14 DAY TRIAL // VLC for Windows 8 is already there in the Windows Store, but as everyone who tried the app until now knows, it’s still in its very early development stages and a lot of features are missing.
Thomas Nigro, one of the developers working on the project, explains in a new blog post today that VLC will be redeveloped to work only on Windows 8.1, so those who are still on Windows 8 and do not want to upgrade will have to stick to the initial release.
“The update is free, more than half users are on running 8.1, I’m sorry for the rest of the users but it’s time to update,” Nigro explains.
The interface will receive a major overhaul, he says, and the application is very likely to become more responsive. Both the touch and the desktop clients will be improved, the developer added.
“A great design is a design that adapts itself depending on the device you’re using, while keeping the same user experience,” he points out.
The developing team is also working to bring VLC on Windows Phone, and Nigro has revealed that the tablet and the smartphone version of the app share 90 percent the same code and come with the same features.
“The XAML code is nearly the same. I worked really hard to make a design that works well on phones, phablets, tablets, laptops and desktops thanks to the upcoming windowed mode Windows Threshold is rumored to bring (I tested with Stardock Modern Mix),” he explains.
“Performance-wise, the app is a lot faster than before, more responsive on tablet, and I am trying to have the best responsiveness possible on low-end phones like the Lumia 520 which has a big marketshare in the WP-world.”
Work on the Windows 8.1 build is almost complete, and the new version should be released to users anytime soon. As for the ARM build, it could take a while until VLC runs on Windows RT 8.1, but once it’s ready, the developing team will release it to the store so that anyone can download it.
“The Windows 8.1 version is nearly ready to ship. It should be released very soon on the Store (spoiler: not this week, I’m really busy in Seattle with the MSP Summit and Imagine Cup finals). we still have problems with the ARM compiler, that the team needs to fix. Once this is done, we will press the ‘release’ button,” he continued.
In the meantime, those who cannot wait for the new version can always give a try to the existing VLC for Windows 8 build, but keep in mind that it’s very slow and has a limited number of features.