Peter Moore talks Vista, Games for Windows launch

Here's a letter Peter Moore wrote to us about Vista and Games for Windows...

Rebuilt from the ground up, DirectX 10 vastly improves performance, graphic fidelity, and ease of development. Many of the top game designers are already optimizing games for DirectX 10, and with the launch last November of the first DirectX 10 capable cards with Nvidia’s GeForce8800, PCs are shipping today capable of DirectX 10 gaming right out of the box.

These technologies will allow the most cutting-edge games to be within the reach of more consumers than ever before.

Only Windows Vista can deliver this experience, and with spectacular games like Crysis by Crytek and EA Partners, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Funcom/Eidos), Supreme Commander (Gas Powered Games/THQ) and an update to our own Flight Simulator X later this year, this experience will be a key reason for consumers to get Windows Vista as soon as possible.

Easier, Safer, More Connected, Fun for Everyone

One of the most remarkable features of Windows Vista is how central gaming is to the entire experience.

Right from the start menu, Windows Vista makes it easier for everyone to find and play games. No more searching for icons and files scattered around your computer – Windows Vista Games Explorer takes all your games and puts them in one place, every time you install, complete with access to community and online components for your favorite games. With Vista’s native support for Xbox 360 controllers and the ability to go wireless with the Wireless Receiver for Windows, you also have the ability to decide how you want to play your games.

Gaming on Windows Vista puts parents in control. Just like Vista gives parents the choice of what their children can access on the web, what programs they can use and what times they can use the computer, Windows Vista lets parents control what games their children can play, and when they can play them, through a simple set of family controls. Combined with support for every major game content rating system worldwide, parents will have both the knowledge and the ability to decide for themselves the level of access their children can have.

The ability to control your own gaming experiences was on full display at CES earlier this month, where we showed how we’re bringing the Xbox Live experience to Windows. We’re calling it LIVE, and it’s as simple as its name. Now, gamers on both Xbox and Windows will have one identity, one friends list, and one consistent set of experiences that will travel with them across both platforms. This year will produce a powerful first wave of LIVE-enabled games, starting with Uno, Shadowrun and Halo 2. And that’s just the beginning…

Windows Vista opens doors for more and more people to get into gaming, especially for casual gamers. Right now Microsoft casual games reach 120 million people every month, and by 2008 the annual revenue for casual games is expected to reach $1.5 billion. To meet this rapidly rising demand, Microsoft Casual Games will roll out eight Windows Vista-optimized titles in 2007 on the MSN Games website, including Luxor 2, Bliss Island, Crystal Quest, Spinword, Jewel Quest 2, 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, Darwinia, and the runaway Xbox Live Arcade hit Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.

Marketing the Platform