Why Porting Halo 2 to Vista was A Bad Idea

Posted on August 18, 2007 by Pxl_Buzzard

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Halo 2 Logo I am not a user of Windows Vista. I still use my trusty copy of Windows XP, because I am a believer that it is more compatible with stuff right now (not mentioning that I had to reformat my desktop computer when I tried to install Vista on it). In the next couple of years, I think Vista will make a good operating system because of its DirectX 10 compatibility (and, you know, its GUI kills XP’s). I also think that Games for Windows is a nice try from Microsoft to make gamers happy, and a good way for game developers to get a lot of advertising. All that said, why did Microsoft make Halo 2 into a 2-year-old game port for Vista-only without PC-to-Xbox Live play, updated graphics, or even lower hard drive space requirements (it takes 15 gigs of space to install, while Unreal Tournament only takes 5gb)? From a business standpoint, I can see how making Halo 2 for Vista would a great marketing tactic, except that only 5% of PC users use Vista, and a ton of people already own it for the Xbox. The included map editor is quite literally the only reason to buy the game for PC instead of just playing it on an Xbox.

The funniest part of this whole thing is that quickly after the game’s release, people figured out how to make it work on XP before Microsoft made an offical patch for it. I mean, if it was that easy to port over to XP, why not just do it? It would have brought sales up and made plenty more people happy. At the very least, Microsoft could have made Halo 2 run with DirectX 10, for better graphics and all that other stuff it does.

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8 Comments so far

Japanerd August 18, 2007 11:17 pm

they musta been smoking pot like everyone else is doing
Richard August 19, 2007 8:54 am

from a logical standpoint… YOU ARE A GOD!… i tried a hack to port my copy of Halo 2 over to XP… and it didn’t even get me anywhere… so now my ability to return it is voided and this (for now) useless disc is just sitting on my desk collecting dust… and i usually hear thing AFTER i’ve done something irreversable… sheesh… worse graphics than the Xbox… i have neither the time or the money… noone has respect for the PC anymore… so… I SALUTE YOU GOOD SIR! (or madam)
Richard August 19, 2007 8:59 am

sorry for double post… (no edit message button anywhere) SO… i’d like to correct you on the point of 15 gigs for Halo 2… let’s see… it only has 23 MULTIPLAYER MAPS, A MAP EDITOR, who knows how much EXCLUSIVE CONTENT, and to top it all off… it’s all in graphics that are a HELLUVA lot more sophisticated than the original Halo… SOOOOO… i think that’s about the right size for a game like THAT…
Pat August 19, 2007 9:25 am

Looks like Richard found a new home!

Good article sir, and thanks for linking to us!
Neo5941 August 20, 2007 1:59 pm

Well, in many ways, Games for Windows sucks ass in so many ways, it made me cry the first time I read all the details. First of all, Pxl, I would tend to fully agree with your decision to stick with the rest of the world and not go Vista. However, it did cross my mind during the opening months of Vista’s release to go out and upgrade my VIsta compatible lappy…that is, until I read the gaming side of Vista…I really view this whole, “Games for Windows” crap as a bad move for Microsoft. Take the Post’s subject, for example. I have an Xbox 360 in my possesion, and have previously purchased Halo 2 to play on it. Looking at the Xbox > PC Halo 2 port now, I can easily say that without generall acsess to an Xbox system, it would be,and is, a severe letdown for any XP owner. Why don’t they make XP versions of great games for Vista, like Shadowrun or Supreme Commander??!?! My sole objective for this book-long post is that I want to fully backup your opinion on Vista and GFW.

Why Microsoft? WHY?!
Run Xbox Games On Pc April 26, 2008 2:38 am

Good site I “Stumbledupon” it today and gave it a stumble for you.. looking forward to seeing what else you have..later
werutzb October 7, 2008 10:30 pm

Hi!

I would like improve my SQL capabilities.
I read so many SQL resources and want to
get more about SQL for my work as oracle database manager.

What would you recommend?

Thanks,
Werutz
Pxl_Buzzard October 8, 2008 8:54 pm

I’ll be honest Werutz, I don’t know too much about SQL, but W3Schools (http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp) is always the best place to get started or freshen up on the fundamentals of any programming language. Sorry I can’t help you more!