Windows 8 Is a ‘Catastrophe’ Says Valve Software MD
Gabe Newell says operating system will force some out of the market
The managing director of Valve Software has claimed that Windows 8 will be a “catastrophe” for PC developers.
The latest version of Microsoft’s operating system is due in October, but Gabe Newell says that it will mean huge changes for the PC market and none of them positive.
Windows 8 includes the Windows Store, which will be a competitor to Valve’s Steam online marketplace which boasts a library of more than 2,500 games. Microsoft’s Windows Store will be the only way to download software to some Windows 8 devices.
Windows 8 Catastrophe
Newell, who worked for Microsoft for thirteen years on Windows, said its arrival would drive some PC developers out of business because it will put so much pressure on sales margins. Microsoft will take a cut of up to 30 percent on everything sold through its store.
He added that because of the temptation to close the system in order to limit competitors’ access to it, Microsoft could remove the openness that has allowed companies like Google and social game developer Zynga to thrive.
Valve is working on ways to combat the perceived threat of Windows 8. It has adopted open-source Linux in an effort to offset the damage that it believes it is likely to sustain and hopes to make it as easy as possible for the games on Steam to run on Linux. It also plans to create a range of tools and services that players could use to make games and make gaming more fun.
Microsoft pledges that Windows 8 will work equally well with both tablets and traditional PCs and users can switch between a tiled interface and desktop mode whenever they want. Microsoft hopes that this dual system will give it a potential inroad into the tablet market amid slow sales of PCs.
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