Notch: Windows 8 Could Be "Very Very Bad" for Indies

[fenixkane]

Linux has been dominating every other facet of computing for years now. Servers, mostly Linux. Smart phones, mostly Linux. Super computers, Over 90% Linux. It's always been inevitable that at some point the OS made by humanity itself would take over the desktop as well, and it's finally ready to do so just in time for Microsoft's second huge botch job since we've entered the post-XP world. It's time people. Accept the future.

 

[Dahaka27]

For fuck's sake, Windows 8 is not going to be Metro only. Everything I have tried (except for MagicDisc, but that was on a much older preview) works perfectly fine, I've been using Win8 for gaming for months and it's brilliant. There is still a desktop with Aero-ish UI (it's been graphically updated to look more Metro-ish) and it will still support x86 programs.

Everyone calm the fuck down.

Which begs the question as to why Windows 8 will be necessary at all assuming that any gamer worth their salt will ignore the metro stuff completely.

Windows 7 is a great OS. I love coming home and using my own desktop after having to suffer using the old XP boxes at work which are impossibly slow and unreliable (I seriously have no idea how they are so slow despite my best efforts to make them usable outside of the company intranet interface program.)
XP for the longest time was great, I used it alot and kept with it in the dark times that were windows vista until 7 was able to be tested.

Windows 8 is smelling like vista all over again. The thing I hated so much about vista was that it reminded me of OSX, the look feel and massive annoyance that was the windows security centre that popped but when you launched EVERY. DAMN. PROGRAM.

I cannot help but feel that Vista was somehow a prototype of 7 since that how it damn well felt.

 

[Sixcess]

Now that Windows 8 has been criticised by Valve, Blizzard and Notch is there any PC gamer out there who isn't having some doubts about it?

All we need now is for EA to announce they think it's great and it'll become completely irredeemable in most people's eyes.

 

[RJ 17]

I'm torn between my recently discovered love for Minecraft....

And my thoroughly enjoying anything that fucks Blizzard in the ass....

 

[MammothBlade]

All part of Microsoft's evil conspiracy to destroy serious gaming and power users and drastically re-align with the tablet market...

Seriously, just don't touch Windows 8. If they're so intent on ignoring the needs of desktop users and dumbing down the UI, then shaft them where it hurts. Hopefully they won't break even with this condensed shit they're trying to market as a functional OS.

I don't hate Microsoft, just what they're trying to pull off this time. I hate that they're effectively shoving some annoying Tablet OS down peoples' throats.

 

[Worgen]

I'm torn between my recently discovered love for Minecraft....

And my thoroughly enjoying anything that fucks Blizzard in the ass....

I totaly agree with that second statement.
My thoughts on windows 8 are that if it is bad, it just wont be picked up, I mean windows 7 is actually a really good os, its weird that its from MS.
If win8 sucks then I doubt many users will go for it. I don't think it was as forced as upgrading from xp was, with xp being locked at dx9.

 

[lacktheknack]

I'm torn between my recently discovered love for Minecraft....

And my thoroughly enjoying anything that fucks Blizzard in the ass....

Do you like Valve? That's your tiebreaker.

OT: Blizzard says no. Valve says no. Notch says no.

I guess it's time to pull an XP with 7. Or just start using Linux. Hang on, I have my manual for ARCH around here somewhere... probably near that elephant I beat to death with it...

 

[lacktheknack]

For fuck's sake, Windows 8 is not going to be Metro only. Everything I have tried (except for MagicDisc, but that was on a much older preview) works perfectly fine, I've been using Win8 for gaming for months and it's brilliant. There is still a desktop with Aero-ish UI (it's been graphically updated to look more Metro-ish) and it will still support x86 programs.

Everyone calm the fuck down.

Is there a reason to upgrade?

 

[CezarIgnat]

For fuck's sake, Windows 8 is not going to be Metro only. Everything I have tried (except for MagicDisc, but that was on a much older preview) works perfectly fine, I've been using Win8 for gaming for months and it's brilliant. There is still a desktop with Aero-ish UI (it's been graphically updated to look more Metro-ish) and it will still support x86 programs.

Everyone calm the fuck down.

MagicDisc works very well on the new builds, so fear not. Though the included ISO Mounting thingamagig works great and I am really happy they included it in Win8.

I have tried tons of games, I have Steam, I used Photoshop/Vegas 9 and lots of other stuff. Everything works just fine. I don't even notice metro! It's just a different and more idiotic way of putting your .exe-s in a list.

Why so much paranoia?

 

[CezarIgnat]

Is there a reason to upgrade?

It starts a bit faster than 7 and has an included ISO mounter. But that's about all that I feel different in Win8...there is no difference and IMHO no reason to waste money on it.

 

[PinkiePyro]

I now relise I know very little about computers becuse this all is confusing

why is windows 8 seemingly so bad and what are ARM and metro?

 

[SnowyGamester]

Does everybody have to bash Windows 8 without actually using it? It hasn't lost anything that Windows 7 had except for the start menu being replaced (by a better start menu). Sure it has an app store/android market analogue but that's all it is...it doesn't have any significant programs on there (just apps and widgets for the Metro UI). It isn't going to bring down Steam or indie publishers.

 

[koroem]

Why does this site leg hump everything this man says. Get over him Escapist writers. He isn't news.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Huh...so in my brief absence I missed out on not only Gabe Newell, but now everyone's favorite (*cough*) outspoken indie dude to talk about the horrors of Windows 8.

If they really are aiming for an Apple-like closed environment, I don't foresee Windows 8 selling terribly well for gamers. The market did reject Vista pretty hard though, and it never quite reached the levels of usage that Win XP did.

So on one hand, I'm rather secure in knowing that if Windows 8 is just a big DRM fence for Microsoft's new cattle ranch, that I will still have options and there's still a chance it could bomb out due to backlash.

On the other hand, I don't have much faith in mainstream gaming to dodge that bullet willingly.

I can already thank them for accepting existing bullshit DRM and price-gouging DLC, so what else can the ignorant masses do to fuck up gaming even further for me?

Linux has been dominating every other facet of computing for years now.*snip* It's time people. Accept the future.

Uh, well. For some of us it's more like "Accept the past, ignore the future".
The reason I say this: I'm typing this up on Knoppix. -_-

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Which begs the question as to why Windows 8 will be necessary at all assuming that any gamer worth their salt will ignore the metro stuff completely.

Most PC gamers will likely do as they did with Vista and 2k/ME - skip over it, and because of the low adoption rate, most publishers and developers won't exactly feel pressured into making the new OS a requirement for games...

Windows 8 is aimed at getting Microsoft into market of OS for ARM processor powered devices (smart phones, tablets, etc)...

For Microsoft the 'easiest' way to go about that is to leverage their massive presence in the x86 PC OS market by making their newest x86 PC OS and their new ARM OS essentially the same. Product and cross product familiarity is the name of the game, just as Apple. This isn't about gamers, this is about the millions of office workers and 'internet and homework' home users that (will) become familiar with at least the basic use of any Windows OS released, a familiarity that can influence purchases that offer than same familiarity.

That's pretty much what the whole 'Xbox 360 on PC' deal is about, too, which despite the pipedreams of others, has nothing to do with being able to play 360 games on a PC - it's all about being able to use XBL features whilst on a Win8 device. Microsoft don't want you playing 360 games on PC, they want you to buy a Win8 powered smartphone because it'll let you use all the social features of XBL... and considering the popularity of the 360 and how attached some people are to their XBL friendslists, the idea certainly has merit.

 

[NLS]

Wait. There could be a day in the foreseeable future, when Apple OS is preferred over Windows OS?! Wow, that'll be the day.

Yeah, when people can afford proper hardware from Apple... They're not gonna release OSX or iOS on any third party hardware than their own shiny Apple branded one that sells for double the price. In the meanwhile, normal PCs will have to endure Windows 8, keep Windows 7, or switch over to whatever Linux distro does the best job.

 

[chadachada123]

For fuck's sake, Windows 8 is not going to be Metro only. Everything I have tried (except for MagicDisc, but that was on a much older preview) works perfectly fine, I've been using Win8 for gaming for months and it's brilliant. There is still a desktop with Aero-ish UI (it's been graphically updated to look more Metro-ish) and it will still support x86 programs.

Everyone calm the fuck down.

I think we both now that no matter how often or loud you voice yourself on the subject, people are going to keep doomsaying until the retail version comes out and everything turns out to be fine.

Damn, so close. I had just opened up the song "Doomsday" before looking at your post. "Doomsaying," almost close enough to make me seem like I have fate-controlling powers.

On topic, this is why I always wait until well after post-release before moving to a new operating system. I recommend everyone else do the same, in case it really does end up being a Doomsday. Then at least we can just keep our old OS or switch to Linux.

 

[Dosbilliam]

Why does this site leg hump everything this man says. Get over him Escapist writers. He isn't news.

From what I've heard, he pretty much single-handedly made a game that's more addictive than WoW, but without the wallet-vaccum. To me, that pretty much gives him a decent amount of credibility in the gaming world...That's not an achievement that should be taken lightly.

 

[TheLazyGeek]

I haven't seen anything that would make upgrading from 7 to 8 worth it. I think most gamers will stick with 7, and at the rate all the bad press is popping up, hopefully the OS will bomb so Microsoft can maybe learn the error of their ways...

Bah, who am I kidding? I better get acquainted with ubuntu or something...

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

If they really are aiming for an Apple-like closed environment, I don't foresee Windows 8 selling terribly well for gamers. The market did reject Vista pretty hard though, and it never quite reached the levels of usage that Win XP did.

If it's a closed system, I don't see it selling particularly well in most markets including, especially, corporate and government sales. It will be the Vista situation again, only more wide spread... and while Microsoft might not give a flying fuck about PC gamers, they do give one about their corp and govt clients.

I don't doubt the ARM version will be something of a closed system, that's pretty much a given in that market, and possibly the lowest end of the x86 versions, too... but I would also expect open, full service x86 versions to be available as well, much as the Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Windows 7 offer much more than the Home versions do.