14 DAY TRIAL // Forget about the Ultimate Extras! Are you ready for the Windows Vista Plus Pack? You had better be! One thing that Ultimate Extras was, looking back to 2007, is a huge disappointment for users of the high-end, Ultimate SKU of Windows Vista. Having released just four "extra" items for the Ultimate edition of the latest Windows client the past year, including Windows DreamScene, Language Packs, BitLocker and EFS Enhancements and Hold 'Em Poker Game; as well as a very thin selection of both static and animated wallpapers, Microsoft's Ultimate Extras contributed to providing a limp and unexcited Wow.
However, with the initial announcement of Ultimate Extras, in combination with the cancellation of the Microsoft Plus! packs, the general assumption was that the Extras were nothing more than the new Plus! This apparently is not the case, as Microsoft Plus! is making the mother of all comebacks, but this time on Windows Vista. No word yet if the pack will also be offered for in another edition aimed at Windows XP.
As far as the old Plus! packs are concerned, the Redmond company informed that it "has discontinued Plus! SuperPack for Windows XP and Plus! Digital Media Edition. Many of the features and tools that have been enjoyed for years now can be found in new Microsoft titles and services including Windows Vista. The Microsoft Plus titles will be available in retail outlets while supplies last. Customers will receive product support for up to three years from purchase date or through April 30, 2010, whichever date is reached first.
The Microsoft Windows Vista Plus Pack (PC) is available for pre-order on Future Shop (via WinBeta). And as you can see from the cover is is in fact a title that will debut under the Games for Windows brand umbrella. The old Plus! pack offered users a variety of content, from screensavers to programs and themes. But the Windows Vista Plus Pack is only a collection of four games developed by Mumbo Jombo. The launch date is February 15, 2008, and it comes with a price tag of $39.99.