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It's now confirmed that The Creative Assembly's upcoming RTS title, Stormrise, will only support DirectX 10 on the PC, thus making it exclusive to Windows Vista by default.

In an interview with PC Games Hardware, Stormrise lead designer Artem Kulakov confirms the title's DX10 support, making it the first (and possibly only) Vista-exclusive game (Update: Uh, except for all those other ones). According to Kulakov, the reason for only supporting DX10 is to make it easier to port to console platforms and to give the developer an "opportunity to increase performance and improve visual quality."

While we aren't experts in the field of how to launch a new franchise, we suspect that limiting the potential user base to only those with Vista (and without some hacking skillz) seems counterproductive to the goal of making a profit.

[Via Big Download]

We're not even willing to label this a "proof of concept," as this mash-up of Windows Vista (via emulation) and the PlayStation 3 is only for those with near-infinite patience or those with a penchant for pain. Some numbers to keep in mind: a day to install, 25 minutes to boot up, 5 minutes to access the start menu and 12 minutes to open notepad. (That's a lot of sandwiches.)

Video embedded after the break, or click here to view instructions on how to do it yourself. Only the truly masochistic need apply.

[Via Engadget]

Emulating operating systems is never really a good idea. Yet, mopx0 has decided to give it a try with Microsoft's latest operating system, Vista. To say it runs slow would be an understatement, as booting the resource-heavy OS takes 25 minutes on the system. To run Notepad emulated on the PS3 via Linux takes a whopping 12 minutes. It's not really practical, but shows the incredible dedication the hacking community has when tackling the strangest of projects.

If for some crazy reason you want to give it a try, read here.

[Via Engadget]

Sure, we made our own guide to help you share your Mac's internet connection with your Xbox 360, but what if you're one of the few people out there using a Windows box? If you're rocking either Mac OS X (it says here Tiger or Leopard) or Windows Vista or XP, there's a handy guide on Instructables showing you how to use that computer's internet connection to get your Xbox online. Of course, getting your Xbox online isn't much use if Live is down ...

[Thanks, WebPimp]

Aspiring game developers using Microsoft's free-to-use XNA development toolkit will be happy to know than an upgraded version, Game Studio 2.0, will be released early tomorrow, December 13. The new version sports a reported fifteen new features, among them online play through Microsoft's LIVE system.

According to the press release, "The new version ... includes the ability to create online, cross-platform multiplayer games for Xbox 360 and Windows using Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE, respectively." We think that means cross-platforms games and multiplayer games, not cross-platform play for Xbox 360 owners wanting to duke it out with their Windows cohorts - sorry, folks, go ahead and add that to your wishlist of Studio 3.0 features. Matchmaking features, however, are integrated.

XNA Game Studio 2.0 "fully supports game development with all versions of the Microsoft Visual Studio product line." View the entire list of new features here.

Shadowrun players may have to drop one of their hobbies once they download the new title update. No, they won't be forced to quit the multiplayer FPS, they'll have to give up whatever they've been doing during the hours (OK, minutes) it takes to join a game. In the official Shadowrun forums, lead program manager "Kimona" says that the new update is expected to improve wait times 200 to 300%. The post also promises improved sync times when new players join a game and changes to the party system. There are also some changes specific to Vista.

Kimona isn't saying exactly what day next week the update will drop, but suffice it to say you had better put some major time into that "Bless This Mess" needlepoint over the weekend. Update: Doh, the patch is now live (and has been since yesterday!). Anyone notice improved wait times?

[Via Team Xbox]

Sega's upcoming strategy title Universe at War: Earth Assault is embracing the battle of keyboard and mouse vs. gamepad by allowing cross-platform play, joining Shadowrun and Uno as titles utilizing Microsoft's LIVE Anywhere

Can Xbox 360 owners fare well against their Windows counterparts in a largely point-and-click-centric genre? When announcing the console version, Sega VP of Marketing Steinberg lauded the gamepad control scheme but gave no details on how it works.

Universe at War is coming out for PC in late 2007 and the Xbox 360 sometime in 2008.

Beating Falling Leaf to the punch, members of the hacking group Razor1911 have managed to hack the Vista-only Shadowrun to work on Windows XP, the Inquirer reports. The crack, weighing in at less than 5 MB, reportedly removes the need for DirectX 10. (No, we're not linking to it -- you can find it yourself.)

With the crack, you can only play single-player against bots or multiplayer LAN games. Falling Leaf, who has stated they will be providing free code for those who purchase the game on Amazon via their pre-order page, still estimates cracks for Vista-only Shadowrun and Halo 2 by "late July."

Microsoft has purchased 15 million shares in Sichuan, China-based Changhong Electric Co., valued at 94 million yuan (about US $12 million). That's just one percent off the company, according to the Taipei Times.

Said Microsoft spokesman in Beijing Roger Chen, the two companies will explore "a wide range of scenarios for digital entertainment needs ... The project focuses on in-home network digital entertainment -- how to connect PCs, TVs and the Internet to provide this digital entertainment experience."

The first thought that comes to our mind is the Xbox 360, Microsoft's most prominent living room entertainment device, and potentially is related to their IPTV service. No concrete details have been given about the project, so consider this all speculation at the moment.

Infinity Ward's studio head Grant Collier, who we reported yesterday was unhappy with the overuse of sandbox gameplay and destructible environments, told IGN in an interview that there was no interest in using Live Anywhere for PC and Xbox 360 cross-play.

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer put it bluntly: "We said no and they didn't call back." Clarifying, Collier said "[it's cool] if you're playing online poker, but who wants to be playing an RTS on a console and have some guy on a PC clicking and dragging all his troops, attacking your base while you're sitting there with your thumb sticks." The keyboard/mouse vs. gamepad argument is a long-standing battle, and clearly Collier feels that they cannot be equals for fast-paced strategy or first-person shooter titles.

Live Anywhere is currently in use by Halo 2 (update: nevermind), Shadowrun and the action-packed Uno.

The Shadowrun demo that was supposed to be out today on the Xbox 360 has been delayed by a day. According to the Shadowrun forums the hiccup will cause the demo to release at 2AM Pacific time -- how's that for nailing down a time?

The demo will include three training chapters, bot and online match, two races, a little magic, a little tech and a whole lot of weaponry. Here will be your chance to check out the not-so-well received title which released on Vista and Xbox 360 last week.

[Via GamingTalkHQ, Thanks Alex]

Another week, another batch of games to steal your time and money in exchange for a few moments of fun. We love it. The big news comes from two magic words under the PC release list: Halo 2. After several delays, including the most recent one involving nudity, Vista owners can finally get their Halo on.

Adventure gamers also have something to celebrate this week, as Secrets of Atlantis is hitting the PC in just a few days. Finally, Surf's Up is ready to make a huge splash, drenching every console with its fishy movie tie-in stench.

Read on for a few dozen other excuses to play hooky.

If you can geek out to API advancements, we salute you. Today's video picks compare DirectX 9 and the messiah DirectX 10 with Crysis footage. Yes, we can actually see a difference in the clips, and GameTrailers provides big, non-embedable HD files on its site.

Will Crysis be the best-looking game ever, and will it require a DX10 system -- and, of course, Vista -- to earn that title? We've seen "best-looking game ever" mugs at a mall kiosk and will set one aside for the game's release later this year. (Don't let us down, Crysis. We could end up taunting you by giving it to the Wii.)

See the videos after the break.

Whoops! So, Halo 2 missed both of its Vista release dates, also missing the opportunity to be called the first Games for Windows Live-enabled title (that honor now belongs to Shadowrun). Their first excuse was the relatively banal: we need to "make some improvements to the install experience and address other technical issues." Their newest excuse? Oh, it's much juicier than that. According to GameDaily BIZ, this second delay was due to "an unfortunate, obscure content error which includes partial nudity." Oh yeah, cue the chanting monks, we're imagining some Hot Coffee style minigames with Master Chief and the Arbiter.

Microsoft has updated the packaging and is making a patch available at Halo2.com to remove the content in question. Future releases will have the content removed. What was the content? Do you really want to know? According to the ESRB: "a photograph of an individual showing his bare backside to the user when a particular error occurs." Oh Microsoft, you could have made this so much more scandalous if you only tried harder.

Based on "cash-flow returns on investment," Barron's magazine (subscription required) has placed Gamestop at 16 in their list of the top 500 U.S. and Canadian companies. The infamous game retailer received an 'A' for increasing sales growth and an 'A' for 52-week stock growth, ultimately earning a grade of 3.5 out of 4.0.

The hype surrounding the console launches was listed as a contributing factor -- and may we also add their massive profit margin with used game sales. Other games industry business Microsoft made the list at 21 with a 3.25 grade, earning a 'B' in stock growth and a 'C' for slowing growth. The period of preparedness prior to the Vista launch was cited as reasons the company did not rank higher.

Barron's also recently listed Nintendo's Satoru Iwata among the world's best CEOs.