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Microsoft to Sponsor WCG 108

Posted by CowboyNeal from the xbox-only-entries dept.
xIcemanx writes "Microsoft has announced that it will be sponsoring the World Cyber Games through 2008, providing the world's largest e-sports competition with software, hardware, and marketing. let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships."
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Microsoft to Sponsor WCG More

Microsoft to Sponsor WCG

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  • At least most of the contestants will be able to play Rock/Paper/Scissors if the Microsoft games aren't functional.

  • Heart of Darkness (Score:3, Funny)

    by Frosty Piss ( 770223 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @10:51PM (#15127241)
    let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships

    Of course not! Microsoft is in this out of the kindness of their pure heart.

    • Microsoft said they want to support PC gaming, so this is good news for companies like Blizzard who make PC games. While Microsoft's true intentions are only to further their own goal, they also just happen to help many others.

  • Changes? Preposterous! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Ambiguous Coward ( 205751 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @10:54PM (#15127254) Homepage
    "...let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships."

    There will only be one tiny little change. It will now be called the World XBox Games. But honest, it'll still be the WCG you know and love.

  • broodwar better still be in this (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    it's the most competitive game there is!

  • Fun! (Score:2)

    by Khyber ( 864651 )
    Sadly, I still think that what Microsoft may come up with will still not compare to the Gibfest we hold here in Memphis. We get down to business, even to doing real bets for hardware and such. Ours is truly a competition. We make the challenges, set the pot, and go at it. Winner takes all. HHere, you're playing for sponsored prizes. We sometimes play for each other's computers. Someone wake me up when it gets that exciting in Microsoft's world, please.
    • You are a braver man than I, sir. I cherish my computer. There's no way I would ever bet it on anything.

    • Re:Fun! (Score:4, Funny)

      by tonsofpcs ( 687961 ) <slashback&tonsofpcs,com> on Friday April 14, 2006 @12:34AM (#15127582) Homepage Journal
      I'll play you in broodwar, lets go, 1 on 1, my 80586/133 vs your ultra overloaded PC.

    • Re:Fun! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Bacon Bits ( 926911 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @12:44AM (#15127604)
      How to know when your e-peen is getting too big:
      You only want to play Starcraft for pink slips.

      True competition is a test of skill in a fair and balanced situation, not a means of throwing money around to back up your testosterone. Unless you're playing poker. Betting, gambling, etc only makes things "interesting" because it's a metagame. You get to play two games instead of just the one. However, it's irrelevant to your skill as a player, and therefore not a judge of player quality. Frankly, if you're the type of person who gets excited just because you're betting, it would probably be wiser not to bet at all.
      • Umm, while your post does contain some insight, let me direct you to the DEFINITION of competition:

        http://www.answers.com/topic/competition [answers.com]

        The very first definition invalidates your entire point. To quote (and I double-checked this with my personal dictionary, it states the exact same thing) "1. The act of competing, as for profit or a prize; rivalry."
        • True enough, but the point of a sport isn't to compete for profit or prize. The only goal is victory. Consider that players get banned from playing professional sports if they bet on their games. Even if they bet on themselves.

          Gambling certainly qualifies as a competition, but, as I think I said, it is a metagame. It is an entirely different competition layered on top of the sport.

          Poker is about the only sport where gambling is allowed, and that's only because gambling is the point of the game. You eve

          • The dictionary is not a poor document to refer to, in any way, shape, or form, because that's what got our language started. The fact that people choose to ignore the true agreed-upon definition of a word and use a definition in it's place that's not listed only serves to cause confusion. A quote from George Carlin here should be appropriate, yet the exact quote escapes my mind. Something along the lines of "Why can't we agree on the definition of a word?" or something to that effect.

    • Re:Fun! (Score:3, Funny)

      by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *
      We make the challenges, set the pot, and go at it.

      Yeah, pot plays a role in my gameplaying too.

      -Eric

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:06PM (#15127302)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Microsoft, battling for the hearts and minds of professional gamers....

      Oh come off it. If that's what they were doing, they'd simply supply a lifetime of free pizza and beer.

      It'd be far cheaper than buying...er..."sponsering" these games.

    • Re:Sony and Playstation missing entirely (Score:4, Insightful)

      by kevmo ( 243736 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:57PM (#15127479)
      If you read the article (haha) you would have seen this:

      The deal also asserts that Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 will be the exclusive gaming platforms for the PC and console for the events, meaning that other console titles for Sony or Nintendo platforms will not figure in the competitions.

      Of course, you can't really expect them to provide anything else, as they are supplying all the hardware/software. Would you really expect them to buy Playstations?

      If WCG didn't like the conditions, they didn't have to do the deal, that simple.

  • RTFA.... =) (Score:4, Informative)

    by elf ( 18882 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:08PM (#15127307)
    From the article:

    The deal also asserts that Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 will be the exclusive gaming platforms for the PC and console for the events, meaning that other console titles for Sony or Nintendo platforms will not figure in the competitions.


    -elf
    • This would be step three of the Acknowledge, Embrace, Terminate plan.
    • Out of curiosity, how prominent were non-Windows/Xbox games.
    • Looking back at the history of the games, I do not see any non Xbox games. There is DOA and Halo and Halo2. I might be missing something here but how is Sony getting boxed out? If this is so important to Sony and their games division I am sure their marketing department would sponsor this event.

  • Good exposure. (Score:3, Funny)

    by dapho ( 939695 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:11PM (#15127315)
    This is great for games like Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament. They will be getting more exposure from the public and might even go mainstream...

  • In other news... (Score:5, Funny)

    by wbren ( 682133 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:12PM (#15127316) Homepage
    In other news, Redhat was originally supposed to be the new WCG sponsor... until WCG realized they would have to limit competition to KAstroid and Othello.

    • I'm playing Wesnoth (Score:3, Interesting)

      by vlad_petric ( 94134 )
      ... you insensitive clod! :)

    • Re:In other news... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Sparr0 ( 451780 )
      And UT2004, and Quake 4, and Doom 3, and Saveage, and Enemy Territory, and any of a hundred other awesome commercial competitive games that run natively in linux.

      As to upcoming games, UT2007, Savage 2, and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars are all going to run natively in linux.

      Nice try Mr FUD.

      • In other news...Bragging on the increase. (Score:1, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        "And UT2004, and Quake 4, and Doom 3, and Saveage, and Enemy Territory, and any of a hundred other awesome commercial competitive games that run natively in linux."

        Ok braggard. List those one hundred games.* Oh and just in case no one noticed, the majority of those are FPSers.

        *I seriously doubt you can even get to fifty.

      • Re:In other news... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Jesapoo ( 929240 )
        ...and compared to the *thousands* of games offered on windows or windows-and-console only?

        The simple fact is, Windows is THE platform for PC gaming, and naming a handfull of games that run on linux doesn't change that fact.
      • Man, you are so very right.

        Unfortunately, it was true enough to be very funny to me, a Linux-only casual gamer (thanks for the heads up on new games I should be buying, btw! ;)

        If we don't buy them, they will go away.

      • Although they run on linux, they also run on windows, so I don't see your point?
      • The gp's point still stands. Gaming just isn't Linux's strength. It's got loads of other strengths, and no one denies that, but it's not really a gaming platform. A handful of games that do work doesn't change that.

        • Gaming just isn't Linux's strength. It's got loads of other strengths, and no one denies that, but it's not really a gaming platform.

          If you define a "gaming platform" as "has a lot of commercial games," then you're absolutely right. I would, however, point out that Linux is not significantly worse for game development than any other platform, IMHO.

          A handful of games that do work doesn't change that.

          No, but it does make it easier for those of us who want to just run Linux. :)

          • I would agree that Linux isn't worse for gaming than any other platform except for the lack of software. I was mostly referring to the parent's listing of a few titles and implying that linux therefor is a gaming platform. The limited selection available just doesn't compete with a console or windows machine, and just because there are some titles doesn't mean its a viable solution for a gamer.
        • There is also the not-insignificant point that the games that run on both platforms run faster in Linux. I played UT2004 in both when I was dual booting (no more!) and regularly got 10-15% higher FPS with the same settings in Linux. Savage had the same boost. I haven't directly compared the others, but my subjective feeling is that they were all faster as well.

          Why spend $100 on a slower OS just so youll need to spend an extra $100 on hardware to make your games run faster? Give me Linux + GeForce 6600 o
          • I'm not arguing the point that games will run fine under linux. I'm just pointing out that having a handfull of games that work doesn't mean that linux is a viable gamer solution. You pointed out several popular FPS's that run under Linux, but even that is just a small segment of the overall FPS market. And there are hardly any mainstream RPGs, MMORPGs, or RTSs available, unless you spend time tinkering with WINE. What you've shown is that linux works for you as a gaming platform, but it doesn't for mos
            • I have ordered these by popularity, as near as I can estimate. Some of the lower ones on the lists might not be as mainstream as you would like, but the top ones definitely are.

              mainstream linux-native...

              RPGs:
              Neverwinter Nights
              BG/IWD/BG2 some day when GemRB is finished

              MMORPGs:
              Second Life
              Puzzle Pirates
              Runescape
              A Tale in the Desert
              Daimonin
              Vega Strike
              Vendetta Online

              RTSes:
              Homeworld
              Total Annihilation: Spring
              Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns
              Majesty Gold
              Myth 2

              and more FPSes:
              Quake 3
              America's Army
              Return to Castle Wolfenste
    • Dude, only 3 people will get this joke. The rest won't figure out that there are other games besides first person shooters.
    • I think Red Hat or SuSE/Novell should sponsor a gaming tournament. It could be relatively cheap publicity amongst a somewhat tech-savvy group. They could even have a booth or something offering Linux support, and a list of Linux games (and fps ;)

      Seriously, though, if you sponsor a conference or event, you don't have to make them use your software!

  • World Community Grid??? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Switchback ( 6988 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:19PM (#15127337)
    For a minute there, I thought Microsoft was going to sponsor the World Community Grid [worldcommunitygrid.org]. Could you imagine if every new Windows PC shiped with a World Community Grid client? Imagine the power of the grid then...

  • Bad guy (Score:2, Insightful)

    by scolby ( 838499 )
    So wait one second...who's the bad guy here...the multi-gazillion dollar corporation that paid a lot of money to put their name on a competition as a means of advertising their products, or the competition that initially put the naming rights up for sale in the first place?

  • The games: (Score:5, Funny)

    by DanTheLewis ( 742271 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:40PM (#15127424) Homepage Journal
    Steve Ballmer Forever: This wisecracking, balding hero takes trusty chair in hand in order to fight off the Googly-eyed hordes.

    Whack-a-Who-da-punk: Hit a person with no face before they destroy Microsoft from within by engaging in serious discussions about the relative inadequacy of the bloated management structure.

    Windows Vista: TBA.

    • Re:The games: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by DurendalMac ( 736637 )
      What about... AppleJacked - Grab the new features as soon as they're announced by the competition and shoehorn your own half-assed version into the aging, bloated code of your flagship product before your opponents! SimFUD - Climb your way up the management ladder by making a better bullshit campaign about the evils of open source than your opponents! Browserbash - A looming, rival product has stolen precious marketshare, and you need to go into the darkest, deepest depths of the basement to get your web

  • Let's think... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Kuukai ( 865890 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:49PM (#15127456) Journal
    let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships.

    From TFA:
    The deal also asserts that Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 will be the exclusive gaming platforms for the PC and console for the events, meaning that other console titles for Sony or Nintendo platforms will not figure in the competitions.

    Games offered last time [wikipedia.org]:
    -Counter-Strike: Source
    -FIFA Football 2005
    -Need for Speed: Underground 2
    -StarCraft: Brood War
    -Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
    -Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
    -Dead or Alive Ultimate
    -Halo 2

    I'd wager a "No."

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:54PM (#15127470)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Video/PC games, like Chess isn't very fun when watching players sit in one place. Unless the sport is athletic, don't expect much of a public following. Poker is an exception to the rule however as it imbues drama with other players in a round-table event.

      But people don't tend to watch the player in video game competitions. The action all happens on the screen, similar to how when you watch TV, you don't watch the producer sitting behind a control panel. Competitive video games are an animal of it's own

    • You've also never watched good players play speed-chess... or, even better, bughouse-chess.
    • You've obviously never watched the National Scrabble Championships on ESPN.

      It draws pretty much everyone in.
      Well, most people with 3 or more neurons to rub together.

      It can be as technical as you want, or purely leightweight tv viewing. Chess involves a lot of skull sweat.

    • ...in America (Score:3, Informative)

      by krotkruton ( 967718 )
      In other countries, South Korea for instance, gaming is treated more like a sport [gamespot.com].
      From the article:

      Two cable TV networks, known as Ongamenet and MBCgame, compete for viewers with their own 24-hour programming dedicated to PC and console gaming. Fierce gaming competitions are held, backed by major corporate sponsors, and studios overflow with live audiences trying to catch a glimpse at players who are practically given celebrity status.
      ...
      Their number one program is called Ongamenet Starleague, which i
    • isn't very fun when watching players sit in one place.

      So don't watch the players, watch the screens. All these things need is untalented directors, just like real sports.

  • Scale Proportion = 999% (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Doytch ( 950946 ) <markpd@gmailFORTRAN.com minus language> on Thursday April 13, 2006 @11:59PM (#15127485)
    Who actually followed the WCG before this and is commenting? Because if you did, you know that the only thing people cared about was PC, and NOTHING ELSE. No one who attends these gives a damn about a PS2 or GC or Xbox competition, and thats the cold hard truth. Starcraft SELLS. FPS deathmatches SELL. This is not going to be any different and someone who thinks so is just staying hip with the times and ragging on MS. (I realise I've just murdered my karma)

    • Starcraft SELLS. FPS deathmatches SELL. This is not going to be any different and someone who thinks so is just staying hip with the times and ragging on MS.

      While I agree with you, they didn't always "SELL!" I think there is a very real potential for console games to become competitive with the introduction of standard online-play. Hopefully Nintendo will host their own competitions.

      (I realise I've just murdered my karma)

      Even though I disagree with you, your comment was legit and your point had substan

      • Console games are a good proxy towards getting more players in the PC competitive gaming arena, like it or not.
      • PCs are superior to any Online Gaming Console ever can present.
        I can play anything right now:PC games,Emulated console game(most of them),Online games.
        Without being put into limits of console manufacturers and corporate overlords.
        Console is essentialy a cheap limited computer made to run games.

      • When it comes to any kind of gaming other than sports or fighting, PC gaming > console gaming. It's just a fact of life. Saying that console FPS are equal, or can ever be equal, to PC FPS is insane. The keyboard and mouse duo make it so. And strategy games? Yea, I remember playing Simcity on my Nintendo. It just wasn't the same as playing it on my computer, and actually being able to build a decent size city without going crazy because of the amount vertical/horizontal only scrolling that was requi
  • Will be replaced by solitaire?

  • fool (Score:3, Informative)

    by Tom ( 822 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @03:53AM (#15128019) Homepage Journal
    let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships."

    No, just in the gaming platform. RTFA - it's now Xbox-only. WCG just got assimilated.
  • They should resuscitate some Apple ][s and make all the competitors play Microsoft's Olympic Decathlon. Man that game was tough on the fingers... and probably broke more keyboards in its day than any modern-era game.

  • Actually, no changes. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by murrdpirate ( 944127 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @05:21AM (#15128194)
    Far as I can tell from the website, the only console games they've had in the past have been from Microsoft: Halo and PGR. If you're into the world cyber games, this will probably just improve their popularity. This is a good thing, ya'll are just blind Microsoft haters as usual.
    • What's so bad about Microsoft anyway? Almost all the money you spend on their products goes to a good thing: either into making the products or cool things like SpaceShipOne and donations.
    • This is a good thing, ya'll are just blind Microsoft haters as usual.

      Yeah! It's not like Microsoft has a history of astroturfing, assimilating and destroying!
  • Honestly, if Microsoft released a plan to end world hunger, it'd still get bashed on Slashdot.

  • It's about time! (Score:3, Funny)

    by seven of five ( 578993 ) on Friday April 14, 2006 @08:48AM (#15128842)
    I am so happy to see Microsoft finally doing some marketing. It's been so frustrating, watching their products go unnoticed for so long....
  • Minesweeper will get the recognition it deserves!!!
  • Sometimes i just have to admit, i love this company called microsoft!
  • Will the World Anti Doping League be there to test the winners for non legal addictive stimulants? Let's keep it clean this year fellas and ladies!
  • Im going to make my own WCG , with blackjack , and hookers.

    In fact , forget the WCG!

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