02-10-2006, 04:52 AM
Apparently operating systems now have launch titles.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4698072.stm
Now I'm not a big FPS gaming fan, and I don't own a console newer than a N64 or Playstation. I've never played any Halo title, either on Xbox or or PC. Take my opinion on this matter for what it's worth.
I just don't see why Microsoft would do this. Everyone who really cares about Halo 2 would have already played it on Xbox. From a technical standpoint it makes little sense too. Since Halo 2 is a Xbox title, there is no reason why an OS upgrade should be required. There isn't anything there that a semi-decent PC can't handle under Windows XP, and by all accounts Windows Vista will have some pretty beefy system requirements* that will exceed anything that Halo 2 should require.
Maybe Microsoft is hoping that requiring Windows Vista to run Halo 2 will help drive Vista sales, but I don't see people falling for it. It would be cheaper to buy an Xbox and Halo 2 than it would be to upgrade to Windows Vista.
This also kinda bothers me because I work in a store that sells PC games, and I can just foresee the problems with people attempting to return Halo 2 because they failed to notice the "requires Windows Vista" text. I already have problems with people attempting to return DVD titles when they only have a CD drive, but our policy prohibits us from accepting game returns on opened packages.
* - Microsoft says you will need 512MB RAM, and a dedicated (ie non-integrated) DX 9.0 video card. Recommended system requirements will likely be quite a bit higher.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4698072.stm
Quote:Halo fans will have to upgrade their computer if they want to follow Master Chief's adventures on the PC.
Microsoft has announced that the PC version of Halo 2 will only work on the new version of Windows called Vista.
Now I'm not a big FPS gaming fan, and I don't own a console newer than a N64 or Playstation. I've never played any Halo title, either on Xbox or or PC. Take my opinion on this matter for what it's worth.
I just don't see why Microsoft would do this. Everyone who really cares about Halo 2 would have already played it on Xbox. From a technical standpoint it makes little sense too. Since Halo 2 is a Xbox title, there is no reason why an OS upgrade should be required. There isn't anything there that a semi-decent PC can't handle under Windows XP, and by all accounts Windows Vista will have some pretty beefy system requirements* that will exceed anything that Halo 2 should require.
Maybe Microsoft is hoping that requiring Windows Vista to run Halo 2 will help drive Vista sales, but I don't see people falling for it. It would be cheaper to buy an Xbox and Halo 2 than it would be to upgrade to Windows Vista.
This also kinda bothers me because I work in a store that sells PC games, and I can just foresee the problems with people attempting to return Halo 2 because they failed to notice the "requires Windows Vista" text. I already have problems with people attempting to return DVD titles when they only have a CD drive, but our policy prohibits us from accepting game returns on opened packages.
* - Microsoft says you will need 512MB RAM, and a dedicated (ie non-integrated) DX 9.0 video card. Recommended system requirements will likely be quite a bit higher.