Windows Experience Blog : 64-bit

Games for Windows Program Gets an Update

Brandon LeBlanc — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:58:59 GMT

In 2008, the global PC game software market reached $12.7 billion in revenue from a combination of retail sales, subscriptions, virtual item sales, advertising and digital distribution revenue according to the PC Gaming Alliance Horizons Software Report (click here to download the report). This was up 18% from 2007! PC gaming is hotter than ever!

So today we are announcing that we are revamping the Games for Windows Program. This revamp includes new technical guidelines, a self-certification option, and a set of 22 technical requirements which are designed to:

Create an easier game installation experience.
Support both 32-bit and 64-bit Platforms.
Support Ratings and Parental Controls in Windows 7
Game titles populated in the Game Explorer.
Enhanced game update notifications for game titles.
Stability, security and compatibility against commonly known issues.

The idea is to have more game developers participating with more game titles that pass a standardized set of technical requirements. Games that go through and pass these technical requirements will offer consumers a better gaming experience. Gamers can expect awesome high-quality gaming with Games of Windows titles going forward.

The new requirements for Games for Windows will also allow developers to take advantage of Windows 7 features and compatibility when Windows 7 is released on October 22^nd.

You get some of these improvements today with Games for Windows – LIVE titles. When you install the Games for Windows – LIVE 3.0 client on Windows 7, Games for Windows – LIVE is added to Game Providers in Games Explorer.

As you can see, I can receive the latest news on Games for Windows – LIVE in the right-hand pane directly within the Games Explorer in Windows 7. When I click on Street Fighter IV (which is a Games for Windows – LIVE title) I can see whether or not the game is up to date directly from Games Explorer.

You can download the Games for Windows – LIVE 3.0 client here.

I posted about many of the brand new enhancements to Games Explorer (and the gaming experience) in Windows 7 several months ago.

Starting today, the program will be available to all PC gaming developers and publishers.

Over the past few years, we have worked to improve the quality of PC gaming in Windows for consumers through the Games for Windows. We hope that the revamp of the program we are announcing today makes gaming in Windows and on a PC even better!

Giving the new Games for Windows – LIVE desktop client a spin

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:48:00 GMT

It was noticed last week that Games for Windows – LIVE now has a new desktop client. The Games for Windows – LIVE desktop client is designed to deliver free content in the Marketplace such as game demos and videos like trailers to PC gamers. The Games for Windows – LIVE client will also deliver premium downloadable content like additional maps and levels for your games that can be purchased.

Download: Games for Windows – LIVE desktop client

I figured I’d give the new client a spin and share my experience walking through the client.

To login, I used the same Windows Live ID as my Xbox Live Gamertag.

After logging in, I was presented with key gaming announcements for Games for Windows – LIVE as well as what’s new in the Marketplace, News, and Tips & Tricks. On the top left, the client has several “sections” presented sort of like tabs: Home, Marketplace, My Media, and Settings.

Under Marketplace – I was able to choose from a variety of content being offered such as game trailers like the one for the James Bond game Quantum of Solace. This is also the place where you will find premium content for games. I am also able to check my balance of Microsoft Points and recently played LIVE games. You can see I’ve played Shadowrun and Halo 2 – although it’s been a while. I could choose to view content in the Marketplace by Game title which is nice. That means I could choose a specific game and see all the content for that game in the Marketplace.

I wanted to grab some content so I decided to download the “Reveal” trailer for Quantum of Solace. I was thinking about picking this game up.

When I clicked on the Quantum of Solace “Reveal” trailer – I was taken to the download page for the trailer which allowed me to either watch the trailer directly within the client or download it in high resolution as a .wmv file. I downloaded the high resolution video which played nicely in Windows Media Player, Zune, and Windows Media Center.

NOTE: The Games for Windows – LIVE client puts all game videos under your Videos folder within your user profile in Windows Vista. The Zune software will automatically see these videos - where you can then choose to sync with your Zune device.

The video I downloaded shows up under My Media. All premium game content and videos show up here.

You can manage all downloaded content under My Media. So if I were wanting to delete some downloaded content I could do so here.

And in Settings, I was able to customize where the Games for Windows – LIVE client puts downloaded Game Demos and Game Videos. If I wanted – I could also clear all stored profiles as well.

In testing the Games for Windows – LIVE client, I used my 64-bit PC and the client functioned just fine. So you 64-bit users out there will have no problem installing and using this.

Expect to see more news happening around the release of the Games for Windows – LIVE client in the future as well as more content being delivered to the Marketplace for games under Games for Windows – LIVE.

Get in Touch with your PC Experience with the HP TouchSmart PC

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:44:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, John Obeto published a very extensive review of HP's 2nd generation TouchSmart PC. The new HP TouchSmart PCs are a follow-up to the 1st generation HP TouchSmart PCs which were released in January of 2007. The 1st generation HP TouchSmart PC was one of the first consumer PCs that took advantage of features in Windows Vista such as Windows Media Center. John's review goes from unboxing and OOBE (Out-Of-Box-Experience) to several testing scenarios. While the HP TouchSmart PC is a consumer PC - John also discusses the "unintended" use of the HP TouchSmart PC for the Small Business.

On my recent visit to Disneyland to see the Innoventions Dream Home, I was able to play around with the new 2nd generation HP TouchSmart PC courtesy of HP. At the Innoventions Dream Home, today there is a mixture of 1st generation and 2nd generation HP TouchSmart PCs. HP hopes to replace all the 1st generation HP TouchSmart PCs with the new 2nd generation TouchSmart PCs at the Innoventions Dream Home in the coming months.

So what is the HP TouchSmart PC exactly? It is an all-in-one PC with a 22 inch widescreen display that has built in touch capabilities. That means you can essentially touch the screen and utilize applications that take advantage of the built in touch features. HP ships a suite of TouchSmart applications that take advantage of touch but more about this in just a bit.

The new HP TouchSmart PC ships with the following specs (complete list of details specs are listed here in this PDF):

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5850 (2.16GHz)
Chipset: Intel GM965 Express Chipset
Memory: 4GB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM SATA
Optical Drive: Slot-load SuperMulti DVD Burner
Video Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9300 M GS HD with 256MB Dedicated Video Memory
Network: 10/100/1000 BaseT network interface
Wireless Connectivity: Integrated Bluetooth / Wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n) with built-in WLAN antenna
Audio: Integrated High Definition Audio with High-performance 2.0 Speakers
TV Tuner: Dual-format NTSC or over-the-air ATSC High-Definition TV Tuner
Remote Control: HP Media Center Remote control with IR (infrared) Receiver
External Memory Port: 5-in-1 memory card reader

You'll notice the system ships with 4GB of RAM. Because of this - the HP TouchSmart PC also ships with Windows Vista Home Premium x64 to take advantage of the full amount of memory. The HP TouchSmart PC also ships with Windows Vista SP1 installed as well.

There are 2 models of the HP TouchSmart PC today: the IQ504t and IQ506t. The biggest difference between the two models is that the IQ506t is the model that ships with the TV Tuner built in.

The design of the 2nd generation HP TouchSmart PC is quite a bit different than the 1st generation. The main PC is a much sleeker design. HP describes the design as a "sleek piano black design with elegant espresso side-panel highlights". The unit also comes with a HP Ambient Light that allows users to see their keyboard in the dark. The keyboard is also conveniently able to be tucked under the unit when needed as well which is nice especially if you would like more room.

While the design of this all-in-one PC is impressive, equally impressive is the HP TouchSmart Suite that ships with it. The TouchSmart Suite consists of the following applications:

HP TouchSmart Music
HP TouchSmart Video
HP TouchSmart Photo
HP TouchSmart RSS Feeds
HP TouchSmart Browser
HP TouchSmart Calendar
HP TouchSmart Notes

These applications take full advantage of the touch capabilities of the HP TouchSmart PC. Navigate through your RSS feeds with the touch of a finger. Go through your calendars by simply touching the screen. Play music, view photos, watch videos - all by touching the screen. In using these applications you can see that HP has invested a great deal in touch capabilities for this PC - which is very exciting. In my own experience trying these applications out myself - I found everything responds elegantly to the move of my finger on the screen. No lag, not hiccups what so ever. It was certainly a "wow" moment for me. If this PC was sitting in your kitchen or living room, to use it all you would need to do is walk up to it and touch the screen - no keyboard necessary.

Side-note: I'd like to note because this PC ships with Windows Vista Home Premium x64 - the TouchSmart Suite of applications work fully under 64-bit.

HP has invested quite a bit in touch technology for the PC. The HP TouchSmart PC is a culmination of 25 years of HP touch technology design and development. HP first brought a PC with touch technology to the market in 1983 with the introduction of the HP 150 PC.

For more details on the HP TouchSmart PC - check out HP's TouchSmart Website at www.hp.com/go/touchsmart. There you can view a demo of the HP TouchSmart PC's impressive capabilities. You may have also seen their ad on TV as well. If you want to check out the HP TouchSmart PC out yourself in person - the HP TouchSmart PCs can be seen in a variety of stores such as Best Buy, Fry's, and Circuit City. You can also see them, as mentioned above, at the Innoventions Dream Home at Disneyland.

Nikon RAW Codec on Windows Vista x64

Brandon LeBlanc — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:07:00 GMT

A few weeks ago I discovered Nikon had released a new version of their Nikon RAW Codec for download - Version 1.4.0. This new version adds support for Windows Vista SP1. The Nikon RAW Codec is for users shooting in the RAW photo format with Nikon cameras to view Nikon's RAW .NEF files in using Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Download: Nikon RAW Codec Version 1.4.0

I discovered a hidden "gem" with this new release however. It runs on PCs running 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. Apparently, this version of Nikon's RAW Codec takes advantage of Windows Vista's built in 32-bit emulation feature called WOW64. I've got it installed on my Windows Vista 64-bit PC and am able to import and view RAW images (.NEF files) off my Nikon D40 into Windows Live Photo Gallery and view them just fine. I've confirmed this works with a few friends of mine who also use Nikon cameras and running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista.

If you shoot photos with a Nikon digital camera, use the RAW file format and run a 64-bit version of Windows Vista - definitely give this version of the Nikon RAW Codec a try. It worked for me, I'm hoping it works for you!

Try Out and Help Test Windows Home Server Power Pack 1

Brandon LeBlanc — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:13:00 GMT

Today, the Windows Home Server Team has announced the availability of the Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 Release Candidate for download on Microsoft Connect. You can read Charlie Kindel's post announcing today's release on the Windows Home Server Team Blog.

Microsoft Connect: Windows Home Server

Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server contains numerous bug fixes - including the data corruption issue - as well as many new enhancements to Windows Home Server many users will enjoy:

Support for PCs running Windows Vista x64 editions
Backup of Windows Home Server Shared Folders
Easier, enhanced remote access capabilities
Better energy efficiency
Improved performance
Chinese and Japanese versions

I'm currently running the Power Pack 1 Release Candidate on my HP MediaSmart Server and enjoying new functionality Power Pack 1 adds to my Windows Home Server. I recently added several harddrives putting my storage at 1.1TB. Having more storage allows me to utilize Folder Duplication for my Shared Folders. I also have 1 drive setup specifically for backups of my Shared Folders. I utilize my Shared Folders for quite a bit of data storage so I really appreciate having this functionality to ensure the data is safe (on top of Folder Duplication). Having more storage also lets me store my CompletePC Backups from my Windows Vista PCs on my Windows Home Server as well - but I will talk more about this in a later blog post. I am also enjoying the ability to backup my PCs to my Windows Home Server running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 with the Windows Home Server Connector that now runs on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista. On top of data storage and backups, I utilize my Windows Home Server for remote access when traveling as well.

Your testing of the Windows Home Server Power Pack 1 Release Candidate is very important to the Windows Home Server Team. They will not ship the final release of Power Pack 1 until the community validates their work in Power Pack 1.

Remember - Power Pack 1 is a Release Candidate and is not the final version - essentially it's a beta. If you choose to run the Release Candidate on your main Windows Home Server (aka your "production" Windows Home Server) you should make a backup of everything prior to installing the Power Pack 1 Release Candidate.

To leave feedback for the Windows Home Server Team - you can head on over to the public Windows Home Server Forums. Make sure you file any bugs you find with Power Pack 1 on Microsoft Connect.

Putting together the “Ultimate” PC

Brandon LeBlanc — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:44:00 GMT

This weekend, I decided to "evaluate" all my PC's on my home network. My main Desktop PC wasn't performing like I wanted it to and was running a combination of new and old hardware. I had a Test / Work PC running a combination of new and old hardware as well. My Test / Work PC was also running x64 which was something I wanted to move to on my main Desktop PC for quite some time now (I like being on the "bleeding edge"). So I decided to take the best parts of my main Desktop PC and my Test / Work PC and combine them together to create the "Ultimate" Desktop PC for myself. I was pretty satisfied with the results.

Here are the specs of what I ended up with:

Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4600
Motherboard - ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe
Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
Memory - 4GB
Keyboard / Mouse - Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000
Monitor - Dual 24-inch Dell UltraSharp 2407 Flat Panel Displays
Storage: 160GB Maxtor Harddrive, 160GB Western Digital Harddrive, 320 Western Digital Harddrive

I am also now officially running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 which can now take full advantage of running with 4GB of RAM. And in case I want more RAM, my PC is ready to "bring it on". I've heard some amazing stories with the power of x64 from my friend (and Featured Community) Carlos Echenique from PlanetAMD6 and am happy to join the x64 "club".

Windows Vista ships with a great way for users to tell just how "good" their PC is - called the Windows Experience Index. Nick actually did an in-depth blog post on the Windows Experience Index which is worth taking a look at if you haven't already. Here is the Windows Experience Index for my new Desktop PC I built this weekend:

Based on this score, you can see where I would need to improve my PC to boost my Windows Experience Index score up. If I replaced my current AMD processor with a higher end model, I could easily make this PC have a Windows Experience Index a 5.6 or higher.

I really had fun putting the new PC together this weekend and now have a fantastically "Ultimate" Windows Vista PC.

I've also put together a new page on the Windows Experience Blog for all the hardware I use. This page details all the PCs I use, my printer, my mobile PC's and everything else. If you're interested in knowing just exactly what I've got set up, check it out.

What do you think of my new PC? What do you think it needs to be even better? I'd love to hear from you on adding to this Ultimate PC. And if you've got an Ultimate PC of your own - let me know the specs!