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Windows 8 / RT |OT|

N

Nero3000

Member
Windu said:
just got some updates for the music and games applications.

these seem like the biggest changes at first glance. Windows Game Section is different and the now playing section is different.
Click to expand...

Been playing with the music application:

- New now playing screen and snap state.
- It includes the Xbox music cloud, unfortunately the documentation of how this feature works is non-existant.

Will continue playing with it.

Also the Video app has been update: The timeline for the video is now lower.
 
G

Gaspode_T

Member
Jetpack Joyride is out, and it is free...playing with a huge screen is awesome

No one on high score list is kind of sad:
http://t.co/zmq9z9vA

I have a full XBL friends list...hopefully I will see at least one or two names pop up next week :p
 
Y

Ydahs

Member
It's been two weeks since switching to Windows 8 on my laptop and now the Windows 7 on my desktop feels outdated.

Besides driver issues, Windows 8 is a much better experience. Loads quicker, runs smoother, looks nicer.

The new start menu, once gotten used to, is much better. It's quicker to search for files and the new settings search is a lot more comprehensive. Win+Q, Win+F, Win+W and Win+X are all I really need.
 
S

strata8

Member
Just updated the Xbox Music app - holy shit! On a fresh install all the albums I'd bought in the Zune store appeared in my music collection as streaming albums, with the option to download them. More than I could ever have hoped for.

I noticed that you can also stream any song you want, for free. How does this work?

yn-neko hates a cat said:
Have you tried your controller? Do you have one?
Click to expand...

Only a wireless controller, and no receiver for it.

SeanR1221 said:
I thought all W8 games on the market had touch and keyboard controls?
Click to expand...

I thought so too, but apparently not. It's not like I can't play it, as you literally just hold down a single button, but I'd have preferred to use the space bar or something. The mouse scroll wheel works so it's bizarre that something as simple as the keyboard doesn't.
 
Y

yn-neko hates a cat

Banned
SeanR1221 said:
I thought all W8 games on the market had touch and keyboard controls?
Click to expand...

I can see how touch and mouse can be guaranteed since you can abstract those two devices but keyboard I imagine is left up to the developer to add. It still sucks though :(

I wonder if they show input types supported/required in the marketplace.

brotkasten said:
Xbox Music pass is free for Windows 8 users. At least the first 6 months are.
Click to expand...

Is it like 8 hours a month after that unless you switch to paid subscription?
 
G

Ghost

Chili Con Carnage!
I was looking through the library the other night it seems pretty comprehensive for current stuff but I noticed a few holes in back catalogues.

Also I was disappointed to see all the related artists stuff is gone (or I couldn't see it anyway), that was a really cool feature in Zune for finding new stuff.
 
S

strata8

Member
Ghost said:
Also I was disappointed to see all the related artists stuff is gone (or I couldn't see it anyway), that was a really cool feature in Zune for finding new stuff.
Click to expand...

Not 100% certain but I think I saw it on the far right of the 'Explore artist' page.
 
S

stktt

Banned
I don't see how offering multitasking is a negative here when it wasn't mentioned on their iOS and Android reviews, but an 8.8 is hard to argue with.
 
T

Tuck

Member
Hm. Not sure if I would have gone so high. Maybe an 8 (Heh..). Lack of Windowed Metro apps is a shame, and the OS is clearly not designed for mice, though it is generally serviceable. Lack of Metro apps is a fair complaint but only for the first little while. I don't see it being a problem for long. My complaints mainly center around the desktop, honestly.
 
Y

yn-neko hates a cat

Banned
My problem with the app availability comment is that it's one that shouldn't be brought against a new OS. It's like reviewing a multiplayer game before its release and complaining there aren't enough people to play with.

The "there's no Windows on metro apps" is a silly one since this wasn't an unintentional omission. It goes down to the very essences of the OS and affects things like resource management, power savings and development principles. To dismiss all the benefits of it and go "well, I still wanted it anyways so no" is petty.

Whatever, I saw it coming.
 
T

Tuck

Member
yn-neko hates a cat said:
My problem with the app availability comment is that it's one that shouldn't be brought against a new OS. It's like reviewing a multiplayer game before its release and complaining there aren't enough people to play with.
The "there's no Windows on metro apps" is a silly one since this wasn't an unintentional omission. It goes down to the very essences of the OS and affects things like resource management, power savings and development principles. To dismiss all the benefits of it and go "well, I still wanted it anyways so no" is petty.

Whatever, I saw it coming.
Click to expand...

1 -
He's stating negatives of the OS. The OS lacks apps. That's a negative.

Windows 8 is late. Its competitors are ahead. Saying Windows 8 is behind them in some areas, like apps, is not surprising, but it absolutely deserves to be said.

But again, I doubt it will be a problem for long. They already have some big name apps. I wonder when/if Google will release Windows 8 apps.

2 -
And as for the "No Windowed Metro apps" - that is not silly at all. Just because that's how they chose to do it does not mean that it was a good decision. Doesn't matter if there are 50 reasons why they chose to do it this way (Resource management, power savings, development principles). He's evaluating the user experience, not the engineering. Running Metro apps on a 25" monitor is dumb as fuck (I know this from experience). Again, his complaint is 100% valid.
 
Y

yn-neko hates a cat

Banned
maeh2k said:
Probably subconscious programming by the Windows 8 launch trailer.

"10.. 9.. 8.. 8.. 8.."
Click to expand...

They will probably swear this wasn't intentional and I like Tom so I'll take it at face value but damn if that doesn't look like suspicious. It's some of the negatives (CONS) he lists that really bugs me.
 
V

venne

Member
the verge said:
Picking up a tablet PC with Windows 8 makes an iPad feel immediately out of date.
Click to expand...

Curious to see if Apple has anything today, iOS related, to remedy their monotasking paradigm.
 
Y

yn-neko hates a cat

Banned
Tuck said:
He's stating negatives of the OS. The OS lacks apps. That's a negative.

Windows 8 is late. Its competitors are ahead. Saying Windows 8 is behind them in some areas, like apps, is not surprising, but it absolutely deserves to be said.

But again, I doubt it will be a problem for long. They already have some big name apps. I wonder when/if Google will release Windows 8 apps.
Click to expand...

Google just released a search client for windows 8 (note: not for RT).

I still think it's too soon to make the Apps call but people are trying to beat each other’s review out the door and it's silly to take this into account since it's such an unknown. It's launching with an app ecosystem that has more apps than other platforms at their launch for sure but your point about it being late only marks the fact that it's being reviewed against expectations before its launch. The marketplace isn't even fully online for goodness sakes!

Metro on a 50" is looking fucking sweet:
tv1.jpg

tv2.jpg
Click to expand...
 
T

Totakeke

Member
Completely new ecosystem vs. new devices? Even with the might of Apple I wouldn't be so sure.



On The Verge's review, I think the fact that Win8 managed to get a 8.8 score out of them speaks volumes. They're aren't exactly logical with the review scores that they give out and an 8.8 means they like it a fair bit.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
Totakeke said:
On The Verge's review, I think the fact that Win8 managed to get a 8.8 score out of them speaks volumes. They're aren't exactly logical with the review scores that they give out and an 8.8 means they like it a fair bit.
Click to expand...

It was written by Tom Warren, former owner of WinRumors and their "Microsoft guy", as Topolsky once said. It's really the best thing that could've happened on that site.
 
V

venne

Member
Totakeke said:
Completely new ecosystem vs. new devices? Even with the might of Apple I wouldn't be so sure.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they should have done it all at once in the fall with the new iPhone. Apple is diluting their impact by doing too many events.

Plus, these aren't revolutionary devices they're announcing. Smaller tablet and better laptop/desktop (post-pc indeed) aren't OMG worthy to any but the most fervent Apple zealot.

8 looks like the hot shit right now, in spite of the best efforts of detractors.
 
S

scently

Member
There is something I don't understand about Xbox SmartGlass app. If I have a video on my system, can I stream it to the Xbox regardless of the console's ability to play such format?
 
W

Windu

never heard about the cat, apparently
i believe the new xbox update is supposed to support dlna, so the play to option on windows should work as well.
 
I

infinityBCRT

Member
scently said:
There is something I don't understand about Xbox SmartGlass app. If I have a video on my system, can I stream it to the Xbox regardless of the console's ability to play such format?
Click to expand...

As far as I know smartglass is two things.

A) A fancy touch driven remote control
B) Additional Menus/Info for Certain Games/Apps

It doesn't add mirroring (ala Airplay) or improve the existing Streaming capabilities of the Xbox AFAIK.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
yn-neko hates a cat said:
Jzero clears it all up for you in the OP.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I read that...but:


  • Windows 8 (Full Version) - $99.99
  • Windows 8 Professional System Builder (Full Version) - $139.99
  • Windows 8 Pro Pack (Turns Windows 8 into Window 8 Pro) - $69.99
Click to expand...

None of these options match up to Windows 8 Pro (Full Version) I listed. It says it was originally $199.99 (which isn't listed in the OP), but is down to $69.99 (which matches the Win 8 Pro Pack, but that's an upgrade). Is this the same as the Windows 8 Pro System Builder, just a lot cheaper?
 
M

MedIC86

Member
So im pretty intruiged in buying W8, but are the general things supported already ? typical drivers (nvidia) and steam etc? or does a lot still dont work?

i dont how viable it is to upgrade already.
 
Y

yn-neko hates a cat

Banned
Anton Sugar said:
Yeah, I read that...but:



None of these options match up to Windows 8 Pro (Full Version) I listed. It says it was originally $199.99 (which isn't listed in the OP), but is down to $69.99 (which matches the Win 8 Pro Pack, but that's an upgrade). Is this the same as the Windows 8 Pro System Builder, just a lot cheaper?
Click to expand...

You may have seen a time-llimited offer or something. I did see a similar offer here but it's the standard version.

EDIT: Your link definitely sounds like the better deal.
 
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