So says Microsoft's VP of the Interactive Entertainment Business for the EMEA region, Chris Lewis, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz about the future of PC gaming.

"Windows 7 will be great for games, undoubtedly," he said. "It's all good news - it's even more robust, it's quicker relatively, and the early testing cycles are proving very promising overall.

"I think it'll be nothing but good news for PC gamers, but we'll have more to say on that later on this year"

Great news for nervous gamers everywhere, until you think about it. I mean, they wouldn't come out and say it wasn't good for games, would they?

Personally I've had few problems with things running in the beta version of Windows 7. I do miss Vista, if only because on Windows Vista you knew where you stood - hip-deep in mud. Yes, we'll call it mud, for the sake of the children.

Windows 7 will be "great for games" [GamesIndustry.biz]

Covering both the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game, PC players need only log in for some multiplayer action between noon Pacific on Friday, December 5th to 11:59pm on Friday the 12th to reap the benefits of their more expensive edition. On the Xbox 360, players will need to make sure they completely activated their copy of the LE, and will have to play in specially marked "Officer's Club" playlists.

All this, and a replica flask that doesn't open. Way to go, LE buyers!

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]

Rob Williams over at Techgage has been running Windows XP and Windows Vista through their gaming paces, comparing performance between the old clunky operating system and the shiny new powerhouse. The results? There seems to be something to say for clunky and familiar.

Testing games running on identical systems between two different operating systems, Windows XP performed better in most games, with only a slightly higher frame rate in Quake IV. 3D mark scores gave XP a slight lead as well. While the tests were performed using a release build alongside the newly released NVIDIA Vista drivers, it really doesn't look like gamers should rush out to upgrade any time soon. Hit the full article on Techgage for Rob's methodology and conclusions. Michael Fahey

Windows Vista Gaming Performance Reports [Techgage, via ActionTrip]

This week's quote-machine John Carmack has already voiced his opinion on the PS3 and Nintendo. And he doesn't stop there. Oh, no, in that long Game Informer sitdown, Carmack dishes up his feelings on Microsoft's Vista, saying:

Nothing is going to help a new game by going to a new operating system. There were some clear wins going from Windows 95 to Windows XP for games, but there really aren't any for Vista... They're really grasping at straws for reasons to upgrade the operating system. I suspect I could run XP for a great many more years without having a problem with it.

That sure's blunt. Can't wait for Carmack impressions on the iPhone, cold feet and moldy oranges! Brian Ashcraft

Vista... Meh [Games Industry]

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.

All this newfangled full-body gaming has me a little worried about the upcoming heart attack epidemic. I intend to play Red Steel until I keel over from sheer awesome, and I'm sure not a few fanboys will suffer Twilight Princess-related "fishing accidents".

It comes as no surprise that Nike is wiggling their way deeper into this possibly damning fruit. They've registered a new patent for game-friendly shoe-related peripherals that will communicate with your PC or console, turning real miles clocked in your tennies into valuable in-game cash and prizes.

According to the patent, the game-pod could be configured to measure heart rate or even blood oxygen content, thereby foiling potential dodges such as driving your trainers around in a car.

No partnerships with developers have yet been announced, but all I can think about is that old NES Power Pad you were supposed to jog on, but that everyone just put on the floor and slapped with their hands. Eliza Gauger

Nike game-pod forces gamers off butts [Computer and Video Games]

David Morgenstern goes on and on about how wonderful Apple is and how they did this with Mac OS X. I'm not Apple fan, but it sounds like a good idea, or at least something that Microsoft should make as an option. But we know that won't be happening. Brian Crecente

Vista Transition: Microsoft Should Take a Lesson from Apple [eWeek]

Whether it's pulling weeds or slaughtering murlocs, she is all about the zen-like trance of the process of gaming, and in light of those who are willing to pay to avoid the actual game in order to obtain the endgame, I think she may have an enviable outlook.

But the point wasn't really to eradicate every weed...it was to engage in an activity that felt at once mindless and productive, something that gave me bite-sized victories and could be stopped and restarted easily when toddlers demanded my attention. I could talk on the phone while I did this, or chat with neighbors. I could be social, but I was safe from emails on my computer and laundry in my basement.

Now we have a lawn service, so there are no creeping weeds in our lawn. That's okay, though, because I've got World of Warcraft.

I've got my main up to 60 already, as do the people I play with, but this little reverie of hers inspires me to not look at bumping up my sad little hunter alt as such a chore. Motivational gameblogging, how about that. Eliza Gauger

In Praise of the Grind [Terra Nova]

This will be cool the first time you use it; after that, you won't be able to headbutt the keyboard fast enough to turn the damn thing off. Or at least that was my experience when I tested out the Mega Man Effect, a Windows/OS X accessory that plays the Mega Man fanfare and shows a scrolling screen of stars every time you launch an app.

This isn't useable unless you're willing to sit through a thirty second shrill, grating mp3 that will make you want to pluck the teeth out of your head with your thumbs every time you launch an app. But worth a one-off experiment and a grin? You betcha. Courtesy of Destructoid. Florian Eckhardt

MegaMan Effect for Windows
MegaMan Effect for OS X