Vista, a cause for all PC gamers to cheer?

Microsoft launched their Vista last week here.

And, Digital Life labeled said that it will give PC gamers a cause to cheer.

...

Seriously?

Taking someone a quote right out from someone who knows the Gaming Industry, Jeff "CJayC" Veasey, who operates and had once owned (He sold it to CNet, but still has the sole usage of it), "Vista will be the death of PC gaming."

And I agree.

Let's go back a bit for a history of PC gaming. Back in the late 90s, PC gaming was rampant, peaking in the years 2000 and 2001 where LAN gaming was so common, there are Lan shops opening right beside each other.

Of course, back then, everyone is still on their 56k dialup modems. PC gaming then, enabled people to play with other humans, instead of some random robot on the PC. It also added a lot of replay value to games. Even with the release of PlayStation 2, PC games had never suffered any true setbacks.

Until now.

Or well, a few years ago, when Microsoft launched its Halo.

In the past, some games are known to be "Console" games while some will be designated as "PC" games. The former include RPGs and Driving simulators. The latter would be Real-Time Strategy (RTS) and First Person shooter (FPS) games. In fact, PC gaming was so common, RPGs, a game associated with Consoles back to the days of the Nintendo Super Famicom, moved into the PC market (Final Fantasy VII and VIII) to get a slice of the pie.

But no further.

Halo was one of the first true FPS games you can really play on the console. In the past, console FPS games bombed so badly, it isn't even funny to see great companies losing such money. The reason is simply because a controller cannot defeat a mouse, period. In fact, reviews of Rainbow 6: Rogue Spear, named "Game of the Year" by many magazines for the PC version, was a testimony to how bad a controller is when compared to a mouse because by the time you turned around with a controller, you're dead (Rainbow 6: Rogue Spear uses a very famous "One shot, one kill" style.)

Yet, recently, many FPS games are created for the consoles, and then ported over to PC, instead of being the other way around, or even, PC exclusive. The results are crap such as Rainbow 6: Lock down, which did well for the Game Cube, but was a joke in the PC because of it's difficulty. Even some semi-shooting games such as Grand Theft Auto was seriously too easy at times in the PC version.

Unfortunately, we PC gamers won't really see a change. With Unreal Tournament 2007 being renamed as Unreal Tournament 3 because of it's eventual ports over to the PS3 and Xbox360, and many other true PC only games defecting to the consoles (Rainbow 6: Vegas. Oh, how far you have fallen, one of my favourite series...), we are, truly, witnessing an extinction of PC gaming.

And no, Vista is not going to do anything to help it.

Reason?

DirectX 10.

DirectX, an important visual component, which many games design their games on, will become more and more standard as the games begin to develop. With many recent games already going "Only Pixel Shader Model 3.0" (Which means any graphic cards which are roughly 2 years old won't run it), people will be forced to upgrade their computers if they are ever going to want to play games which are beginning to produce more and more eye-candy, but really not much in-game content which could ever justify their ever growing requirement for size.

Also, it's worthy to note that the cards themselves don't come cheap, at least, for now. The Nivida 8800 is so going to cost over $700 according to the HardwareZone Singapore price guide (Which means it will be more down in Sim Lim).

Note that while, for now, one can play DirectX10 enabled games out of the box with DirectX9.x cards, how long, before we see an extinction of DirectX9 cards? As I've mentioned, Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Las Vegas, only supports cards which has Pixel Shader 3.0. DirectX10 allows Pixel Shader 4.0, and it will only be a matter of time before it too, gets chucked aside.

Of course, one can upgrade, and by the time Pixel Shader 3.0 becomes extinct, DirectX10 cards will become much cheaper.

But it isn't just a case of buying a card.

It has now become a case of buying an entire new Windows (Over $700 for Ultimate. Basic edition is really really "basic" to a point where you should just stick with XP).

Moreover, why buy a card when it could become extinct within mere weeks? New cards and hardware just keep coming out, and new cards are all PCI express, which will require a PCI-Express motherboard, a SATA-2 Hard Drive, and a DDR2 RAMs and so on.

It's like buying a new computer.

Of course, people will say that upgrading your computer can help you watch HDTV movies, listen to music, and whatever illegal activities which is commonly associated with file-sharing these days.

But, the issue here is, PC games will die.

Of course, some games such as RTS and MMORPGs will keep the PC games alive, just as Super Mario, Pokemon and Donkey Kong kept Nintendo alive while Microsoft and Sony were battling out (Note that Wii is said to have outsold PS3 in some areas. Not that I'm surprised...).

However, as consoles have sacked one of the PC gamers' haven of FPS, there's no telling when MMORPGs and RTS can be played on consoles. After all, one clear edge of PC games, multiplay-ability, has been broken down with the introduction of internet to consoles, such as Microsoft Live service.

Good bye, PC gaming. That piece of brick will soon be turned into one which will, even more, be associated with pirated activities, or plotting graphs, something it was made to be done in the first place.

---

Song of (Whatever) changed to A Happy Life by Hayashibara Megumi, Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight's Opening Theme.

This song by itself, is very meaningful. I've placed it's lyrics and my guesslation below. However, Hayashibara Megumi still sounds like she's 20 even though she's 40. I still have her Sharman King OP/EDs, which are still one of my favourite songs of all time.

Yes, she's 40, and one of the most, if the THE most, famous VAs around. She has slowed down some after giving birth to her daughter, but still regularly voices Haibara in the long running Detective Conan series.

The anime itself is one of the better ones in this very weak Winter season. It shows what a student council is supposed to do.

Actually bond students together.

One should not join the student council/union for the sole reason of getting CCA points or furthering one's political ambitions!

Moreover, this anime actually shows that the council people actually working together, and not creating all those goddamned groups. Also, the teachers ARE actually HELPING the student council, not heaping shit on them at every turn.

Unfortunately, there's a reason why it's called an anime. >_>

Oh well.

---

A Happy Life (Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight Opening Theme)
By: Hayashibara Megumi

Translator's note: This is a song, and I do not claim to have perfect knowledge of Japanese. I will get something wrong here.

ほら　振り向いても　もういないよ
チャンスなんてね　そんなものだと
あおられても　動けない時だってあるの

そうこれも全て君のために言うことだよ
でもゴメンネ　納得しないこと
簡単にはうなずけない

嘘でその場をうまくやりすごしても　きっとくやむから
過去も未来ももちるん今も　全て背負うの自分だもの悩もう

もう出ておいでよ
閉じ込もってるその背中に　声かけても
すぐは無理だね　私にもおぼえはある

やさしちの意味はむずかしい
いいと思い　かけた言葉
思いがけず　傷つけることがあるかも

でもあきらあないで話しかけたい　言葉にがいても
だって何度も思い知ってる　誰も一人では生きてないよ　いつも

なぜ　大なことは一度に来る
選ぱなくちゃ　どちらがいい　どちらもいい
あなたなら　ちあどうする

あとでわかるよ　全ての意味が　今はわからなくても
苦しみも幸せも秘密も　だから　なげないで抱きしめていこう　ずっと
It’s my life　だから！

hora furimui te mo moui nai yo
chansu nante ne sonna mono da to
aora re te mo ugoke nai toki datte aru no

sou kore mo subete kimi no tame ni iu koto da yo
demo gomenne nattoku shi nai koto
kantan ni wa unazuke nai

uso de sono ba o umaku yarisugoshi te mo kitto kuyamu kara
kako mo mirai mo mochirun ima mo subete seou no jibun da mono nayamou

mou de te oi de yo
tojikomotteru sono senaka ni koe kake te mo
sugu wa muri da ne watashi ni mo oboe wa aru

ya sa shi sano imi wamuzukashii
ii to omoi kake ta kotoba
omoigake zu kizutsukeru koto ga aru kamo

demo akira anai de hanashikake tai kotoba nigai te mo
datte nan do mo omoishitteru dare mo hito de wa ikite nai yo itsumo

naze dai na koto wa ichi do ni kuru
sen banakucha dochira ga ii dochira mo ii
anata nara saa dou suru

ato de wakaru yo subete no imi ga ima wa wakara naku te mo
kurushimi mo shiawase mo himitsu mo da kara nage nai de dakishime te ikou zutto
It’s my life da kara!


Hey, it’s time to look back.
Because the chance to do so has not passed. No matter what happens,
There’s a time to stop.

That’s right, all these words are for you.
But, I’m sorry.
The parts which I do not understand, I can only nod and say yes.

By using lies to slide past, I’ll only regret it later.
Unable to surpass the present, or the future, I am only betraying myself.

It’s time to come forth.
By closing yourself, you are merely backing away from the voice which is behind you.
Even as impossible approaches, I’ll move forward.

The meaning of gentleness can be difficult.
You just have to say what you feel.
Even if your feelings will hurt others, you have to go with it.

But, you must be clear with what you say.
Because, you must know how many times you have to say it before he understands. After all, no one exists forever.

Why does all of it come at the same time?
And so, I have to choose. Which is fine? Which is not?
As for you, which would you choose?

Even if I cannot understand it all now, I am sure I will in the future,
By embracing hardship, happiness and secrets. So please do not get angry. Let’s hug together tightly forever.
It’s my life, that’s why!