, and remove. In Windows Vista these games appear in the Games Explorer so you can start playing double-quick when you power up your machine.
Parental Controls
If you have younger siblings or children and you don't want them getting into your games, you can set parental controls to lock them out.
There's more!
Here are some of the features and concepts of Games for Windows - LIVE that may be new to PC gamers:
Achievements
Achievements are awards - each worth a certain amount of gamerscore - which you get for completing tasks within a game. These tasks can be anything from defeating the most powerful monster in the dungeon to simply clearing a number of puzzle blocks. Most games have lots of different achievements. When you earn an achievement, its icon is displayed on your gamer card and you receive a boost to your gamerscore, which represents the sum total of all the achievements you've earned. The more significant and difficult the achievement, the more gamerscore you'll earn for completing it.
Find out more about Achievements here.
Marketplace
The Marketplace has all the content you're looking for to make your games even better. Here you'll find add-ons such as additional maps and levels to your games, as well as demos, videos, and much more. Buy items on the Marketplace using Microsoft Points. You can add Points to your account at any time via the Marketplace screen.
Learn more about the Marketplace and points here.