Leaked Microsoft Video Reveals Horrible Future for PC Gaming

[E-Penguin]

Just waiting for the Elder Scrolls game or Wizards of the Coast RPG where you can port your avatar directly into the game.

brb, cutting myself.

your avatar....makes no sense...how does the hand look like that?

Here. Maybe this will help.

Spoiler: Off topic and a bit big!

OT though: I'm not the target audience. I don't think any of us are. So no wonder it's getting a lot of flak here. Maybe we should ask some non-gamer groups (because if you think about it, not a lot of that is purely gaming).

Three broken images?

 

[LightspeedJack]

What a bleak dystopian future we live in.

 

[mezmerizer02]

I don't see what's so horrible about it. So we're not the demographic, who cares? There are a thousand things that obviously were never designed for me.

people on this site love blowing things out of proportion if it doesn't fit every single one of their needs. we seem to be the exception.

 

[Odin442]

Interesting. Microsoft seems to be doing this more often lately, seeing someone else's good idea and releasing an inferior model of their own, apparently operating on the assumption that people will buy it for sheer brand recognition. It clearly didn't work with the Zune though, I wonder why they think they'll do any better this time.

 

[Ruptuk]

As a 'PC gamer' I don't like how this as it is being pitched. If it's just an application that you can access if you want to then fine but if it's forced then I am not so keen, really hope that being able to be a traditional hard core pc game will still be an option. I also hope that it doesn't hinder those on lower spec PC's as the 'casual' market generally won't have great gear.

However, as a game developer I don't think this is all bad. Being able to bring the pc closer to the 360 means that more games will get developed for it which can only be a good thing. Not enough games really support the avatar as well as they could, this could be the push it needs as it can be a great addition to a game.

 

[dontlooknow]

It's all very well marketing to the 'casual' demographic, but as people have already said here, the whole Windows gaming system, including GFWL, is completely broken. Unless they're planning a complete overhaul, there's so much in that video that has either already been done better, or simply wouldn't work - if they want to feature more integrated social networking, then they can't depend on Facebook because that'd conflict with their own Windows Live, which is shit. Even if they did decide to integrate either people's Facebook accounts or an improve WL, their gaming system, with all its weird disjointed nonsensical bollocks, won't appeal to those 'casual' gamers out there anyway.

So what we've got here is either something to be excited about, because Microsoft has gone bonkers and is going to overhaul their entire gaming and interactive network, or (more likely) they're trying to dress their existing system up in matt colours and smiley faces to tug on the heartstrings of morons, which is nothing if not a little sad.

 

[Agent Larkin]

So let's see how that applies to me:

1. I'm not on Facebook so that's a huge chunk cut out.
2. I don't play bejeweled so that's ok.
3. I don't pay for any games on-line.
4. Battlefield 2 lags enough for me that the idea of me spending money for a gun in it is laughable.
5. I'm no fan of steam but i would use that over this XBOX to PC clone.
6. Much like my xbox. If i wanted some cutesy avatar i would buy a wii not a PC.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Oh dear microsoft, instead of fixing the cracks in your GFWL software your just going to cover them over with colourful wallpaper and smiling avatars. I'll add to the sentitments who is this actually aimed for? Casual gamers won't likely switch from facebook games or iphone games to pc gamers, and pc gamers have already been burned by GFWL before and are likely to never touch the thing again, plus none of these features that microsoft is pushing are going to the main appeal for pc gamers anyway. Plus why do we need these type of social interactions on a digital distribution software on the pc where sites like facebook are just click away?

 

[Doom moose]

just seen the face of evil!
and that face is a rubbish looking Microsoft avatar

 

[ZombieGenesis]

Oddly enough I wouldn't mind if Steam used Avatars.
Which is trange because on the Wii and Xbox they always felt very tacky to me, but I suppose that's probably because of the art direction and the very obvious fact they exist purely to provoke extra micro purchases out of customers.

You know what would be good? 16 BIT Avatars. Retro style.
Who wouldn't love that?

 

[GeorgW]

The horror. The horror!
If this is what they're planning for games for windows live, count me more out than before!!
They desecrated BF2, what is this?? Damn casual money scheme!

 

[Alien Mole]

Good heavens, what fresh hell is this? Seriously though, if this is the future of gaming it might be about time for me to grow up.

 

[googleback]

At least they're actually showing pc gaming some love but still... understand that pc gamers don't really like all the clutter of mandatory extra features.

ima kill myself now. gfwl is even mandatory on some steam games so you can bet your bottom dollar that this will be too.

mass suicide folks? follow me outside!

 

[L4WLI3T]

Kill me now. Please. I beg of you!

*shoots, then shoots self out of utter loss of hope for humanity*
OH god, thank the LORD for steam (and i'm atheist/agnostic).

 

[snowpuppy]

NO NO NO pleaese no it cant be NOOOO stop your..... STOP NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its like they think that avatars are good... or that farmville is c-cool... please just pay every game company a ton of money and make video games illeagle its better then this! I have just lost all respect for microsoft.

 

[JohnnyMolotov]

Would write a longer reply, but it's hard to see when your eyes are bleeding.

 

[MaxP779]

Horriffic.... I hate microsoft so much... How can they screw up so badly?! Ill bet this is the "focus on gaming" they have been talking about with windows 8, theyre probably planning to integrate this crap and facebook into the kernal heh.