Will your game work on your PC? Another M$ patent and we're all dumb.

[Deja Q]

:eyes:

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-5542017.html


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"Will this work on my PC?"

Microsoft aims to take the guesswork out of answering that question with a new method for evaluating a PC's capability to run a given piece of software, including the complex games that often choke older PCs.

The system, described in a patent application published two weeks ago by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, would assign a "capability rating" to a PC or specific component. Patent application 20040268341, submitted by Mark Kenworthy on behalf of Microsoft, describes a comprehensive system, including an independent ratings board, that would provide an easy-to-understand numerical rating for determining whether a PC can handle a given piece of software.

Kenworthy is currently group program manager for Microsoft's Visual Studio developer tools.

Making sure a PC can run certain software is often a vexing process for consumers, especially with games such as the new "Doom 3" that demand the latest video cards and other hardware. Game buyers are often surprised to find that a PC a year or two old can't run the latest games.

Determining if your PC is up to snuff often requires digging into details beyond the average consumer's knowledge, such as whether a video card supports the latest version of Microsoft's DirectX graphics library or can handle sophisticated "transform and lighting" graphics effects.

Article has more... All I can say is what everyone in IT would say: If you don't know how to use it, you oughtn't have one. Much like a car, what's the point?

[Paleocon]

1. Well...

There's always consoles for those that don't want to keep up with the latest and greatest PC hardware...

[Solon]

2. Wait a second....

they patented a RATING SYSTEM, what type of bullshit is this, what the FUCK!! Does the MPAA have a patent on the rating system in movies, or the ESRB for video games, or what about the "Explicit Lyrics" warnings on CDs, does the RIAA have a patent on that too? This is fucking ridiculous, so this means if ANYONE else comes up with a system even remotely similar, they will owe Microsoft money, fucking Monopolistic bastards.

[BlueJazz]

3. I get calls all the time from customers complaining.....

...(and wondering) why the new Game they bought their son/daughter for
Xmas won't work on their computer.
When I tell them what a good Video card costs, I usually hear this:
"...Pause...ahhhh...I'll take the game back" :)

[keroro gunsou]

4. *sigh*

if only people were smart enough to read the system requirements on the boxes....

but now they don't even need to do that...

we're becoming lazier and dumber all the time.

[durablend]

5. 2 Men-ee big werds in that there sistim rekwirements!

"DUH-UH VOTE BUSH CUZ HE MAKE ME FEEL SMART!" :P

:crazy: :evilgrin: