Nvidia drivers leak potential PC Gears of War
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Jan 7th 2007 at 5:42PM }
[Click to enlarge]
There have been other signs that point to Gears of War eventually being released on the PC, and we're here with another Indiana Jones-like piece to the puzzle. Some Nvidia ForceWare drivers have been turning up with references to Gears of War in them. Now, before the rumor-mill gets into full swing, we'd like to caveat this news by saying the drivers were downloaded from The Guru of 3D, a site where you can download tweaked and modded drivers. They're also in beta-form, so we're not sure if this sign leads to the Ark of the Covenant or not. It's entirely possible these beta drivers include code for an as-yet-unreleased game or, and perhaps more likely, a precocious gamer decided to have a little fun with everyone's expectations. Both Microsoft and Epic have stated that there are no plans to bring Gears of War to the PC in the near future, but perhaps they just meant during the next five minutes, who knows.
Games for Windows will be hitting full swing with the release of Vista, but is this Gears of War rumor the real deal? It took Halo: Combat Evolved two years to make it from the consoles to the desktops, so, following that timeframe, we're already overdue for Halo 2 on PC, which is due with the similarly delayed launch of Vista. So, with a two year gap between console and PC versions, does it make sense to see Epic's shiny crown jewel appear under the Games for Windows brand? If you really want to kickstart this new initiative with a double-dose of Halo 2 and GoW, then it sure does. Two best-selling Xbox games would be a nice reason for folks to upgrade to Vista.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled during Bill Gates' CES keynote, which Engadget will be liveblogging about at 6:30PM PST tonight. Viva la show!
[Thanks for the tip and the pic, Tom!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
v1cious @ Jan 7th 2007 10:11PM
now that... is awesome.
driven2sin @ Jan 7th 2007 5:52PM
M$ needs those games on the PC to get people to actually install Vista (will be required no doubt)
serge @ Jan 8th 2007 1:32AM
That is pretty cool, i wanted to get vista anyway.
since i dont have 360 and new pc with 2x8800gts SLI, this should run well, i guess.
ngs @ Jan 7th 2007 5:56PM
So, what would be the point of buying an XBox360 if all the games are coming to PC?
William @ Jan 7th 2007 6:50PM
Seems like a good idea to me. Great way to boost Vista, which I want to succeed.
NGS, to answer your question, there are tons of games on the xbox360 that aren't coming to computer. That and many people buy consoles and computers because they use them for different purposes. I like some FPS games on my big hi-def tv, with a couch and a nice room, other games I like on the pc.
Skyway Park Bowl and Casino @ Jan 7th 2007 6:08PM
A Gears of War PC announcement will be made tonight. This will be made in order to cover up the fact that HDMI is not ready and will be delayed for months. Look at all of the unresolved HD issues with the Fall update. Do you think they'll figured that out yet?
frederick @ Jan 7th 2007 6:09PM
Because an Xbox360 costs about 1/10 of a gaming PC, AND you can play
it on your 60" HDTV in 1080p while sitting on your living room couch.
ic @ Jan 7th 2007 9:11PM
the point of buying the 360 if many of the "exclusive" big titles hit the PC later is: play them first, play on a big high res screen, utilize surround sound audio, and save tons of cash versus getting the game on an expensive pc.
BIGGEN @ Jan 7th 2007 6:11PM
because there are MANY people that don't like gaming on PCs (and having to upgrade constantly). personally, i hate PC gaming, especially for shooters. now, with the 360 controller being compatible, that's a little different.
Jeff @ Jan 7th 2007 7:29PM
Yah I just did the first full upgrade to my computer in over three years two months ago. And my old rig with a cheapo graphics card ran everything I threw at it fine. Stop supporting that misconception.
Angelo @ Jan 7th 2007 6:22PM
Thanks for mentioning that I sent this in this afternoon. How many people sent this in?
mike @ Jan 7th 2007 6:23PM
Erm point me to a download from nvidia.com not a site that tweaks drivers...lol
Dirtyboy @ Jan 7th 2007 11:05PM
Game uses Unreal Engine 3 so only a matter of time before it makes its way to the PC. Just hope the port does the game justice.
Micerider @ Jan 8th 2007 4:04PM
To ngs : Maybe having a fantastic game 2 years later could leave a bitter taste? GoW for PC sounds alright to me, it would just be so sad to see that the videogame industry would have grown past it by the time you can play it on PC (a bit like what happened to Halo, remember?).
VanGuardian1 @ Jan 7th 2007 6:52PM
Just remember there are a lot of people who don't like using regular controllers for shooting games as well. I had a better time with Red Steel with the Wii than I did Halo/2 for the Xbox, simply because of the controllers.
(Yes, I actually greatly enjoyed Red Steel, despite it's problems)
OTAM @ Jan 7th 2007 6:45PM
That's the reason alot of the people I know won't buy a 360,because the big games always turn up on the PC. Microsoft is helping itself by getting these games on a Windows platform,but hurting themselves badly by taking away from the 360. I don't think that understand in the gaming industry PCs are in the race too,not just the consoles.
iceatcs @ Jan 7th 2007 6:58PM
frederick @ 4.
Not really.
(UK price)
HDTV 60" 1080p ~£2500
Xbox360 with GOW ~£300
TOTAL = ~£2800
Cheaper 1080p HDTV:
HDTV ~£1500
Xbox360 with GOW ~£300
TOTAL = ~£1800
Fast custom build PC (Core2duo, 2GB, 8800GTX and Monitor):
~£1600
potato @ Jan 7th 2007 7:59PM
Here, fixed your math:
HDTV 60" 1080p ~£2500
Xbox360 with GOW ~£300
TOTAL = ~£2800
Cheaper 1080p HDTV:
HDTV ~£1500
Xbox360 with GOW ~£300
TOTAL = ~£1800
Fast custom build PC (Core2duo, 2GB, 8800GTX and Monitor):
~£1300
HDTV ~£1500
TOTAL = ~£2800
Let's compare apples to apples. A 360 running 1080p on a 60" HDTV is an entirely separate experience than a PC running the same game (even at 1080p) on a 24" LCD.
So what your math says to me is that the 360 is a better deal - for the same $$$ I can get a much nicer HDTV.
And don't pull the "but the PC does other stuff too!", a $600 laptop is just as capable of doing "that other stuff", and has the added advantage of being small and portable. That's how I work anyway: laptop for work, 360/TV for play.
More on topic: I doubt MS will allow this for a LONG time to come. Gears is selling 360's, there's no way they will lose Gears' exclusivity until it's not significantly contributing to xbox conversions.
S_DOG34 @ Jan 7th 2007 7:17PM
"personally, i hate PC gaming, especially for shooters"
That's possibly the dumbest statement I have ever read in these forums (and that's saying alot!). You must enjoy the superior precision of a console controller...that mouse + keyboard combo is so clunky and inaccurate.
There's a reason that online shooters released on Xbox/360 and PC cannot play against each other - the console people would get destroyed. The wiimote is moving console shooters in the right direction though.
TeddyN @ Jan 7th 2007 7:32PM
"Because an Xbox360 costs about 1/10 of a gaming PC, AND you can play
it on your 60" HDTV in 1080p while sitting on your living room couch."
Ahem. I don't know what planet you live on, but where I come from, we don't have 60" 1080p HDTV's sitting around.
Console prices are extremely deceptive anyway. The xbox 360 is ridiculous. We recently got one; first we buy the thing. Then we need to buy better cables. Then we need to buy a game, and they all have super-inflated prices (Dead Rising @ 60 USD). We take it home, set it up, then realise that we have to buy a seperate wireless adapter if we want any functionality. I go on the internet. My eyes bulge out of their sockets. The thing costs over 80 USD!!!
Suddenly, I am filled with regrets and start to wish I had just bought an 8800 GTX graphics card upgrade, which would have left me with with a long happy gaming future rather than disappointment and a machine which constantly drains money from my bank account. :'(
frederick @ Jan 7th 2007 8:58PM
You can't comfortably watch the superbowl on your computer screen dumbass. Buy GOW it when comes out for Vista. Microsoft doesn't care, they make money either way.
frederick @ Jan 7th 2007 7:24PM
You can't comfortably watch the superbowl on your computer screen dumbass. Buy GOW it when comes out for Vista. Microsoft doesn't care, they make money either way.
abyss908 @ Jan 7th 2007 11:48PM
@4
What you're saying is not true about not being able so play PC on an HDTV, or sit on a couch while doing it. Either you are very misinformed with little actual technical knowledge or your are trying to misuse facts to prove a point. Most HDTVs have DVI and/or VGA which all videos cards have one or the other. Also HDMI is going to be put on some cards.
Have you ever heard of technology called a a wireless keyboard and mouse? Probably not. You see there are no wires so you can play them on your couch. And as a mousepad you can get a portable desk that would go over your legs at least for the mouse?
Sparkstalker @ Jan 7th 2007 7:30PM
iceatcs - your equation is completely off, as as essentially, you're using the cost of an unequal asset (a 60" HDTV vs a 19" LCD monitor) as the basis for your reasoning. If you used the same monitor for the 360 that you used for your gaming PC, your cost for a 360 and a 19" widescreen would be ~$550. Likewise, a 60" HDTV hooked up to your gaming PC would increase the cost significantly.
No matter how you hook it up, the 360 is cheaper than a gaming PC. And there won't be the inevitable upgrade costs over the next five years that a PC will need to stay up to date...
Tim @ Jan 7th 2007 7:39PM
PC Gaming (Now)= MMORPGs and Pirated Games.
The reason Vista will be so successful as a gaming platform is because of Live. Developers absolutely LOVE the idea that if a person pirates their game they will get banned from a service. That incentive might sway more developers to Games for Windows, which I hear has a fantastic set of development tools for popping that new 360 game over, and vise versa.
chops @ Jan 7th 2007 8:10PM
its obvious that mouse and keys over a controller is a touchy subject with pc gamers, they get there panties in a twist everytime its mentioned. whats the big deal? let people play what they want! from my experience mouse and keys seem far too unrealistic, humans arent capable of those kinds of reaction times.
Gianni Gotti @ Jan 10th 2007 9:04AM
I love it!
The one reason most people would have bought an Xbox 360 and they are ho'ing it out to the PC.
In six months I'll be able to get it for $19.95 in the bargain bin at Target!
Awesum,
No hardrive required>Harddrive required
1080p irrelevant>1080p adoption
No high def media format>adopt high def media format
No HDMI needed>Hdmi upgrade
Whats next Microflops?
Virtua Fanboy @ Jan 7th 2007 8:56PM
You people will bitch about anything. Microsoft could put the game out on every system available last, current, and next gen, pc and mac, and people would still bitch, piss, and moan about it.
Xaero @ Jan 7th 2007 8:42PM
LMAO @ Chop's comment.
Mouse & Keyboard being more accurate than a controller is a fact not a lame, biased opinion. There is a reason why developers are avoiding cross-platform online play in their games when its a possibility. You talk about it being unrealistic? As far as I am concerned, its way more realistic than a god damn controller in which it takes you 5 seconds to take a 180 turn. In reality, a human would have a lot of reflexes in tense situations.
Back to the original topic, if these drivers are from the official nvidia site or the official nvidia drivers then this pretty much confirms a Gears port for PC.
JesusFreak @ Jan 7th 2007 9:01PM
Epic Games recently released the source for GoW to its developers. You can download the source, compile it, and run it on PC. I'm betting this is why nVidia released a profile for it... but that's just my guess.
PhilLaj @ Jan 8th 2007 12:35AM
Cool gears for pc...I might like it now. I just can't stand fps's with a controller, it's too inferior and slow. No one that started with mouse could say a controller is has good or better.
One thing pc game companies didn't think of yet, is analog keys on keyboard...WASDEF all analog could bring to pc, the only "advantage" I see from controllers in terms of making game more realistic and fun.
Halo 2, ALREADY? joking...I mean come on microsoft.
I also heard duke nukem foreever was comming out for x-box...4 years after pc version! haha
J.Goodwin @ Jan 7th 2007 9:29PM
Accurate or not, I prefer to play shooters on a 360 to on a PC (or Mac or whatever).
J.Goodwin @ Jan 8th 2007 5:18AM
How did Halo even sell on PC the first time around BTW?
I can't imagine that Gears of War would sell 2 million units on PC. It would never happen. I wonder if there's enough of a unique install base of high powered PCs to make it even worth while porting it over.
rocko213 @ Jan 7th 2007 10:22PM
Gears of war??
naww, its global thermonuclear war
syco @ Jan 7th 2007 10:57PM
I hate laptops. If anything breaks you either have to take it to an expensive repair shop or buy a new one. Complete lack of modularity = no.
Anyway, I don't really have any interest in the game, but I'd be much more likely to play it on a PC with a mouse, than on a traditional gamepad (it would work great on the Wii, but that's never happening). Except, of course, if they try to force people to upgrade to Vista. I will have none of that BS.
Dot @ Jan 7th 2007 11:22PM
"And don't pull the "but the PC does other stuff too!", a $600 laptop is just as capable of doing "that other stuff", and has the added advantage of being small and portable. That's how I work anyway: laptop for work, 360/TV for play."
I don't know where do people get all those prices from. First, you can upgrade to a cutting edge high end PC for just about $1500. Secondly, you DON'T need an "uber-hi-end-supercomputer" to play PC games. For $700 you can upgrade your PC to a mid-end rig that will play all currently released games at high settings, and it'll most likely even play all the 2007 releases at medium settings!
"the point of buying the 360 if many of the "exclusive" big titles hit the PC later is: play them first, play on a big high res screen, utilize surround sound audio, and save tons of cash versus getting the game on an expensive pc."
Did I somehow violate the laws of nature by connecting my PC to a HDTV set? Why do all people act like only consoles can be connected to a TV and PCs are destined for small monitors?
Next, most *onboard* audio systems have 5.1 outputs. By adding a $200 sound card to your PC, you can get full 7.1 sound.
Finally, don't call yourself a gamer if you are willing to forgo the best possible gaming experience to conserve expenses.
bm @ Jan 7th 2007 11:35PM
lol PC geeks
Yeah so a mouse is more accurate. Doesn't mean it can't suck, now does it. Many people would much rather relax on a couch, and not get RSI while hunched over a keyboard like a fucking geek trying to get teh max performance out of their game.
Face it, CS kiddies, some people play games for fun. To wind down a little. There is nothing relaxing about a mouse and keyboard. It feels like -work-.
ebucemag @ Jan 10th 2007 6:50PM
I have a 8800gtx SLI system with 4gb of Ram and a new quad-core....(went to College, not like you cracked out console kids)
I hooked that bad boy up to my 1080p, with a G7 and my wireless keyboard....Shits all over Xbox 360 with its little 48 shaders....
xiLLeNtz @ Jan 8th 2007 2:16PM
"Cool gears for pc...I might like it now. I just can't stand fps's with a controller, it's too inferior and slow. No one that started with mouse could say a controller is has good or better."
gears is a good game though without a doubt but that's true, i'd rather play an fps with my mouse and keyboard over the controller anyday
JustSomeGuy @ Jan 10th 2007 12:32PM
This is great!! I played GoW this weekend, and was really impressed.
If I can play this game without needed to buy an XBox360, that's fantastic! Personally, the new Live service which will be available on Vista is a reason to get the new OS, all by itself. There are plenty of others... but having the XBox Live experience brought over to the PC is more than worth the price of the upgrade.
James @ Jan 8th 2007 6:25PM
Well there is no doubt that a keyboard and mouse is more accurate than a joystick for shooters. I recently tried the latest Splinter Cell demo on my Xbox 360 after having played the first three only on PC. It was much more frustrating and less fun. That said I just bought my Xbox 360 to replace my PC I just bought in September.
I still like PC gaming and in some ways it's better than console gaming but I'm sick and tired of sitting at a desk (keeping the PC attached to the TV is not practical if you use it for real work). I sit at a desk all day at work and I'm done with it. I will be selling my PC and moving to a laptop (only reason for sticking with a desktop PC has been gaming). The upgrades for PC are tiresome as is typical maintenance.
o rly @ Jan 8th 2007 2:27PM
If they only make it possible for GoW to be played by PC gamers & Xbox Live gamers on the same map against each other, the Xbox forums will be full of complainers.
---
@ J.Goodwin : "35. How did Halo even sell on PC the first time around BTW?"
When did Halo even come out for the PC & Mac? About 2 years later, so that's a terrible comparison.
---
@ bm : "There is nothing relaxing about a mouse and keyboard. It feels like -work-."
If playing a GAME feels like work to you because of a common input device, then maybe you're better off with the standard NES controller, as anything more than 2 buttons may be a little too advanced for you.
bm @ Jan 8th 2007 4:32PM
^ That is the most retarded reply I've read all week.
bm @ Jan 8th 2007 4:33PM
( @ "o rly", not above poster)
R-o-D @ Jan 9th 2007 3:52PM
360 is cool. No doubt.
but, my $800 PC is faster.
sure, you wont have to "upgrade" your 360, but my CURRENT PC has more power than a 360... so bitching about a PC having to be upgraded down the road is a moot point. Furthermore, PC games look great on my 30 inch hdtv.(the desktop however, does not)
as far as mouse/kb vs controller... well, I'll leave that up to personal choice. And, "is GoW coming to the PC?" I just dunno. as other ppl have said, the site these drivers were pulled from has most likely modded the drivers(or whoever uploaded them did). So, this story doesn't hold much water as far as confirming or denying that the game will make it to pc. Anyone who know anything, knows that GoW is running on the Unreal2007 engine, further EPIC has traditionally been a PC game maker. You do the math. And, as far as a Vista only launch consider, that the 360's gfx card is mostly likely not DX10 compatable. As, the Unreal2007 engine was in dev. WELL before there were ever any dx10 gfx cards. If epic does fall into MSs pocket and release inreall 2007 / gears of war for vista, its not going to be because the games can't run on dx9, but because MS offers them HUGE incentives to do so. Thinka about it, EPIC will loose big if they release their game only for an OS a very small % of ppl are running. Combine that with the fact that there still are not any Vista drivers for the ONLY dx10 card on the market (the 8800).
Just something to chew over.
geiger @ Jan 9th 2007 4:45PM
GoW for PC? Halo2 for PC? Who cares?
PC gamers already have the Battlefield 2/2142 series, which currently makes both the above look Donkey Kong.. Another third-person shooter on rails? no thanks.
Consoles are convenient, cheap, commercial.. but hardly cutting-edge. All of the "innovations" in GoW have been around on PCs for years.
o rly @ Jan 9th 2007 11:59AM
lol @ bm calling my reply retarded when he couldn't even reply to the right person.
Even two buttons may be too advanced for you.
Peroxide @ Jan 9th 2007 5:43PM
This is not true, here is a response from Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games.
"There is no "new information" that Gears will be released on PC. You know console games are developed on PCs, right? Even if we never release Gears of War on PC we still need to run the game on PC to develop and test content for it.
Our first E3 demo, over two years ago, was done on an PC equipped with dual NVIDIA graphics cards. That was how we simulated the power of Xbox 360 before there was actually a real Xbox 360 to run on.
We gave NVIDIA a copy of wargame.exe (along with some sample content from Gears) so they could help us tweak Unreal Engine 3 performance and reliability on NVIDIA graphics chips. That was necessary to make the development tools perform well and ensure that their drivers would support UE3 going forward. That was beneficial because two PC games (Roboblitz and Rainbow Six Vegas) have already shipped for PC and we're planning to ship our next Unreal Tournament game on PC this year as well.
So in reality the only thing this supposed "leak" demonstrates is that we work closely with NVIDIA to ensure the best possible performance for our engine on their platforms. Ditto for ATI and other graphics vendors as well.
Unfortunately none of the site reporting this silliness bothered to ask me for a comment on it
When asked recently in an interview whether I had "any comment on the Windows Vista version of Gears of War?" I replied the following:
There’s nothing to announce at this time. We’ve said all along that, at some point in the future, we could adapt Gears of Wars for PC. Based on past experience we’ve learned that it takes approximately 5 years for an OS to fully take hold among the gaming population. So unless it takes us 5 years to bring Gears of War to Windows, we certainly expect to keep supporting Windows XP users. For now however Gears is available exclusively on Xbox360 and we’re still working on improvements and enhancements to it."
http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=560732
scanncin @ Jan 20th 2007 4:44AM
the only reason most people bye xbox360 is cause the cant afford top pc so the have to settel for second best. i spit on ther 48 shaders and what i think is the uglyest console ever made and what about the noise it makes
Gis @ Feb 6th 2007 7:10AM
Pc gives so much more if ur playing fps as a squad !
with compitions such as clanbase/e-dom .ed and forums along with ur own public server & match servers ,having ur own rules & admin and even ur own game mods, squad web sites team speak ,being able to change configs gives the team game play so much more than the 360 versions ,my 360 just sits in the corner while i still play on my comp.