When Valve Co-Founder Gabe Newell came out to say he thinks that Windows 8 is a “catastrophe” most gamers didn’t even bat an eye. Not only has Newell been known to make broad generalizations about exciting new pieces of software, he usually ends up eating his words. Case in point, Portal 2‘s partnership with the Sony and the PlayStation 3.
Nonetheless his claims about the direction Windows 8 is headed, and his contingency plan for using Linux as an alternate form of computer gaming, had some people talking. In fact, Blizzard, developers behind most of the more popular PC titles in the past decade – among them World of Warcraft, StarCraft 2, and most recently Diablo 3 – has come out to say they agree with Newell’s sentiments.
While Blizzard’s statement, which comes from Blizzard Executive VP Rob Pardo, aren’t nearly as harsh as Newell’s, he does echo the sense of doom and gloom painted by the Valve head’s claim. Specifically, Pardo tweeted Newell’s comment, and added that Windows 8 is “not awesome for Blizzard either.” This could mean that while Blizzard doesn’t have the same problems with Windows 8 that Valve does, they still think it could use some work.
Unfortunately, like Newell, Pardo wasn’t willing to comment further, refusing to back up his complaints with concrete examples. At least, he didn’t go on to tell us about futuristic computers that we will be operating with our tongue.
This can’t possibly be good for Microsoft, who we assume were hoping to use the Windows 8 platform as the basis for integration across all their devices, including the next Xbox. Obviously, the most direct problem is with PC gaming, but if Windows 8 can find a way to placate the PC developers that remain, hopefully we won’t see more of these types of statements. For now, though, it’s interesting to consider that, for once, Newell isn’t the only one trash talking a widely regarded platform.
Does Blizzard’s EVP reaffirming Newell’s comments make you feel like there could be something to this Windows 8 hate? Are there any Windows 8 users out there who can vouch for or against their claims?
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While Left 4 Dead was okish… neither have produced games that make me want to play them. Guess they have to blame someone for their future failures.
So basically what you’re saying is that because neither Valve nor Blizzard make games that YOU like they’re trying to blame someone else for failing YOU. Just so you know, your opinion really isn’t that important. Considering that both companies have been enjoying amazing success people like you aren’t a crowd they need to worry about.
Back when Newell said the PS3 was a piece of crap he was right at the time. I WAS horrible.
Sony got better though, especially improved the PSN. It’s a more open system now than Xbox Live arcade.
Newell saw that and changed his mind for logical reasons.
Not being set in your ways isn’t a sign of weakness.
I think Windows 8 will be delishush. I love the layout of the windows phone and then Microsoft is going to put that OS all across PC, tablets and gaming systems. It will be very smooth and consistent.
did you mean delicious?
Can’t believe I actually just heard someone say “delishus” lmao. I think he’s probably 11 years old or something so I understand.
Did anyone play everquest and remember Jeff Kaplan (Tigole) & Rob Pardo’s guild Legacy of Steel ? Their webpage was popular in part due to tigoles very crude front pages which made fun of the game and often gave end game gear to npc’s to piss people off.
ive got to agree. to me it just looks like change for the sake of change. why abandon a layout that people have been using for everything even on mac os and linux. and a layout we have been using since windows 3.1 technically. i just dont think its such a good idea. we will most likely adapt and get used to it but ive just got to ask why?
That’s how I feel about next-gen consoles. I just don’t see what they will bring to the table besides better graphics.
More power. I hate to think that you’re one of those morons who think that Processing Power = Graphical Power. With more processing power, it increases every aspect that can go into a game, and everything can be much more complex.
I was generalizing. But I still don’t think more processing power is enough, either. I mean, what’ll that add? Bigger multiplayer matches? More enemies/NPCs on screen? Bigger worlds? While cool, none of those things warrant a new console generation.
Actually they do warrant it because you can’t go any further with what is currently on the market. This console generation already lasted longer than any other as far as I know. The 360 will have been on the market twice as long as the original Xbox was before being replaced by the latest model if the new one does launch in 2013 like some have speculated. It certainly won’t be any earlier than that.
So you’ve enjoyed a lengthy console lifespan. Time to move on. The people who make these games are getting frustrated because they want to move on to bigger things but they are being held back by underpowered consoles. Their only choice after too long will be to abandon consoles and develop exclusively for PCs. The big three don’t want that and cross-platform developers don’t want that. It would be bad business for both.
So why don’t developers develop PC-only games right now? If they’re getting frustrated because they want to move on to bigger things, why don’t they switch to PC and immediately begin doing bigger things? Also, I don’t see abig difference between console games and, apparently, “bigger and better” PC games. What makes PC games so much different from console games? The only thing I’ve noticed is that consoles don’t have many MMOs or f2p games, while those games make up about half the market of PC-only games. So, next-gen consoles will have sh*t ton of MMOs and f2p games as well? Is that really a good thing? I don’t think it is, as I love games that have great SP, as do most other gamers.
better graphics, more accurate and precise controls, better performance, cheaper games, over all better quality when it is PC only…….need i continue?
A few of them have Matt but most of them have been holding out because they don’t want to invest in something unless they can get huge returns off of it being multi-platform. They want to push forward but they also want the big money too.
Whether you like it or not the industry is going to move forward as it always has. It has always been a tug of war between hardware companies wanting to milk the product and software companies wanting to move on. In the end, software wins because software is what brings the players to the consoles. Be happy that you had a console cycle that lasted this long.
PC’s are the bar for videogames. They provide the highest framerates, the best visuals, the strongest online structure for large amounts of players in the same playspace, and the most precise controls for most gametypes.
Consoles actually don’t really lack in FPS games. They typically lack in MMOs and RTS games. “So, next-gen consoles will have sh*t ton of MMOs and f2p games as well? Is that really a good thing? I don’t think it is, as I love games that have great SP, as do most other gamers.”… I don’t really know where you came to this question/conclusion but I suspect you’re not actually thinking here. Bringing out a new cycle of console hardware is NOT about making them capable of running MMOs or games that are seen as the realm of PC gaming. The point is that, shocking as it may seem to you, games other than what you think PCs are about exist on PCs too. Games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Dead Space, BioShock, Borderlands, Darksiders, The Elder Scrolls, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Battlefield… all of them found on both PCs and consoles, all but one of them with a significant single player aspect and most are actually single player only, and they are all different gametypes or different styles of the same type.
The more complicated games become the more power under the hood is needed to create those experiences. Unless you’re still playing an old Atari system like it’s still the 80′s (and if you are I would ask why you’re even on this website in the first place) then you’ve already bought into the idea that consoles need to be replaced for bigger and better things. Why you would be choosing now to be against it is beyond me. If you don’t like it then stick with whatever system you have now and don’t move on with the rest of us.
My bad on the mention of FPS games. I misread your “f2p”. It’s been a long day. My other statements surrounding your points still stand.
What’s this with PC having “more accurate and precise controls?” My PS3 responds to my controller’s inputs right away. Games’ control schemes are usually intuitive, and many games allow you to change the button layouts.
“Bringing out a new cycle of console hardware is NOT about making them capable of running MMOs or games that are seen as the realm of PC gaming.”
But everybody’s saying that more power equals way better games. PC games seem to only use their power for bigger mutiplayer matches. So if everybody’s so excited for higher-powered consoles, doesn’t that mean that they are mainly excited for bigger multiplayer matches? The only thing I know of that will change with having more power is less lag and stuttering in multiplayer. So why would people who like good SP modes be excited for SP modes on next-gen consoles outside of graphics? Okay, I left out faster Internet speeds as a reason of people to be excited about higher-powered consoles. Because we all use our consoles and not our computers to surf the Web.
“The point is that, shocking as it may seem to you, games other than what you think PCs are about exist on PCs too. Games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Dead Space, BioShock, Borderlands, Darksiders, The Elder Scrolls, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Battlefield…”
I know that. I’m not dumb. And don’t come back with some witty retort to that statement.
The PC has more accurate and precise controls thanks to the mouse which is far superior for aiming and interacting with items or menus along with the multitude of keyboard buttons that allow for a quicker selection of abilities or features. Your PS3 controller is very limited in what it can allow and how precise it can be. Infact, PC players having an automatic access to superior controls for games like First Person Shooters has been one of the biggest reasons why players have been outspoken against the idea of console and PC players sharing an online experience.
PCs do not simply use their extra power for bigger multiplayer matches. Additional power allows the PCs to field more NPCs, have more things happening at once, allows the games to run at 60fps or better whereas consoles have to max out at 30 on highend games (Killzones 2 and 3 come to mind) and they often dip below that when many things are going on, and PC game visuals are pretty much always better than their console versions.
The greater the power under the hood of a console the more it can do. It could perform physics calculations that it couldn’t before. It could perform lighting effects that it couldn’t before. It can calculate and perform longer and more detailed scripts and interactions between NPCs and player characters. It can now do more things on screen that an underpowered console couldn’t do. I really don’t know how I can explain this to you. You seem determined to not listen. I really feel like I’m arguing with a child who is sticking his fingers in his ears and yelling, “lah lah lah I can’t hear you!”. Think of how different the Nintendo was from the Super Nintendo. Then from the Super Nintendo to the Playstation. Then from the Playstation to the Xbox. From the Xbox to the Playstation 3. If the only thing you notice are better visuals then you’re not paying attention to the details beyond them.
As far as you not being dumb well sorry dude but when you make it sound like single player games will be left out in the cold by bumping consoles up to PC standards and beyond I really felt like I needed to remind you that PC games come in single player flavors as well and that your precious single player games are not going to suddenly be in danger. You really need to get over this apparent fixation you have with PCs being about multiplayer and how more power in a console means developers are just going to load you down with MMOs. You can relax on that.
At this point if you don’t get it then I really don’t know how else to tell you. Bottomline here is the industry is moving forward again. The cycle is happening again. A cycle that has happened for a few decades now. Things are going to get bigger and more complex. So, more power is needed. If you really don’t understand why more power is needed then go talk to someone who knows all about the techspeak and what it means to games. A forum for that kind of thing even. If you still don’t understand and/or don’t like it then tough. Stick with your PS3 and enjoy yourself.
I still don’t buy that. Controllers can look around and aim just fine. With a mouse, you’re moving it in different directions. With a controller, you’re moving the analog sticks in different place (but they stay in place). I actually prefer using dual analog sticks over moving my mouse half a foot in every direction. This brings up another problem of mine: mouse pads are small. If you want to look around in one direction, you have to stop at the point where your mouse reaches the edge of your mouse pad, pick it up, and put it back on the mouse pad. With a conotrller, you can keep turning for however long you want. Maybe there are gaming mouse pads that are huge?
“I was generalizing. But I still don’t think more processing power is enough, either. I mean, what’ll that add? Bigger multiplayer matches? More enemies/NPCs on screen? Bigger worlds? While cool, none of those things warrant a new console generation.”
That was my fourth comment in this thread. I already knew that more power would allow for more things to place at once. But I don’t think that’s even a big deal. What, do you wanna fight against 1000 enemies at once? I’m fine with 30. I guess I’ll be glad for more NPCs in open-world games, but that’s the only category that will benefit from having more NPCs. Same with bigger worlds. I just feel like the next generation of consoles won’t be a time of innovation as compared to other generations. It won’t be a huge leap to the PS4 and Xbox 720. It’s a small jump. Those consoles won’t be innovative, but they will be improved over what we have now. That’s the main theme of next-gen consoles in my opinion: improvement, not innovation. As you can probably tell, I’d rather have an innovative next-generation of consoles. Improving a few aspects of what games can do, but not to a revolutionary point, just isn’t enough for me.
They haven’t. Win8 has the Desktop under the Metro interface. There isa “Go To Desktop” button on the Metro interface. Has ANYONE complaining about M$ dropping the desktop done more than look at pics? There’s are videos on youtube that show the PC version of Win8 and the desktop access. Some of the videos are as short as 5 minutes and show that the metro interface just sits on top of the desktop until you “dismiss it”
Unfortunately no. Not many people complaining like babies about the new interface have done anything more than look at some screens of it. They have done no reading on the fact that the typical desktop interface still very much exists. They see the Metro interface, assume that’s what Win8 is, and then like pretty much every moron with access to the internet surfs around screaming their uninformed opinions and causing more stupidity to spread like a disease.
Aye, the new layout looks like a dumbed down mess aimed at marketing things to you from your desktop.
BINGO! thats what i was thinking too.