Microsoft Releases Game Advisor For Windows 108
av_2_0 writes "Microsoft has released a web accessible Game Advisor for Windows. This will check your system's configuration, compare it with a knowledge base of around 360 games and tell you if your system is compatible." Requires the use of IE and the install of an ActiveX thingie. My system is apparently faster than 58% of systems checked.
Yawn. (Score:3, Insightful)
Well, that was exciting. And no, this wasn't the Slashdot effect as it loaded the ActiveX garbage just fine. It's just once it was here it died a horrible, "browser renders entire surface as white" death.
I guess this is the start of the "Microsoft is serious about PC games" initiative. Frankly, I could give a flying frootloop about the PC games scene these days: for the $500 the top end video cards go for I can pick up *two* console systems and a smattering of games, or one console and go freaking insane with games. Yeah, you can't do RTS or FPS as cleanly on consoles as on PC, but both genre's are in such serious ruts that it doesn't matter. And yes, I am aware how "pretty" PC graphics can be... but I'm there for the game play not the sparklies. I'm perfectly happy to watch the technology trickle down into consoles.
The last straws were the copy protection that demands I stop performing my job as a software developer to play a lousy game (quick hint, the debugger *ins't* so I can hack your freaking game) and the "your DVD isn't a CD, thus you are screwed out of your cash" crap.
Re:Yawn. (Score:3, Insightful)
What I don't understand is WHY Microsoft is trying to push PC gaming. It's not like Apple is competing in that arena, and the whole point of the Xbox seems to have been saving us all from the hell that PC gaming had become, so why are they bothering? Is it just to hinder any screwball antitrust suits that might come from pissed of PC game makers that don't want to do Xbox games?
Blue screen here (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh well, now I'll never know if I pass or fail.
What a load of crap (Score:4, Insightful)
Price is still lower but you get less but lets not forget to check the price of the games. I don't know if this is true around the world but in holland games like Kotor and morrowind (released both for console AND pc) typically cost a full 10 euro's more for the console version. Wich is kinda sad since for both games the PC version was clearly better. Kotor because it came with extra content and Morrowind because of the whole user made content bit that is exclusive to the PC. Not to forget that the expansion packs for Morrowind were PC only.
Show me Counterstrike for console please. No not counterstrike itself but usermade modifications for your console. Sure 99% of usermade content probably sucks but the remaining 1% consist of some pure gems wich either are brilliant games in their own right or take an existing game to new levels. That is not including games like MS own flightsimulator wich ofcourse are all about user made content. Or Neverwinter Nights.
Their are of course prices to pay but you paint an extremely one sided picture and fail to completly analyze the costs.
A 1000 dollar gaming machine does not compare to a 300 dollar console. You should compare it to a 300 dollar console + accesories + tv + cheapo internet pc. Wanna bet that all that together comes pretty close to the cost of a full gaming pc? Anyway not everyone is a kid living on his mothers allowance. 500 dollars is all relative. If you think that is a lot never ever look at bills for your gf/wifes clothing.
The games are also different. Good luck finding an EQ2 or WoW on the console. Good luck with usermade games like Flightsim or NWN too. Then again good luck finding pure arcade titles on the PC.
Console games are easier to get running. Then again if you got troubles getting games to run on your pc what are you doing on slashdot?
Copy protection is a bitch at times but there is always away around it. Perhaps I have just been lucky.
I wonder what exactly the reason for this "test" is by MS. It is MS so there must be a motive. Could it be that they are trying to figure out exactly what kinda hardware is the norm for gamers? So that future games by them can be better tailored to the hardware available?
Both MS and Sony have a clear interest in making people game on their own propietary systems rather then the far more open PC. MS and Sony get paid when a game gets developed for their respective consoles. They get 0 for a game developed for pc. Yet both got really big titles that are exclusive to the PC, think MMO games wich MS is trying once again. Is Everquest just sony's way of testing the water until a future console is ready to run a MMO like and they will then drop the PC? EQ2 and SWG both like 1gig of memory so unless the new PS3 can perform some kind of miracle it will not be able to run the games as is. It used to be true that consoles needed less ram because they ran at far lower resolutions but with HD-tv this is becoming less true.
At the moment PC vs Console is not a matter of price. Yes a console alone is cheaper but you would still need the costs of a pc to be able to rant on /. on how much cheaper your console is. While I don't need a console to rant on how much bull that is.
It is a matter of different types of gaming. Sure I am tempted to the darkside by reviews of Jade empire and some other titles but am not willing to give up high resultions and user mods. My games also tend to need more buttons then a console has available. Then
Re:What a load of crap (Score:2, Insightful)
Of course PC games are "safe"... as I said, FPS and RTS live and die by the PC. MMORPG is a stronghold as well. Mods are a great thing too. My point is why bother when for a fraction of the price and *none* of the hassle I can have a lot more fun. I own a library of PC games, but I fish them out of bargin bins... if the $10 "Medievil Total War Battle Collection" had not booted, I can just dump in on a buddy.
Normally it isn't worth the hassle when I can plunk down in my comfortable chair and enjoy a console game.
But enough about me... remember, Valium is only available by prescription.
Re:Performance spread (Score:3, Insightful)
System 3: (Bittorrent Box)
Processor Intel Pentium M 1000MHz
Display Card Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV
Memory 512MB
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP
Free Disk Space 94.6GB
Display Card Memory 1MB
Display Driver Version 6.14.10.3762
DirectX Version 9.0c
Optical Drive CD/DVD
Sound Card Realtek AC97 Audio
93% of the systems scanned by the Game Advisor rank higher in performance than your system.
Well, why arent you using something with a smaller profile on that machine other than Windows? If you're gonna use it as a BitTorrent box, might as well plop Linux on it and run Azureus through the web interface. Hmm, now that might be a good idea. 2 Cables running to that box: Power and ethernet. Put on there VLC server and you could stream movies from that machine.
I guess Slashdot is a place everybody just bitches about Windows (and Microsoft) rather than actually put Linux or the BSD's to the test and just plain USE THEM. And people wonder why