Here at Invision we don’t concern ourselves with industry politics or foundless naysaying – we have refused to report on critics making baseless accusations against Microsoft’s new OS, and we focus on how new releases affect us all as consumers, professionals, and of course gamers. Windows 8 might have a radical new interface – which we’ll discuss in greater depth in this article – but how is it going to affect the games you love? Read on.
EXCLUSIVITY
It was announced earlier last month that DirectX 11.1 is going to be made exclusive to the Windows 8 platform, as 11 was a part of Windows 7 when it launched. DX11 was, however, retrofitted for Vista – there are no such plans for the latest release. So if you want to keep on top of the game (sorry) you’re going to need to make the upgrade eventually anyway.
There are no plans for big Windows 8 exclusive titles as of yet, only Halo 4 shaped whispers, but there are plenty of Xbox marketplace games making their way over to PC, made much easier by the new Xbox integration. The choices are only going to get bigger as time goes on and the integration will only increase to the point of becoming near-essential for PC gamers.
PERFORMANCE
New Start Menu interface aside, what we have here is a streamlined, sexier Windows 7 with an integrated Microsoft Store. This has become something of a concern for developers (Foremost among those, Valve figurehead 
Gabe Newell) as it could lead to Windows becoming a closed platform with the possibility of Microsoft disallowing certain programs to run on their OS. Gamers will notice a marginal increase in performance and a few issues with older Rockstar games, but encounter no significant difference when it comes to playing the titles you love.
AMD have a Windows 8 consumer preview driver client available but this might cause some scaling issues on HD monitors, and ones that can’t be fixed within Catalyst. Luckily enough a fix is easily implemented by editing the registry – if you need to do this, Google it first. These are obviously just teething issues for a great operating system and should in no way put you off of making the upgrade – at the very least, wait a little while until everyone makes the move over and all of your hardware is going to have compatible drivers. If you’re running a fairly recent rig (Mine is two years old) you’re going to be fine, but older systems might have compatibility problems.
I personally noticed much more efficiency running titles at higher graphics settings – smoother FPS and less strain on my CPU. This could have been down to an issue with my Windows 7 installation but Windows 8 seems much more efficient than its predecessor.
The most significant difference you’ll notice is boot time. I run 8GB of RAM and my Windows 7 system, with all programs and games installed, took about a minute to boot. Windows 8 takes eight seconds.
INTERFACE
Moving away from a straight-up desktop was probably the boldest move Microsoft has ever made, and it’s obviously intended to bridge the gap between mobile and traditional platforms. I was skeptical of the previously titled Metro interface at first but after regular use it becomes pretty handy. You’ll still find yourself using the desktop more often as a few Windows 8 app versions aren’t as great as their standard counterparts – Skype and Google 
Chrome immediately come to mind. Chrome launches in a full-screen mode with less freedom when it comes to tab management (If you’re using dual screens, say goodbye to using Chrome on both of them) and Windows 8’s Skype does not function minimalised – so if you have any intention of using anything else at the same time you’re going to have a bad time.
The interface looks great and is totally customisable (Yeah, take that, Apple) so if you want to get into the Start Menu’s new look you can set it up to run and feature the apps that you want, whilst still having the desktop alongside it to run most of the older applications and easier web browsing. It’s going to create a uniformity amongst Windows devices and there’s no doubt 8 is a pleasure to use on tablets or touchscreen PCs – especially when a lot of software is moving towards a similar tile interface.
Windows 8 signifies a huge change in the way Windows does business – some aspects good, some not so good, but it’s good to see a company many accuse of being stuck in its ways proving everyone wrong. This is the beginning of a more regularly updated Windows evolving to consumer needs each year, and with appropriate pricing, who’s complaining? It’s understandable to have doubts about this new OS, but take it from us – Windows 8 is a refreshing change and a much more efficient one to boot.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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