The visual experience in Windows Vista will be without a doubt an enhancement of all the graphic themes of its predecessors. Microsoft's new desktop, shell and GUI also known as AERO is in fact much more than a simple Windows theme, it is a conglomerate of graphic features that functions as an interface.

As a graphic interface AERO brings to the desktop effects designed to create a complete user experience that contains flavors of innovation, visual performance and utility. The new dimension of effects is created through translucent and transparent illusions as well as subtle adaptation to the user generated changes to the background.

AERO includes: Desktop Composition, Glass window frames with transparency, window thumbnails and Flip3D and a new management option; all made possible through the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM). Such features are not available with Windows Vista Home Basic, only versions Windows Home Premium, our Business SKUs, and Ultimate having the theme enabled.

But the visual experience on Vista will be ultimately determined and limited only by the actual performance capability of the machine. This is actually one of the points where the new operating system from Microsoft has drawn criticism. The hardware requirements for the visual endeavors of Vista are the reason for its limitation, Microsoft providing it as a standard feature for the high-end versions of the OS.