Will Windows 8 be the death of PC gaming?

[Hazerd]

I am not ready for Windows 8 yet, and that's pretty much all i can say at this point, i still feel like Windows 7 just came out even though it was just a upgraded Vista, but i dont plan on changing to Windows 8 for at least another 5 years, unless im forced to by something i really need 8 for.

[CRTGAMER]

I still prefer Windows XP over Windows 7, I like the Start Menu layout better. As for that new Metro interface, no thanks. It works for a cell phone touch screen, but the PC is so much more capable with a mouse. I prefer opening just sections off the Start button such as Games or Utilities, not the whole confused mess on the screen.

Windows 3.1./Workgroups 3.11 - Boxes all over the Desktop.

Windows 95/98/XP/7 - Start Button to clean up Desktop.

Windows 8 Metro interface - Boxes all over the Desktop again.

[KDub]

If the rumors are true that Microsoft is really locking everything down and limiting to their "app store" then it won't kill it but it will grind it to a halt or slow crawl until people convert to Linux. But even that may not happen because I doubt people will jump to Win 8 right away anyway.

Personally I as well think it is ugly. I have almost nothing on my desktop, it is all organised in the start bar and folders. I don't want a touchscreen style interface all over my PC desktop.

[isiolia]

If the rumors are true that Microsoft is really locking everything down and limiting to their "app store" then it won't kill it but it will grind it to a halt or slow crawl until people convert to Linux. But even that may not happen because I doubt people will jump to Win 8 right away anyway.

They are and they aren't.

Windows 8 has one major split - the versions that run on x86 hardware, and the version that runs on ARM based hardware. The latter is known as Windows RT.

The new formerly-known-as-Metro style apps and interface are written in a new application architecture called Windows Runtime (hence the RT for the ARM version).

On the x86 version, this wil coexist alongside existing win32 API applications. You can install and run most everything Windows 7 can, albeit with some inescapable tablet-influenced elements.

The ARM version will only run Windows Runtime based applications. From a practical standpoint, this makes sense - the decades of win32 applications out there are almost all compiled for x86. Given that the ARM version exists to run on low power hardware, using a software layer to emulate things like Rosetta did for PowerPC OS X applications on Intel Macs (until Apple dropped it in 10.7) doesn't make a lot of sense.

In addition, Windows RT will be restricted to only loading software from the MS App store, just like an iPad is limited to only loading software from the Apple one. It again makes some sense, as filtering software through a storefront does allow MS to catch at least a lot of malware and stuff. Plus, nobody has Windows Runtime apps out there yet.

The direction MS is going is just kind of different. They're making a fairly unified interface for all levels of devices, and application architecture as well. On iPad-like devices, the system will be similar to what's normal there, which is the walled garden approach.

Personally I as well think it is ugly. I have almost nothing on my desktop, it is all organised in the start bar and folders. I don't want a touchscreen style interface all over my PC desktop.

The tiles aren't on the desktop. They're the Start Menu, if you will. The actual desktop is fairly similar to the one in 7, just without the translucency (in more recent versions), and without the Start button (there's a hot corner there to launch the Start screen).

It's still an annoying fusion of different UI elements at times, without much choice, but it's actually not that hard to acclimate to from 7.

[AmishSamurai]

If the rumors are true that Microsoft is really locking everything down and limiting to their "app store" then it won't kill it but it will grind it to a halt or slow crawl until people convert to Linux. But even that may not happen because I doubt people will jump to Win 8 right away anyway.

They are and they aren't.

Windows 8 has one major split - the versions that run on x86 hardware, and the version that runs on ARM based hardware. The latter is known as Windows RT.

The new formerly-known-as-Metro style apps and interface are written in a new application architecture called Windows Runtime (hence the RT for the ARM version).

On the x86 version, this wil coexist alongside existing win32 API applications. You can install and run most everything Windows 7 can, albeit with some inescapable tablet-influenced elements.

The ARM version will only run Windows Runtime based applications. From a practical standpoint, this makes sense - the decades of win32 applications out there are almost all compiled for x86. Given that the ARM version exists to run on low power hardware, using a software layer to emulate things like Rosetta did for PowerPC OS X applications on Intel Macs (until Apple dropped it in 10.7) doesn't make a lot of sense.

In addition, Windows RT will be restricted to only loading software from the MS App store, just like an iPad is limited to only loading software from the Apple one. It again makes some sense, as filtering software through a storefront does allow MS to catch at least a lot of malware and stuff. Plus, nobody has Windows Runtime apps out there yet.

The direction MS is going is just kind of different. They're making a fairly unified interface for all levels of devices, and application architecture as well. On iPad-like devices, the system will be similar to what's normal there, which is the walled garden approach.

Personally I as well think it is ugly. I have almost nothing on my desktop, it is all organised in the start bar and folders. I don't want a touchscreen style interface all over my PC desktop.

The tiles aren't on the desktop. They're the Start Menu, if you will. The actual desktop is fairly similar to the one in 7, just without the translucency (in more recent versions), and without the Start button (there's a hot corner there to launch the Start screen).

It's still an annoying fusion of different UI elements at times, without much choice, but it's actually not that hard to acclimate to from 7.

Very informative post. But going with the sentiments before, I probably won't switch from 7 for a while. I still feel like it just came out.

[MrPopo]

I wouldn't expect most of the people here to upgrade to Windows 8 when it comes out. Maybe if someone was buying/building a new computer, but not if they've been running a previous OS for a while and have everything just the way they want it. As far as I know they aren't doing another DX revision tied to Win 8 like they did with Vista, so from a gaming perspective there isn't much to sell it over 7.

[ZenErik]

I will be upgrading to Win8 ASAP because my laptop is only a few weeks old. I get a $15 upgrade to Windows 8 Professional.

[Pulsar_t]

Wait it out..

[Hazerd]

I will be upgrading to Win8 ASAP because my laptop is only a few weeks old. I get a $15 upgrade to Windows 8 Professional.

Dont do it!, youll regret it!

Had a friend who bought a Computer just before Vista came out and he got a free Vista voucher, ended up not using it and glad he didnt! now that same computer has 7 on it actually and works great for being from like 2007.

[ZenErik]

Dont do it!, youll regret it!

Had a friend who bought a Computer just before Vista came out and he got a free Vista voucher, ended up not using it and glad he didnt! now that same computer has 7 on it actually and works great for being from like 2007.

I'll do what I want to do. Not worried about. Worst case scenario is that I go back to 7 and waste a few hours. No big deal.