Windows 8 Consumer Preview Released

By Justin Pauls

Posted on February 29, 2012

While normally we don’t follow operating systems, given that PC gaming rests heavily on the Windows platform we felt it we should let you know that Microsoft has officially released the Consumer Preview of the upcoming Windows 8 platform. So you might ask, what does this have to do with gaming?

For one, the Windows 8 platform encorporates Xbox Live directly into Windows, and allowing you to access the Marketplace right from the OS. No word yet on whether there are any compatibility issues with Windows 8 and Steam, Origin, Good Old Games, and Amazon digital distribution services, but we expect that since the developer betas have been out for some time that the applications should function as expected.

If you’re interested in trying it out, be warned : this isn’t a retail release, so you might want to hold off until Windows 8 is fully supported. One of the places hosting an image is over at www.windows8beta.com, where they have many languages and versions available. You’re looking at a 3GB download though, and if you’re not comfortable in installing operating systems, we wouldn’t recommend it.

More questions about what you get with the consumer preview? CNet has a hands-on article detailing some of the benefits and changes you can expect of MS’s latest OS.

There’s a phenomenal amount of change here to discuss, but if you’re looking for a quick summary: Windows 8 is a breeze to use. It’s tricked out with social networking and synchronization, it’s robust enough to handle Photoshop, it gracefully moves from touch to keyboard and mouse, and it’s got some top-notch security.

The Windows Metro interface is here to stay. Xbox 360 has it, Windows Phones have it, and now the desktop/laptop/tablet computers have it.

Justin Pauls

Website

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, at a young age I was forced to decide whether the harsh northern winters were going to claim my fingers, or to turn to the safer pursuits of indoor activities. Little did I know that a little game called Ninja Gaiden would bring my digits more pain than frostbite ever could. Starting with Vectrex and C64 games and moving forward through the era of electronic entertainment, I sampled as much as I could in the different platforms, and began my interest in PC gaming from wrestling with DOS memory management.

While console games were a part of my earliest gaming memories and I certainly had played on most platforms including 3D0, all things Nintendo, PS1 and the like, truly the PC was my domain until the Xbox. As an old PC gamer, I ever chased the cutting edge technology. Eye of the beholder with CGA 4 colors was my first step down the the path of blowing thousands of dollars on PC upgrades over two decades. Ultima 7, with the Guardian talking to me through my monitor, still haunts my dreams and keeps me ever hoping for a decent Ultima 8 and 9. From the 3DFX SLI VooDoo2s and Aureal to today's GPU driven DirectX games, the new and shiny pictures seem to keep me going. My PC gaming has slowed down with the market shift though, and although I have choice games that will ever be on PC, I have found myself in console gaming with a bit of portable gaming in my life.

Back around the turn of the millenium (and long before fatherhood), I had fired off an email offering to help Ron with a little-known site called ConsoleGold. Little did I know it would be be a part of my life to this day. While I've seen my fair share of shovelware (thanks Ron!), I manage to try and find the fun in most games. Leaning towards sandbox and action titles, I've grown to love games for their potential to reach art. Console agnostic and excited for the progress of tomorrow, I fancy the latest and greatest, but still enjoy the good old classics ... as long as they've been revamped from their 8bit graphic roots.