With Windows 7 and DirectX 11 in the Distance, Games for Windows Evolves

Back in 2006, Microsoft was debuting the Games for Windows label just ahead of the delivery of Windows Vista and DirectX 10. Two years later, and with Windows 7 having reached Milestone 3 Build 6780, the Redmond company continues to be committed to Games for Windows and Games for Windows Live. In this regard, with DirectX 11 cooking, and Microsoft's promise that the graphics technology in Windows 7 will be backported to Windows Vista, even if Windows XP users will be left out to dry yet again, the company is still focusing on the main gaming platform available on the market: the PC.

Microsoft is ready to boost the volume of titles under the Games for Windows label to approximately 90 items with the addition of “Grand Theft Auto IV” from Rockstar Games, “Fallout 3” from Bethesda Softworks, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II from Turbine Inc./THQ and James Bond: Quantum of Solace from Activision Publishing.

Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Windows gaming at Microsoft, revealed that “great Windows-based games like ‘Grand Theft Auto IV,’ ‘Fallout 3’ and ‘Dawn of War II’ are proof that Microsoft is delivering on its promise to provide the best possible PC gaming experience on Windows”.

Grand Theft Auto will be made available for the PC come November 2008, marking the two year anniversary of Games for Windows. “We are engaged with our community and listen attentively to their needs and concerns. With their input our platform has continued to evolve, and we’re proud of the marked improvement the Games for Windows program has brought to PC gaming in its first two years,” Unangst added.

Following the release of Windows Vista featuring the exclusive DirectX 10 technology, Microsoft has taken fire from both gamers and members of the gaming industry. In this regard, with DirectX 11 available for both Vista and Windows 7, and designed to integrate with existing DirectX 10-capable graphics cards, games for Windows-based PCs are bound to run into the same speed bumps for Windows 7 as they did for Windows Vista.