More Offers
Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program
Between June 26, 2009 and January 31, 2010 eligible PCs sold with Windows Vista installed qualify for a FREE upgrade to Windows 7 under the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program.

Find the PC That Fits

Choose from our featured selection of cutting-edge hardware and premium service by resellers to find a PC that matches your needs.
SCROLL TO SEE MORE FEATURED PCs:
Placeholder
Or: Find a PC Builder Near You:
Microsoft at your Fingertips
Visit the following pages for more ways to round out your Microsoft experience!
2007 Microsoft Office System - Real Life Tools
Is a Netbook Right For You
  • Why Games for Windows?
  • About Games for Windows
  • Games for Windows - LIVE
  • Compare Windows Vista
Untitled Page

Why Games For Windows?

Windows Vista offers a dramatically improved gaming experience that continues the long trend of gaming innovation happening on Windows. Windows Vista includes enhancements that make it easier to access, play, and manage your computer games as well as experiencing next generation gaming graphics.

The enhancements include the Windows Vista Games Explorer, Parental Controls, DirectX® 10 graphics technology, and compatibility with Xbox 360 game controllers and accessories.

Anyone who plays games on their PC loves the nearly limitless choices for games compatible with Windows. But finding and launching those games hasn't been that easy. Some games install into the Start Menu. Other games put icons on the desktop. With Windows Vista, finding and playing the games you want is easier than ever before.

Easily find and access all your games

Games are a first class citizen in Windows Vista. The Games Explorer, right off the Start Menu in Windows Vista, provides a central launching pad for all games currently installed on your PC. Icons for each game provide easy access to the games and also display detailed information about the game, such as the game publisher and developer; when you last played; which version of the game you own; box cover art and the release date, genre, and rating for each game. Right-click on a game's icon for easy access to a menu of play tasks (which can be customized by the game developer for each game) and any online options, such as linking to the game's website.

You can also easily access any game related settings for your software or hardware directly from within the Games Explorer, using the Games Explorer toolbar, including accessing the player community for each game; get help, support, and important publisher updates; or easily add or remove games.

Of course, we haven't forgotten about the games that included "in the box" with Windows. Windows Vista includes updated 3D versions of several classic games, including "Solitaire" and "Minesweeper." In addition, Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate will introduce several brand-new games, such as "Mahjong Titans" and "Chess Titans."

Family Safety and Parental controls


Windows Vista allows parents to set appropriate boundaries around what the gaming experience will be for their children. With Windows Vista Parental Controls, parents are in control of their children's gaming activities. You can create personal settings for each child, restricting their access to games according to:

  • Game title
  • Game rating, such as the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) rating system in the US, or the PEGI (Pan European Games Information system in Europe)
  • Category, and/or
  • Type of content, regardless of the game's rating

For example, you may choose to allow "Cartoon Violence" while blocking "Intense Violence." You can also decide which days and/or times you want to allow your children to play. You can even block specific games.

Parental Controls help ensure a safe and appropriate entertainment experience for everyone in your family.

Unmatched Library of Gaming Choices


One of the best things about Windows is the massive library of gaming choices. Windows Vista automatically detects when you install many of the most popular games of the last few years, and will automatically put the game icon in the Games Explorer, as well as download the title, rating, and box art. Windows Vista will automatically download this additional information for approximately 1500 pre-Windows Vista games, and the list is expanding. If you happen to install a game that Windows Vista doesn't automatically recognize, you can easily drag the game shortcut into the Games Explorer.

Next-Generation Gaming Graphics and Gaming Hardware


One of the most exciting developments in Windows Vista is the groundbreaking graphics technology. Windows Vista makes the gaming experience better in two ways; first, an improved graphics driver model delivers more stable and reliable gameplay. Second, many of the newest Windows games will take full advantage of the next-generation graphics technology in Windows Vista called DirectX® 10. DirectX® 10 will provide an incredibly detailed experience for gamers of every type. DirectX® 10 in Windows Vista delivers advanced graphics technology never before seen that will enable game creators to increase the game's level of realism, enhancing details and complexity in gaming worlds, apply effects like dynamic lighting and weather, and much more. While Windows Vista is fully compatible with games and hardware that use older versions of DirectX®, the new DirectX® 10 features are available with a DirectX® 10 compatible graphics card and games designed to take advantage of this new technology.

Windows Vista also includes native support for the XBOX 360 controller for Windows, giving you more gaming control choices than ever before. Simply plug in the XBOX 360 controller to your Windows Vista PC's USB connector, and you're ready to go. And Microsoft is also introducing new gaming accessories for Windows Vista, such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. This lets you take your quality, wireless gaming experiences available for the XBOX 360 and experience them on Windows Vista, including the XBOX 360 wireless controller, wireless headset, and wireless racing wheel.

With more user- and family-friendly features, a huge catalog of games, new titles optimized specifically for Windows Vista, and more powerful graphics technology than ever before, Windows Vista will make gaming on the PC easier and more fun for everyone. To learn more, check out WindowsVista.com.

Untitled Page

About Games For Windows

You already know that Windows is a phenomenal gaming platform-the most popular gaming platform on the planet, in fact! That's why you're here.

But what you may not know is that Microsoft and some of the gaming industry's biggest names have worked together to make the gaming experience on Windows better than ever. And Games for Windows is the result. What is Games for Windows? It's a promise of games that deliver the great new gaming experiences on Windows.

The Games for Windows brand on games means four key things:

1) Quality. Games for Windows branded titles undergo extensive testing, and not just by the publisher. Microsoft also invests in quality checking each title to ensure they meet performance and reliability standards.

2) Compatibility. Games for Windows branded titles work on Windows XP and Windows Vista based PCs, including both 32- and 64- bit editions. Games for Windows titles that support controllers are also compatible with the Microsoft XBOX 360 controller for Windows, including the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. They even support widescreen resolutions and more.

3) Safety features. You can be confident that any title carrying the Games for Windows brand will support the new parental controls and family settings features in Windows Vista.

4) Easy to Play. Games for Windows branded titles are easy to install, find and remove, especially in Windows Vista. Every Games for Windows title appears in the new Windows Vista Games Explorer (no more hunting around the start menu for that game you just installed). And Games for Windows branded titles all offer some form of "easy install", putting you in the game more quickly.

Why are these important? Because Games for Windows is all about letting you focus on the FUN.

Many great titles already carry the Games for Windows branding with many more on the way in 2008. Be assured of these great new gaming experiences by looking for Games for Windows branded titles.

What is Games for Windows - LIVE?

Join this free service and get three major things:

  • Connection to a community of more than 14 million gamers-including the ability for you and your Xbox 360 friends to play the same game at the same time
  • Game updates that are downloaded and installed automatically for you
  • A single identity that works across both Games for Windows - LIVE and Xbox LIVE.

"I'm most excited about this release of Games for Windows - LIVE because it was built by PC gamers for PC gamers. This isn't a console service retrofit to the PC. It's the result of listening to PC gamers and creating a service they will love using."

-Kevin Unangst, Senior Global Director, Windows Gaming at Microsoft

These and other benefits are described below:

Identity

Chris Early, manager of Games for Windows - LIVE technology, says: "One of the questions man has asked throughout history is 'who am I?' We define ourselves as gamers, and as members of a larger gaming community, our gamerscore and gamertag help define who we are."

Friends!

Connect to your gaming friends easier than ever before. Chat live by voice with friends on your friends list, whether they're on a PC or Xbox 360. Plus, you can invite friends to join a game while it's in progress so no one has to wait until the current game ends before jumping in.

Learn more about playing with your Xbox LIVE friends here.

TrueSkill™ matchmaking

Make new friends with TrueSkill matchmaking, which pairs you with other gamers of your skill level. You won't have to worry about being the only n00b in a pack of hardc0res or not finding a worthy opponent again.

Learn more about friends and TrueSkill matchmaking here.

A Guide

A handy guide appears whenever you press the HOME key from within a Games for Windows - LIVE enabled game. With the Guide you can invite friends into a game, view your achievements, chat with friends via voice or messages, manage your account, and much more.

Learn more about the Guide here.

And there's a Games for Windows - LIVE client that lets you browse free content in the Marketplace, including game demos and videos, as well as buy premium downloadable content like additional maps and levels for your games.

Learn more about the Games for Windows - LIVE client here.

Both Windows Vista and Windows XP

Games for Windows - LIVE works on both Windows Vista® and Windows XP® machines (32- and 64-bit versions) and includes support for widescreen monitor resolutions. So now you can use this new service with the rig you have. If you have an Xbox 360 you can use that controller for PC games too (in games that support it).

The Label

If a game has a Games for Windows branding it means the PC game has gone through rigorous testing to make sure it plays well in Windows, including being easy to install, find, and remove. In Windows Vista these games appear in the Games Explorer so you can start playing double-quick when you power up your machine.

Parental Controls

If you have younger siblings or children and you don't want them getting into your games, you can set parental controls to lock them out.

There's more!

Here are some of the features and concepts of Games for Windows - LIVE that may be new to PC gamers:

Achievements

Achievements are awards - each worth a certain amount of gamerscore - which you get for completing tasks within a game. These tasks can be anything from defeating the most powerful monster in the dungeon to simply clearing a number of puzzle blocks. Most games have lots of different achievements. When you earn an achievement, its icon is displayed on your gamer card and you receive a boost to your gamerscore, which represents the sum total of all the achievements you've earned. The more significant and difficult the achievement, the more gamerscore you'll earn for completing it.

 Find out more about Achievements here.

Marketplace

The Marketplace has all the content you're looking for to make your games even better. Here you'll find add-ons such as additional maps and levels to your games, as well as demos, videos, and much more. Buy items on the Marketplace using Microsoft Points. You can add Points to your account at any time via the Marketplace screen.

Learn more about the Marketplace and points here.

Untitled Page

Windows Vista: Compare editions

No matter what you do with a PC, Windows Vista can make a big difference. Now updated with Service Pack 1, your choices keep getting better and better. Here's a quick look at what comes in each of the editions.



Windows Vista Home Basic
Home Basic 		Windows Vista Home Premium
Home Premium 		Windows Vista Business
Business 		Windows Vista Ultimate
Ultimate
Most secure Windows ever with Windows Defender and Windows Firewall Check Check Check Check
Quickly find what you need with Instant Search and Windows Internet Explorer 7 Check Check Check Check
Elegant Windows Aero desktop experience includes glass-like menu bars, Windows Flip 3D, and Live Thumbnails

Check Check Check
Best choice for laptops through features like Windows Mobility Center and Tablet PC support

Check Check Check
Share documents and collaborate with Windows Meeting Space

Check Check Check
Use a secondary screen on your mobile PC or extend your display to other devices using Windows SideShow

Check Check Check
All-in-one media center functionality makes any room a media room using Windows Media Center and Media Center Extenders

Check

Check
Protect against hardware failure with Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore

Check Check
Scan, fax, and receive documents and images with Windows Fax and Scan

Check Check
Automatically back up your files with Scheduled Backup Check Check Check
Remotely access your business resources and applications with Remote Desktop Connection Check Check
Easier networking connectivity helps you stay connected wherever and whenever you like with the Network and Sharing Center Check Check Check Check
Better protect your data against loss with Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption

Check
Easily make DVDs with Windows DVD Maker

Check

Check
Have more fun on your PC with three new premium games: Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans, and InkBall

Check

Check
Create high-definition (HD) movies with Windows Movie Maker in HD

Check

Check

 

© 2008 Microsoft
Contact Us|Terms of Use|Trademarks|Privacy Statement