Vista will help gaming "grow up" - Ken Levine

Being able to use DirectX 10 might sound like most obvious benefit of developing for Windows Vista, but BioShock lead designer Ken Levine has a different take on what makes the operating system so important to gamers and the industry at large.

"The best thing about DX10 and Vista for me is not better graphics," he told Eurogamer, in an interview due to be published next week. "It's the push Microsoft is making to make PC games easier for the user to buy, install and understand."

"The new rating system for system requirements is going to go a long way to broaden our market. PC gaming needs to grow up in this regard, and Vista is a great start."

Levine was referring to the way that Vista allows users to see at-a-glance how well a game will perform on their system. Vista also introduces "Games Explorer", which allows for much easier management of game software and related save games. A PC version of Xbox Live - "Game for Windows - LIVE" - is set to be introduced in Europe on 18th May, bringing with it a unified cross-platform profile and friends list, along with Xbox 360's popular "gamerscore" system.

BioShock - one of 2007's most anticipated titles - is in development for PC (under the "Games for Windows" umbrella brand) and Xbox 360, and is due out this August.

via eurogamer