Home Gaming Windows Store purchased games are not making the best of your hardware

Windows Store purchased games are not making the best of your hardware

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Windows Store games aren't the greatest

Microsoft is putting their best effort into launch their own platform for PC gaming, with Windows 10 and the Windows Store offering a perfect chance to push some of their new exclusives. Games like the upcoming Quantum Break will be sold exclusively on PC via the Windows Store, but the previously released Rise of the Tomb Raider seems to paint a picture of caution. Launching on Steam too (since it isn’t an exclusive), there are some glaring differences between the two versions – none of which are good news for Microsoft.

First and foremost, the format. Steam either downloads a game in an .exe or .msi format, while the Windows Store goes for something entirely different. Since games are actually meant to be Windows 10 App, any title purchased from the store is downloaded as an “Universal Windows Platform” app, which is itself a separate format. And that’s where the problems start to crop up.

Considering Windows 10 works with apps differently to executables, games are subjected to some strict rules. For starters, all games run in borderless window instead of fullscreen which has an impact of graphical utilisation. All games run with V-Sync forcibly enabled to keep the title running as smooth as possible. And all games seem to disable any Crossfire or SLI support (although Microsoft has rebuked that it has nothing to do with the Windows Store format).


This is on top of several other smaller limitations, such as the disabling of any overlays (FRAPS and the like) as well as the blocking of any and all mods. In short, games hosted on the Windows Store are looking more like console games than PC ones, with access to some of the most basic functionality being restricted. And since there’s no viable way to air this all to Microsoft, unhappy customers are hilariously using Steam forums to ask questions and, get this, even receive answers back regarding the Windows Store format.

It’s a scary picture for the future of the Windows Store as a platform, and an early blow to Microsoft’s plans to unify Xbox One and PC. Although Xbox’s Phil Spencer says they’re nothing more than teething issues, and that teams are already working on fixes.

It just seems the way the Windows Store and Universal Apps work isn’t geared towards the type of functionality that gamers are used to, so Phil may be right. But considering how much Microsoft has wanted to keep things in their control in the past, it’s an issue with monitoring closely over the next few months.

Last Updated: March 1, 2016

9 Comments

  1. Windows store, ugh, what a TERRIBLE experience

    Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    March 1, 2016 at 11:42

    Heh. They never learn. GfWL was a joke, Win10 store is more of the same. Teething issues my arse. Somewhere along the way companies seem to forget the user’s experience matters.

    Reply

    • Pariah

      March 1, 2016 at 12:23

      MS: “What’s a user? Oh you mean those ATM-like human things that spit money at us?”

      Reply

  3. Greylingad[CNFRMD]

    March 1, 2016 at 11:49

    Microfoft tried to force GFWL on their gamers… The Windows store is like a hellish return to that platform, which was also based on the exact same principle of providing a console based store to their users… Does this not alarm anyone? Building a house on a failed foundation is going to bring you one thing… Rubble, lots of it…

    Reply

  4. Pieter Kruger

    March 1, 2016 at 12:08

    Surely it seems to just be options and support for functionalities to be made available? Didn’t Steam also had some big backlash over their client gimping frame rates etc. a while back? Maybe MS should just steer clear of their own client and rather team up with Steam? Anyway, I much prefer console where I don’t have to be a programmer to tweak my own games in order for them to run smoothly….????????????

    Reply

    • HvR

      March 1, 2016 at 12:19

      Suspected something like an options menu might be too complicated for the average Xboner….

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        March 1, 2016 at 12:32

        Menus??

        Reply

  5. HvR

    March 1, 2016 at 12:17

    Suspected as much if you look as the ridiculous requirements on the recent dual launch (win10/Xbone) games

    Reply

  6. Fox1 - Retro

    March 1, 2016 at 13:48

    PC gamers really get scared over beta issues 😀

    Reply

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