First, from The Inquirer:
THE NAGS are back, and we're not talking about the invasion of the killer horses that we dreamt about after a particularly cheeky late-night cheeseboard.
Microsoft has confirmed that starting next month, Windows 7 users will start to see pop-ups warning them that their beloved operating system is reaching end of life on 14th January 2020.
This will send shudders of resigned recognition to all those who lived through the saga of nag screens that plagued Windows 7 and 8.x users when Windows 10 was rolled out as a free upgrade and made it very difficult to opt out.
The good news is that these "courtesy reminders" contain some learnings gained from that whole debacle, with a promise that this time you'll see far fewer, and that there'll be a definite "don't remind me again" checkbox to get rid of them.And then, from The Verge:
This is just baffling, even for Microsoft. I can see bringing the new Chromium/Edge browser to Windows 7; Microsoft have a significant number of large-volume license-holders to whom they're trying to sell additional years of Windows 7 support ($300 USD per PC for three years, and only if you have a volume license), so adding new functionality to the platform for them makes a certain amount of sense. But WoW players? In a year in which they're trying desperately to convert individual Windows 7 users into Windows 10 Home (or Pro) users, for Microsoft to be giving those same individual W7 users additional reasons not to switch makes no obvious sense.
Oh, and these same PC gamers, who've mostly rejected both of Microsoft's ecosystems, i.e. Windows 10 and XBox Live? Microsoft has more goodies in the bag for them, too, even if they don't play WoW.
First (or, Third, I guess), from Variety:
“Halo: The Master Chief Collection” is making its way to PC for the first time ever, revealed during the latest episode of Microsoft’s “Inside Xbox” series.
This version of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” was built “specifically for the PC audience,” and will allow players to enjoy the first-person shooter on the platform, including campaign and multiplayer play. It will be available via the Microsoft Store and Steam.
The game will be added “in stages” with each title releasing one at a time so the team can ensure that everything works correctly.Yes, The Master Chief Collection is finally coming to Steam... only five years late, with Halo: Infinite currently-and-not-coincidentally in development.
And, in a probably-not-at-all-related development, Microsoft have even more goodies in store for Steam gamers. From TweakTown:
Steam, remember, does not yet have a native Windows 10 version, so this gives a way for XBox gamers to access their Steam accounts (if they have Steam accounts, and also if they have beefy PCs to stream from) without needing to allow them to simply side-load the Steam client on their XBoxes. (Which is a bit of a disappointment, really; Microsoft should just admit that they've lost this one, and work with Valve to bring the Steam client to both the Microsoft store and XBox consoles. But I digress.)
So, what's the plan? Fuck if I know, and Microsoft aren't saying. It could be that there really isn't a plan, in the sense of Microsoft being able to leverage these moves into some sort of stronger position for their own ecosystems; Microsoft had previously said that they wanted to reconnect with consumers, and most of these moves would seem to be crowd-pleasers... except that they're also bringing back our GWX PTSD by addition Windows 10 upgrade nag screens to Windows 7 again, apparently having learned only that they need to (at the very least) let users opt out after being nagged at.
Will all of these moves add up to a net positive for Redmond? Or will Windows 7 users be so triggered by the GWX-style nag screens that the other moves get lost in the resulting outrage? Only time will tell, dear readers. In the meantime, place your bets, and pass the popcorn.