Windows Store Games won't have VSync, SLI/CrossFire, Fullscreen or Modding

[btarunr]

Microsoft is looking to cut itself a lion's share of the game digital downloads pie, by making Microsoft Store (which comes included with Windows 10), sell contemporary AAA games, such as "Rise of the Tomb Raider." Unlike other cross-DRM transactions (eg: purchasing a Steam DLC game through UPlay store), Microsoft Store will serve both sales and DRM roles. You must be thinking "it's a free world, always room for more competition," right? Think again. There are several pitfallls to buying "Rise of the Tomb Raider" or any other AAA game through Microsoft Store, as users on Reddit found out.

To begin with, games purchased through Windows Store are built on Microsoft's Universal Apps Platform, and not the conventional desktop-based executable. The game is essentially a "modern UI" app, and not a conventional Windows application. This has great limitations - no NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFire support; no real fullscreen mode (just borderless windowed mode or pseudo-fullscreen); and V-sync being always-on. Other major downsides of UAP apps include no support for modding, and mouse macros. What's more, since UAP apps don't have *.exe extensions, you can't add them to Steam, and so no Steam Controller support. The Store in itself doesn't have a good refund policy along the lines of Steam and Origin limited full-refund policies; and you'll never be able to play your games on Windows versions older than Windows 10.



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[vega22]

games, for windows, live...

 

[RCoon]

Microsoft are one of the most remarkably moronic companies on Earth.

Let me guess "This is for the PC gamers, we mean it this time, really!"

 

[ZeppMan217]

What's more, since UAP apps aren't don't have *.exe extensions

Small typo.

I guess MS just wants to pump Xbox exclusive into their store and hope it works out on its own. Also, Steam Controller will work just fine.

 

[RejZoR]

Only a moron would buy a game from Windows Store when you can get exactly the same games from other way less moronic legit sources. Many of us got burned by the monumentaly retarded Games for Windows Live junk (and how games are not playable unles you're willing to hack that shit around). This, with even more limitations is just straight pissing on us PC gamers. Microsoft, you done fucked this up. Again.

My priority when buying games:

GOG > Steam > Origin

I'm not touching UPlay garbage and neither I'll be ever touching this crap.

 

[FYFI13]

If game isn't on Steam or Origin - i won't buy it. Ever. And I'm pretty sure Square Enix will release proper PC version as soon as they realize that nobody is using Windows Store.

 

[P4-630]

I'll never buy games from the windows store anyway

But I did had to modify GTA IV with xliveless to get it working because of a dead stupid GFWL which made the game unplayable.

 

[hellrazor]

Microsoft's riding the short bus, like always.

 

[RejZoR]

I'll never buy games from the windows store anyway

But I did had to modify GTA IV with xliveless to get it working because of a dead stupid GFWL which made the game unplayable.

Though Rockstar's moronic GTA5 downloader isn't any better. It's stupid, clumsy and useless and will cause problems in the future for sure. Every such retarded system did. Only one that works and will continue to work is Steam. Because they invest into it A LOT and that's why it works.

 

[P4-630]

Though Rockstar's moronic GTA5 downloader isn't any better. It's stupid, clumsy and useless and will cause problems in the future for sure. Every such retarded system did. Only one that works and will continue to work is Steam. Because they invest into it A LOT and that's why it works.

Luckily I have GTA V on steam as most of my games, the only downside I see from steam is that you can only play games for 2 weeks without internet connection IIRC.

 

[zzzaac]

URgh, and they plan on releasing Gears of War, Quantum Break, Recore and potentially Forza like this

 

[RejZoR]

URgh, and they plan on releasing Gears of War, Quantum Break, Recore and potentially Forza like this

And then they'll complain how people don't buy them and how PC gaming is dead. Mark my words.

 

[Ubersonic]

Lol, my Windows Store randomly stopped working and any apps I try and open just fail so no intention of getting any games from there even if they do fix it

 

[Frick]

I like the idea of a Windows app store and I do like that they really want it to be universal. That is good. Small, casual games, like whatever equivalent to Farmville they have these days, are perfect for it (especially if they make it truly cross platform), but I don't see how they can make it work good with the AA games.

 

[AsRock]

Microsoft's riding the short bus, like always.

Gets me though they say they support PC gaming and yet still manage to piss all PC gamer's off.

Sadly still 20 some years and no replacement for MS OS, what a shame. But i guess it's finally getting there as i know i would drop MS OS in a heat beat.

 

[qubit]

Without those headline features those games sound rubbish and not worth bothering with. Once again Microsoft shoots itself in the foot with its app store.

 

[Siskods9]

No multi-GPU or V-Sync or Fullscreen support means I wont buy any games from the Windows store.
Shame really as I was going to buy Gears of War Ultimate Edition and Quantum break from them but not now though.
I will also buy Rise of The Tomb Raider from STEAM instead.
How stupid is Microsoft??? Seems they just can't help themselves.
Listen to your customers or pay the price. Simple as.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

The sad part is that the sheeple will gobble it up.

 

[RejZoR]

And Microsoft Studios used to be a synonym for quality in the past. If you think of it, they made quite some really good games, some of which were hugely popular and respected, like Midtown Madness which sort of began the GTA series in 3D and Motocross Madness. And then they flop like this with idiotic decisions. Lol.

 

[rtwjunkie]

And I'm pretty sure Square Enix will release proper PC version as soon as they realize that nobody is using Windows Store.

They already did. Rise of The Tomb Raider has been out a month on Steam.

 

[truth teller]

V-sync being always-on

thats fine with me

no NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFire support

no real fullscreen mode

what da? i havent yet touched the win10 metro sdk, but for god sake its 2016, how come the underlying layer can't interact nicely with the drivers?

no support for modding

this one takes the cake, so they are making a completely different packaging system for the games, must be fun, at least with steams system you can still accomplish stuff

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

This is bad news for the upcoming Gears of War Ultimate Edition PC release as it was spotted on the Windows Store earlier in the week.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

what da? i havent yet touched the win10 metro sdk, but for god sake its 2016, how come the underlying layer can't interact nicely with the drivers?

Probably because the apps run in a virtual machine a la .NET Framework. Directly accessing the underlying hardware is forbidden for safety sake which inadvertently breaks things like Crossfire/SLI. At the same time, DirectX 12 supports multi-GPU capabilities so, as long as the game itself is coded to support multi-GPUs, it will probably still do it. It just isn't SLI/Crossfire per say.

V-sync being required is likely a condition that stems from Surface and the like. V-sync stops the hardware from running hot/high battery drain because the GPU only does what is necessary. The same extends to consoles so, universal apps require universal agreement on framerate caps.

Windows Store is a walled garden so no mods/third party extensions being forbidden is not surprising. I'm sure it could do it but Windows Store likely validates the program before launching so security features forbid modification.

 

[ShurikN]

A fine example of the phrase "Dead on Arrival". Or in this case before arrival.

 

[rtwjunkie]

The introduction of more games into the Windows Store that are not MS Sudios really makes me think that Gabe's prediction a few years back of the windows Store "walled garden" and future exclusion of Steam or any other platform on Windows has some merit down the line. All MS has to do is get enough publishers to sign on for the Windows Store, and the prediction has credibility.

Granted, it could be years down the line, but it's worth keeping an eye on.