HiGame

Microsoft really wants PC and Xbox One gamers to have a common platform that links their purchases and allows for both cross-buying and possibly cross-play. At first, this seemed a win-win for everyone. Now, however, the restrictions placed on Windows 10 games sold through the Windows Store seem like they might kill the entire concept.
We touched on this recently, but it’s worth revisiting the topic in-depth, since it affects games like Quantum Break, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and the upcoming Gears of War Ultimate Edition.*Specifically, games purchased through the Windows Store:

• Only run on Windows 10
• Cannot be managed by Steam
• No SLI / Crossfire support
• No refund policy
• Use borderless full screen with a refresh rate lock synchronized to your display rate (the lock has been reported as 60Hz, because that’s the maximum refresh rate on many displays)
• Protected game files can hinder modding (this will vary depending on the structure of the title)

In addition, there are mouse and key binding issues, as well as the fact that you can’t override in-game settings with Nvidia’s Control Panel or AMD’s Catalyst Control Center, according to Ars Technica.
Having said that, there are a few erroneous restrictions that are being reported as Windows Store-specific, but which may or may not be. The reason benchmark monitoring and reporting tools are having trouble with these applications is the same reason FCAT can’t monitor Ashes of the Singularity on AMD hardware — the software and application support for DX12 monitoring isn’t available yet. Support for these modes will hopefully come in time.

Avoid the Windows Store

Reading over the list of restrictions, I can’t honestly come up with a reason why a PC gamer should ever buy a title through the Windows Store, unless it’s a mobile game or something you already own on an Xbox One. Giving up multi-GPU support, tunable options, cross-OS compatibility, and Steam’s refund policy gets you… well, practically speaking, it gets you nothing. If you own an Xbox One, cross-buying may be a potent incentive. But for everyone else, the Steam / GoG / whoever deal is going to be better.



This speaks to an ongoing problem with Microsoft and the Windows Store in general. Universal Windows Apps might be awesome in theory, but in practice they’re far more trouble than they’re worth. If Microsoft sold its games for less money in the Windows Store, it might be worth the limited feature set, but the company’s entire plan appears to be “Sell them less for the same price tag.” Gamers who are used to how Steam works may not be pleased with the way the Windows Store locks everything down. Microsoft may want to unify the Windows Store and its Xbox One gaming empire with the PC space, but it risks creating a two-tier system in which Steam buyers have dramatically better features and compatibility than Microsoft products on a Microsoft platform.

These kinds of limits and lockdowns may make sense on mobile devices, but they’re not going to help Microsoft win converts for the PC Windows Store. As things stand, it should be considered the method of last resort for buying a game, unless you specifically want the Xbox One cross-buy feature. Once Microsoft revises its policies and requirements, that could change.


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