There have been a few minor gems since the iPhone 3G arrived and Steve Jobs made his bold claim, but the Boing Boing Gadgets crew seem rather taken with action/strategy title Galcon.

The game is a conversion of the desktop title for Windows, OSX and Linux and offers fast-paced Risk-like gameplay with an emphasis on short-burst battles - just the thing for a quick bus journey but with solid enough strategy element to keep you coming back.

The game costs just $5 (compared to $20 for the desktop incarnation) and there is a 'Lite' version available as a free demo through the App Store.

A few hours with Galcon, the first killer game for iPhone [BB Gadgets]

"The person who is savvy enough to want to have a good PC to upgrade their video card, is a person who is savvy enough to know [BitTorrent] to know all the elements so they can pirate software," says Bleszinski. "Therefore, high-end videogames are suffering very much on the PC."

Hmph! Thanks a lot, assholes. Oh, not you, Cliff. We were talking to the dude stealing your game.

Gears Of War 2 - Cliff Bleszinski Q&A [TVG]

The whole thing is time limited and may very well not be offered in the country of your choosing. For the lucky bargain hunters, have at it.

Rockstar Games [Steam]

• OS: Windows Vista, XP or 2000
• CPU: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 or AMD64X2 (or higher)
• RAM: 1 GB for XP / 2GB for Vista
• DISC DRIVE: DVD-ROM Drive
• HARD DRIVE: At least 7.5 GB of free space
• VIDEO: Direct X 9 compatible video card (Video card must be 256 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for pixel shader 2.0)
• SOUND: Direct X9.0c compatible sound card

Time for an upgrade! That, or coming to terms with playing the Xbox 360 version. *shudder*

Left 4 Dead Official System Requirements [HalfLife2.net Forums via Shacknews]

Windows 7 M3 Build 6780: Pictures and Videos(soon) [thinknext, via Shacknews]

Any armchair Karl Roves might be tempted by a freebie version of the game, The Political Machine Express'08, which offers all the thrills and spills of the full game's 21-week election campaign, less a couple of extra features (such as running historical campaigns or trying to become president of an alien world)

We thought the 2004 edition relied a little too much on issues and rational thought - cynics and realists will be pleased to learn that the '08 version incorporates spin doctors, smear merchants and political intimidation.

The Political Machine Express '08[Stardock]

What we saw, a Rockstar controlled run through of the memorable "Three Leaf Clover" mission, looked exactly how we remember it, just much, much sharper. Higher resolution textures, crisp anti-aliasing, better streaming and higher draw distances will certainly appeal to the graphics whore in you.

If not, GTA IV for PC's higher multiplayer cap and game searching filters might. The PC port's other big bullet point, the replay recorder and editor, wasn't on display, but will definitely make for memorable machinima.

In short, it looked damn good, if more than familiar, on a 50" plasma screen at one notch below max resolution.

Ben There, Dan That follows the adventures of programmer Dan Marshall and his reanimated zombie flatmate, Ben. What starts out as a simple hunt for a TV aerial to facilitate viewing of Magnum: PI turns into a multidimensional quest for a missing Yin-Yang.

If you don't mind some fairly primitive graphics, enjoy in-jokes about retro gaming and think you can stomach what Zombie Cow themselves describe as "the odd dabble of mild racism" (Eh? Careful with the irony guns, guys, that stuff can get everywhere) then BTDT is available for the low, low price of free - although Zombie Cow would certainly not object if you wanted to chuck a donation their way.

Ben There, Dan That [Zombie Cow]

"And I kind of look at it and say to myself, and I think similarly to Rob, is that it would be great if they put more emphasis on the Windows operating system, certainly probably the most prominent operating system in the world. Even more so than console boxes.

And they own and operate that system, so having them put more energy and effort against it – and they would say that they are, but I think that there’s more that can be done.

Sams told Gamasutra it makes sense to him that Microsoft is currently putting so much energy on the console, as it's their "gaming bread and butter."

Blizzard's Sams: Microsoft Should Put More Emphasis On PC Gaming [Gamasutra]

Penny Arcade Adventures [Xbox.com]

The article raises a number of interesting points — how the temptation of playing Solitaire at the workplace, for example, might have trained an older generation of computer-illiterates to use the mouse well, to minimize windows and swap between applications quickly (like you do when the boss is coming).

Among other things, what does it mean to the game industry that Solitaire is the most-played PC game of all time? If we're talking metrics, then that means that almost everybody is a PC gamer, right? And how might the gaming landscape have changed if every Windows PC came bundled not with Solitaire and Minesweeper, but a platformer or a point-and-click adventure?

Solitaire-y Confinement [Slate, Via Rock Paper Shotgun]

Wait, what?

Buried in the last few paragraphs of the press release, Funcom...well I suppose it still counts as revealing despite being buried at the bottom...Funcom reveals that the DX10 version of the game needs more work, and will now be premiered at Games Convention in Leipzig this August. The extra time will be used to add in new features and focus on "building a DirectX 10 version worthy of Microsoft's great vision for the future of PC gaming". We'll be looking forward to that then. Hit the jump for the full press release. Remember to scroll all the way down.

Age of Conan Collector's Edition Completely Sold Out

- Historical pre-order and ship-in numbers for 2008's most anticipated MMO - - Early access offer oversubscribed � First review of game gives a 9 out of 10

Durham, USA - May 19, 2008 - Funcom is proud to announce that the Collector's Edition of Age of Conan is now completely sold out in all markets. The exclusive edition was announced in January, and has since topped retail charts at numerous retailers. In some markets, the Collector's Edition has been sold out for weeks, and as a result additional boxes were made. These are also sold out, and the total print run stands at 111.000 units. Lucky customers may still find some copies on retail shelves, but no re-orders are available.

Additional retail figures for the standard edition of Age of Conan are also highly impressive. In total, Funcom is shipping around 700.000 copies of Age of Conan on day one. This impressive figure for a PC game is powered by equally impressive pre-order numbers. As a result of the tremendous interest and recent order increase, Funcom has not been able to fulfill all orders of Age of Conan in several markets due to current server capacity limitations. Extra orders of servers are now in place to facilitate for handling of more customers.

"Everyone in Funcom is delighted and humbled with the historical pre-order numbers for Age of Conan. If the information we have is correct, they represent the highest pre-order number for any global launch of an original PC game, ever, including the original World of Warcraft launch," said Morten Larssen, Funcom's VP of Sales & Marketing.

More than one million unique visitors visited the Age of Conan websites last week, and as a result of the great interest in the game, Funcom's early access offer was swiftly oversubscribed. The three day early access program was a limited offer reserved for pre-order customers. While Funcom scaled the servers above anticipation, player demand surpassed expectations. As the Early Access servers launched last night, the servers and game held up exceptionally well. As the game launches properly later this week, Funcom expects additional large numbers of customers to enter the game.

All the positive signals are naturally not equal to eventual success, but early indications from the press points out that the game boasts unique qualities. The very first review for the game gives it a 9 out of 10 score from Game Reactor, the Nordic regions largest gaming magazine.

While Funcom is thrilled with the early success of Age of Conan, and proud of the game launching this week, the company regrets to inform gamers that the DirectX 10 version of the game will not ship with the initial launch. As Microsoft's DirectX 10 is undoubtedly the future of PC gaming, Funcom has decided to ship only the DirectX 9 version at launch, giving the team more time to focus on building a DirectX 10 version worthy of Microsoft's great vision for the future of PC gaming. This postponement will let Funcom include even more features in the DirectX 10 version of Age of Conan than originally planned.

The DirectX 10 version will be premiered at the German Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, August 20 - 24, 2008. A special preview showing off the advanced graphics made possible by DirectX 10 technology will be unveiled this summer at nVidia's NVISION event in San Jose, California, August 25 - 27, 2008.

Age of Conan launches 20th of May in North America / Oceania and 23rd of May in Europe. More information about the game can be found on www.ageofconan.com

As you recall, there's no PlayStation Network version because PSN doesn't support Torque, with which the game is built. Full fact sheet follows the jump.

GAME FACT SHEET

Summary

Format: Xbox LIVE® Arcade
Download for Windows, Macintosh, Linux
Publisher: Hothead Games
Developer: Hothead Games
Release Date: May 21, 2008
Category: RPG-Adventure
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Website: www.rainslick.com

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is an RPG-Adventure game set in the comic-book-meets-pulp-horror-meets-H.P. Lovecraft deranged 1920s universe of New Arcadia, delivering mature and compelling entertainment to gamers via accessible episodic delivery. The creative collaboration between Penny Arcade creators Mike 'Gabe' Krahulik and Jerry 'Tycho' Holkins, legendary game designer Ron Gilbert and veteran producers Hothead Games results in a 100% authentic Penny Arcade experience that pushes bizarre characters, outrageous combat, and adult humor to the precipices of darkness.

Players join Gabe and Tycho, the crime-solving team of the Startling Developments Detective Agency, to combat savage enemies and solve mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia. The ominous 1920s landscape features distinct artwork and characters designed exclusively by Krahulik and brought to life by the Hothead team.

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness © 2008 Hothead Games, Inc. Penny Arcade, the Penny Arcade logo, and the Penny Arcade Adventures logo are trademarks of Penny Arcade, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hothead, the Hothead Games logo, and the On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness logo are trademarks of Hothead Games, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.
Episodic Game Play

Each episode of On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness brings the Startling Developments detective team closer to discovering the sinister and bizarre mystery of New Arcadia, and truly takes advantage of the episodic genre by integrating features like

• The ability to carry over character, stats, abilities, inventory and look across all episodes
• A complete experience available in 5-10 hours of game play per episode
• A price point of $19.95 (or 1600 Microsoft points), offering tremendous value that fits into the modern gamer's busy schedule
• Pick-up-and-play capabilities from any episode, allowing players enjoyment without the need to play previous installments

Key Game Features

• Create-a-Player System lets you design and develop your own character, seeing it come to life in 3D and in the comic-style 2D cut scenes
• Dynamic turn-based combat system, over-the-top animations, and team-up moves during enemy battles
• Classic adventure game play combines with RPG elements to unravel the game's mysteries and puzzles
• Authentic Penny Arcade story and dialogue written exclusively by Jerry Holkins
• Includes Gabe, Tycho, Annarchy, the Fruit F*cker and many other favorite Penny Arcade characters, plus new characters designed by Mike Krahulik

But the Web site B3TA tracked down Mr. Cherry and, by all appearances, got a legit Q&A with him. A bunch of their commenters sent in questions and according to the article, Cherry got back to them about a year later. The big question, would he play ball with this kind of an interview? Oh yes, he did.

Q: Exactly how much time and money has been wasted globally as a result of office workers playing Solitaire? A: There was a global recession in 1991/1992, just after Solitaire was released. Thank you very much. Oh, and you can't have your time back.

Q: Is there a way to change the speed of the card trail thing at the end? I've found it at different speeds on different OS'.
A: Yes, upgrade to a IBM 286 running at 16mHz. That should slow it down right good. Or install Norton Antivirus. I'll leave it to Mr. Moore and his law to make things faster.

Q: Why didn't you call it Patience in the English version?
A: Because I speak English, and I call it Solitaire.

Interviews: Wes Cherry [B3TA]

The same holds true for Direct2Drive and Ubisoft's own digital store, should you shun Valve's service. It's bad form, we think, but if you're flustered by the lack of Assassin's Creed on your Windows machine, we'd definitely suggest getting in touch with Ubisoft to voice your concerns about the matter.

ExtremeTech took a long, hard look at the improvements, not just on the file and operations side, but those that appeal to PC gamers. In addition to the requisite 3DMark and PCMark benchmarks, performance reviews against Company of Heroes, Supreme Command and Crysis provide insight. The good news? It's faster, with the exception of Crysis, which suffers under certain circumstances.

Bar chart heaven awaits upgraders at ExtremeTech.

Vista Shootout: Hotfixes Vs. SP1 [ExtremeTech]

Demigod Revealed [1UP]

Please note the picture above is from the Xbox Live Arcade version, Lumines Live.

ESRB Game Ratings

WiiPC [WiiPC]

After some trial and error, he was eventually able to host a Halloween Halo 3 LAN party at his house with ten Xbox 360s all run through his cell phone's internet connection. I don't pretend to understand all the technical aspects of this amazing feat, so if you wish to learn more, go check out D15AV0W3D's explanation with a little how to guide so you can do this yourself. Ah, the marvels of the modern age...

HowTo: Play on XBOX Live thru your Windows Mobile cell phone [The Hushed Casket]

If you want to dual-wield some chrome hand cannons and get the most out of your rendered dove flocks on PC, your box is gonna need, at a minimum:

• 
  
• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Vista
  
• CPU: Dual Core Processor
  
• RAM: 2 GB RAM
  
• Video: Nvidia 7800 or higher / ATI x1300 or higher
  
• Disk space: 15 GB
  

System requirements for PC? [Midway Forums via NeoGAF]

Prices range from $1199 to $2299 with LCD screens running from 20" to 24". For the record, the lowest end iMac in the new configuration just meets the minimum specs for BioShock. Interested gamers with thousands of dollars and Mac gaming on their minds should probably look somewhere in the mid-range. And, yes, you can use a two-button mouse, for Christ's sake.

This concludes my Apple Computers viral marketing broadcast. (Buy a Mac.)

iMac - Technology [Apple]

You'd think movie execs would be on a Minesweeper film adaptation like they would cocaine on a Hollywood hooker's ass, but it took the artistic renegades from College Humor to finally tap into drama of the PC logic game that has been detonating productivity for decades. Even Windows anti-fans should appreciate this one.

Thanks for the tip, Luc!

If that's not exactly what you were looking for, you can still wait for the the upcoming Nintendo DS and Wii versions, Geometry Wars: Galaxies, or simply hold out hope for a Gizmondo version. Or you can choose to stew in the comments and bitch about Windows Vista, Steam or some other source of frustration. Michael McWhertor

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved [Steampowered]

BIZARRE CREATIONS DEBUTS GEOMETRY WARS: RETRO EVOLVED FOR WINDOWS XP ON STEAM

PC gamers can now play the hit arcade shooter via Steam for just $2.50

Liverpool, UK, June 18, 2007 - Bizarre Creations and Valve today announce the worldwide debut of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved for Windows XP on Steam, Valve's leading online platform for the distribution and management of PC games. This multiple award-winning game is available to PC gamers via Steam for an introductory price of $2.50. Starting June 22, the game will be priced at $3.95.

The debut of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved for Windows XP delivers a pixel-perfect recreation of the game that has captured the attention and acclaim of console gamers and critics alike. The game is an old school style shooter remixed for the 21st century with next generation graphics and deep, modern gameplay that is easy to pick up and hard to put down.

"With over 13 million active accounts, Steam is the ideal platform for launching Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved for Windows XP," said Martyn Chudley, Creative Director at Bizarre Creations. "We hope to continue the success of Geometry Wars by introducing its award-winning gameplay to one of gaming's largest communities."

"Geometry Wars has opened a new category in gaming with its blend of classic and innovative gameplay," said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. "The addition of this title to Steam's growing catalog of casual and arcade-style games is a milestone in our efforts to expand the content and services offered to gamers around the world."

For more information about Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved and Steam, please visit www.steamgames.com

About Bizarre Creations
Bizarre Creations is an independent developer, based in Liverpool, UK. Established in 1994, the company is famed for such high profile franchises as Formula 1, Fur Fighters, Geometry Wars, Project Gotham Racing, and The Club. Bizarre prides itself on providing high-quality next-generation gaming experiences that excel in gameplay, graphics, audio and technology. Find them on the web at www.bizarrecreations.com.

About Steam
Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of games and digital content, and has pioneered its broadband services to over 13 million customers with core and casual games from today's leading publishers and developers.

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

Vista has sold twice as much as XP did when it was first launched, but I don't recall Microsoft making as much of a stink about XP either.

"We are encouraged to see such a positive consumer response to Windows Vista right out of the gate," said Bill Veghte, corporate vice president of the Windows business group at Microsoft.

Windows Vista sales top 20m [GamesIndustry.biz]

So what's the issue? Despite claimed heavy testing from Microsoft, Computerworld's sources claim problems may be related to "still-flaky software drivers, Vista's complexity and a dearth of new video cards optimized for Vista's new rendering technology, DirectX 10." Worse? According to CW, Nvidia execs say gamers "may not routinely see games optimized for DirectX 10 until mid-2008" making upgrades more questionable.

Early adopter beware. Michael McWhertor

Vista not playing nice with gamers [Computerworld]

Planning on getting a second or third mortgage to beef up your Windows box up to Crysis playable levels? You may want to read on. Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli told industry pub Next-Gen that gamers with older gaming PCs can still get their Crysis on, despite having a three year old set up.

So how does the current prettiest first person shooter plan to scale down to my current ghetto DirectX 9 hardware specs?

Fortunately this is much easier now that we can rely on the existence of hardware shaders. We believe clearly that Crysis will be enjoyed by a large audience that dates back to gamers with two- to three-year-old gaming rigs.

Yerli does warn though that you shouldn't spoil yourself on the DX10 version of the game, then try to go back to the decidely less gorgeous DX9 lest ye covet thy neighbor's graphics card. In other words, what you don't know won't hurt you.

Read on for the company's plans to move exclusively to Vista, but don't expect to find a release date. Yerli only gives us "asap". The wait doesn't bother me. I'll need to come across a few stray Benjamins before I'm signing up for Crysis. Michael McWhertor

Crytek: Crysis Will Run on 2-3 y.o. Rigs [Next-Gen]

Many PC gamers around the world are struggling right now with the question, "Should I upgrade to Vista?" Some of us went ahead and took the plunge, experiencing only minor issues (my World of Warcraft framerate certainly took a noticeable hit), but many PC gamers only play one or two games at any given time, making judging overall performance a hit or miss affair.

Enter Jason Cross at Extreme Tech.

Jason has followed up an excellent article on how games worked during Vista Beta 2 with an exhaustive look at Vista performance at launch, in which he tests around 25 games across all genres, from FPS to MMO. He praises Vista's handling of onboard sound, points out Steam problems and missing Games Explorer icons, discusses issues with new or completely missing drivers...basically he covers all the concern PC gamers might have about upgrading to Vista at this early stage. A must read for anyone considering taking the plunge. Michael Fahey

Will Vista Run Your Games: The Final Word [ExtremeTech]

Yup, it's THE IDOLM@STER mashed with Windows. From an English description on the clip's YouTube page:

TOSIAKI(Hero) He is their master. me(green) Personification of Windowsme.She is blundering and freezing at once. 2k(blue and glasses) Personification of Windows2000.She is a honor student.She have no affability,but she loves TOSIAKI. XP(black and long hair) Personification of WindowsXP.She is excellent and a little meddlesome. She loves TOSIAKI. 95(Kimono and Japanese sword) Personification of Windows95. Eldest daughter of OS family. A violent fight with the Apple was unfolded. Because she has already retired from the active service, it is ignorant of recent information.

And there you have it: A singing OS-tan blowout! Brian Ashcraft

The best part about a list like this one? Most of the games, in the nature of PC gaming, are wicked cheap acquisitions if snagged via eBay. Most contain dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of gameplay.

Sure, one could argue that it relies heavily on two PC-centric genres (first person shooters like Half-Life and real-time strategy games like Civ IV), but we're trying to keep it on the positive tip. Consider this a hater free post! Michael McWhertor

Generation XP: Top 20 Games of the Last Generation [VE3D]

Unfortunately, Bill doesn't wax much on video gaming, but Jon Stewart cracks enough jokes about internet porn and guessing Gates' log in and password to keep us interested. Michael McWhertor

Bill Gates was on hand at the British Library's special Windows Vista launch event earlier today to tell all the pretty British peoples about his pretty new operating system. He spoke about the history of the Windows operating system, from its beginning 24 years ago as a DOS extending operating environment that borrowed heavily from Apple, to today's standalone multimedia powerhouse that borrows heavily from Apple.

"Now, in Windows Vista, we have the foundation to take things to a whole new level... It's about the digital workstyle and the digital lifestyle, and the number of things that will be revolutionised on top of the Windows Vista platform is quite large."

Oh my god. Mark Wilson spent Saturday night in New York trying to convince me to buy a Mac laptop...I think he infected me! The bastard! There's only one thing for me to do. I've got Vista waiting on my computer desk at home, ready to revolutionize the way I play games. Slowly. Michael Fahey

Gates provides wow factor at Vista launch [GamesIndustry.biz]

I received a sorta odd press release last night from Wild Tangent. In it they claim that Vista, which launched today, is "still breaking even some of Microsoft's own games on Zone.com, not to mention smaller web-based casual games across the web."

Alex St. John says that fortunately his company, Wild Tangent, spent the last year working to make sure that wouldn't happen with their games, which are 100 percent Vista compatible.

Hmmm, seems like an attempt to grab some facetime with new Vista gamers. I have the system loaded up on my super computer, so I'll be checking out his claims in a bit. Hit the jump to read the full release, that came with the subject line: Vista is Breaking Games. Brian Crecente

Microsoft Vista Failing 70 Million Online Gamers and Developers

WildTangent offers a 100% Windows Vista-Ready Games Console to Ensure Casual Gamers Have a Positive Gaming Experience

REDMOND, WA - January 29th, 2006 - As Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows Vista launches, the new operating system is breaking online games and disrupting gameplay, not only its own games on MSN but also at RealArcade (NASDAQ: RNWK), Yahoo Games (NASDAQ: YHOO) and AOL Games (NYSE: TWX). WildTangent offers the only 100% compatible gaming solutions with the WildTangent Vista Ready Console available for free download at WildTangent.com giving gamers access to over 300 popular gaming titles. Vista's incompatibility with most downloadable casual games, including those on Microsoft's own gaming portal demonstrates the enormous challenges facing many small game developers with getting their games to work with the new OS.

Alex St. John, CEO and co-Founder of WildTangent, and one of the principal creators of Microsoft's DirectX technology believes that Microsoft has gone overboard in making Vista so secure that the security restrictions have broken most online games. "WildTangent has spent the last year preparing for Vista. We worked with nearly every major casual game developer to get their games tested and compatible with Vista in our network in anticipation of these problems," said Alex St. John.

Gamers can download a free fully compatible Vista-ready games console at www.wildtangent.com and continue to play games regardless of which operating system they are running. The WildTangent games console will also ship on 25 million new Vista-ready PCs and laptops from Dell, Toshiba, HP and Gateway in 2007 ensuring that popular online games will be available and work on Vista PCs purchased from these OEMs.

In addition to breaking existing games, the security restrictions of the new operating system will rely heavily on ESRB (Electronic Software Ratings Board) ratings to block children from accessing inappropriate games. St. John believes that this represents an additional hurdle for the smaller games developers since most of these games are family appropriate but lack expensive ESRB ratings. "Parents who choose to use Vista's parental controls are likely to accidentally block access to hundreds of very popular family friendly games that happen not to have ESRB ratings." WildTangent's new Vista-ready console includes a parental control solution that ensures parental control over downloaded content without blocking access to family appropriate content that happens to lack an ESRB rating.

In the interest of full disclosure and satisfying my curiosity, let's see what's inside!

Uh oh. Vista mouse pad? I'm scared to look further.

Huh. Not too bad. That's not a copy of Vista, mind you, merely a Windows Vista Launch Kit CD. But that is a full retail copy of the crtically acclaimed Company of Heroes. Score! Plus, there's a 2GB Sandisk pen drive, a Vista branded pen drive of unspecified capacity, a Belkin Easy Transfer Cable and two cards for free Office Live Basics. That last one is going right in the trash!

At least I'll have plenty of storage space.

Oh, by the way, another pen drive was just brought to my hotel room, courtesy of AMD. These things are worthless! Michael McWhertor

At the Microsoft booth in Central Hall, a slew of games are available, from Rail Simulator to Luxor 2, every taste is accounted for. Okay, that was uncalled for. There was Halo 2, which, as you recall, is exclusive to the Windows Vista operating system. Despite being a port of a two year old game, it still drew plenty of curious gamers.

I waited about fifteen minutes for my chance to compete in a few rounds of Halo 2 multiplayer. The game was straight up deathmatch on the map Sanctuary from the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack. The option to play with the Xbox 360 controller or mouse and keyboard were both available, so I opted for the latter to see how my Halo skills held up sans controller.

Visually, the game looks unimpressive. The models, textures and level architecture don't smack of a 2007 PC first-person shooter release. The game's frame rate was surprisingly shaky, but controls were solid. Despite my preference for mouse and keyboard controls, it felt a little strange to play the game this way.

Gameplay-wise, it's the same Halo 2 multiplayer gamers have logged millions of hours with on Xbox Live, just in higher resolution. After playing Shadowrun, another Vista only Windows game, the Halo 2 gameplay feels very meat and potatoes. Just a bit too straightforward for me at this point. I think I'll be passing on this port, but those of you who haven't tired yet of the Xbox version should at least take a look. Michael McWhertor

Market intelligence experts IDC have released a report detailing their projections for Windows Vista uptake among business and personal computers for the coming year. Not surprisingly, home users are expected to make up the bulk of Windows Vista users, with 90% of new computers shipping with the shiny new OS. The corporate world, being understandably wary of adopting new software too early, are predicted to have a much lower uptake rate of 35%. My day job still loads Windows 2000 on new PCs, so I don't expect to see Vista here anytime soon.

Note that these are projections for new computer users and not upgrades, which are expected to be much, much lower. I'd be interested to see the projected adoption rate among gamers, a market Microsoft is furiously pursuing with the lure of Vista-only games like Halo 2.

I'm sitting on the fence. I can certainly see the potential of Vista, but ever since I worked computer phone support during the Windows 95 launch, new operating systems make me twitch uncontrollably.

Full press release after the jump.

Windows Vista: First-Year Consumer Uptake Projected to Surpass Enterprise Uptake, According to IDC
Wednesday November 29, 8:00 am ET

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—The forthcoming launch of Microsoft's Windows Vista family of client operating environments will quickly have an impact on the makeup of the worldwide client operating environment market. With calendar year 2007 deployments of Windows Vista projected at 90 million units, IDC believes Windows Vista will quickly displace the majority of shipments of older Windows client operating systems, led by strong acceptance on the consumer front.

During calendar year 2007, Windows Vista Home products are projected to account for 90% of new Windows client operating environments deployed by home users. By comparison, Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Enterprise will account for 35% of the new Windows client operating environments deployed by business users. During the second full year of availability, Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Enterprise will grow to account for 80% of new deployments.

"After a long wait, the adoption of Windows Vista will take place almost immediately among consumers, while businesses will follow a decidedly more conservative adoption curve," says Al Gillen, research vice president, System Software at IDC. "Across the product mix, IDC expects to see a healthy movement toward Windows Vista Home Premium, while Windows Vista Ultimate will remain a niche product for some time to come."

During 2007, IDC expects that Windows Vista Home Basic will account for 67% of consumer purchases, with Windows Home Premium capturing 30% of the consumer acquisitions. Windows Vista Ultimate will account for 2% of the worldwide shipments. The balance of Windows Vista consumer shipments are home deployments of Windows Vista Business.

On the business front, 82% of Windows Vista deployments are expected to be the Business edition, while the remaining 18% will be Windows Vista Enterprise.

Through 2010, IDC forecasts Windows client operating environments to experience a 2005-2010 CAGR of 8.2%, leading to a total in excess of 200,000 annual shipments of Windows COEs in 2010.

The IDC study, Worldwide Windows Client Operating Environments 2006-2010 Forecast: Vista Expands Windows COE Market Opportunities But Won't Accelerate Growth (Doc #203733), reviews the performance of the Windows client operating environment (COE) market during 2005 and provides a forecast through 2010 for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home, and Windows XP Professional, as well as full-detail forecasts for Windows Vista client products.

To purchase this document, call IDC's Sales hotline at 508-988-7988 or email sales@idc.com.

About IDC

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. Over 850 IDC analysts in 50 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends. For more than 42 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

—--

Michael Fahey

If you've got a Windows based PC, some time on your hands, and either $200 of spending money or an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player, you can watch your HD-DVD's on your PC.

You won't need much, just a handful of drivers and your HD-DVD software player of choice, both of which you should download at your own risk. Sorry, Mac users (hey, that's me!), but while OSX recognizes the drive easily, the kids over at Uneasy Silence couldn't point us to a software player yet.

Not a bad deal, considering current prices for HD-DVD players are hovering around $500 right now. Thanks for the tip, Joshua. Michael McWhertor

Hacking the XBox 360's HD-DVD for the PC

PixelProject [Flickr, via Waxy]

Microsoft is going with a strange small, hard , plastic container for Windows Vista. The stacking unfriendly container is going to also be used for other Microsoft productivity software as well. I wonder why they didn't go with the Games for Windows design? That seems like that would make more sense. Brian Crecente

Microsoft Packaging for Vista and Office 2007 Revealed [Gizmodo]

UPDATE: the18thletter wins with his sugestion to hold alt during boot, and select the mac partition! Congratulations, and special mention goes to Dan for the mouse button force eject.

Last night, after receiving a review copy of Sam & Max Episode One, I attempted to install Windows XP on my MacBook Pro. Boot camp did its thang, I created a ten gig partition and stuck my XP disk in and hit OK. The Book restarted itself, booting into Windows Setup. It crooned, Hit ENTER to continue. I did so, dutifully.

Nothing.

Okay, that wasn't really Enter, it was Return (silly Mac keyboards), so here's Enter.

Nothing. F3, ESC and aklfhsfgrjkeghksdjhfk;dh likewise.

Fine, have it your way. I reboot. Right back into Windows Setup. I reboot while holding down various reboot modifiers (X, shift, command-option-shift-f, etc. etc. etc.). No dice. I drove all the way to godless, christpunching Auburn, Washington to their hideous "SuperMall" because it was the closest open Wal-Mart. I purchased a USB keyboard and drove back home at four in the morning. Windows Setup everywhere I turn, thus exhausting my technical knowledge of this subject.

This is where you come in. Let's review, for the TL;DR crowd:

• Boot Camp successfully created a 10-gig partition
• Boot Camp rebooted the machine with the XP setup disc in the drive, thus booting to Windows Setup
• This is an old copy of Windows XP Home
• This disc probably does not have Service Pack 2 on it, which Boot Camp said it requires
• My copy of OSX is up to date
• Windows Setup is not responding to keyboard input of any kind
• Using a USB keyboard doesn't work, either
• Mac no longer has a manual ejection hole, where formerly one was able to jam a paper clip and eject a stubborn disc
• I don't think I've actually lost any data, since nothing has been installed/formatted/deleted yet. So OSX is presumably still in one piece, on the other partition

The first person to give me a working solution (and isn't a dick about it) will get an original, full-color digital illustration of themselves in a top hat, fending off a swarm of giant hornets. Or, instead of a top hat, a very pretty tiara. Your call. Eliza "oh god help me" Gauger

MISSIVES FROM THE FRONT LINES:
- Thanks, Dan. holding mouse button while booting successfully force ejected the Windows XP CD. Now the Book can't find a bootable disk, period. I assume this means it's blind to the OSX partition. Next step is switching in a newer XP disc to see if the Service Pack thing is the problem.