06-06-2004, 02:00 PM
|
|
Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
|
|
Windows Mobile Devices To Get Better At Gaming
http://www.brighthand.com/article/Microsoft_Adding_D3DM_to_Windows_Mobile
"A high-level Microsoft executive made it clear recently that his company has no plans to release a portable gaming device. Instead, Microsoft will encourage game developers to create titles for handhelds and smartphones running Windows Mobile. To make this easier, the company is going to build a new group of gaming APIs into the next version of Windows Mobile."
Enter Direct-X for Windows Mobile, also known as Direct 3D Mobile, or D3DM, and is expected to appear in Windows Mobile 2005 devices. We know that D3DM is new and included in Windows CE 5.0, and now we know that the next version of Windows Mobile has D3DM, soooooo... it must be based on Windows CE 5. :mrgreen: Not really surprising. The big reason there was such a long time between Pocket PC 2002 and 2003 with little surface changes was the guts had to be ripped out of it and laid on top of CE 4.2. CE 4.x had gone back and taken a lot of stuff in Pocket PC 2000/2002 and put it in the core CE operating system, meaning Mobile Device developers at MS could focus on the UI and apps and not fool with tap-and-hold integration and other items. Theoretically, Windows Mobile operating systems could now be lifted off of an older version of CE and put on a newer one with relative ease. It was a painful transition, but now that it is done, we can reap the benefits. Had that not happened, we might not see a CE 5 based WM device until 2006.
You may ask why it is important to stay up on the latest CE version possible. Speed, stability and security are the key reasons. The analogy isn't quite correct, but think of Windows Mobile as Office and Windows CE as Windows. Having Office 2003 installed in Windows 2000 will work, but it isn't going to be as good as having it on Windows XP. 
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 02:22 PM
|
|
Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
|
|
Nice to see that we should have some innovation in the OS coming soon. It's quiet for quite a while.
I look forward the upcoming VGA games that will run under D3DM. :mrgreen:
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 02:38 PM
|
|
Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 287
|
|
Since MS has merged their Windows Mobile and Windows CE departments and teams we are certainly going to see a tighter fit between the two "OSes". I welcome this greatly as I would like to see a resurgence in HPC's, expecially if they can run all of the same software as PPC.
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 03:07 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 33
|
|
AT LAST!!!!!
I have been scorning the Gameboy and PSP fanboys for years... I just couldn't justify carrying around a PDA (which most people should do) plus carry a separate machine just for gaming... It wouldn't take much for someone to build a decent gaming machine with Windows Mobile as the guts - look at the good reviews the Tapwave Zodiac received. Manufacturers can put out various versions: business/PDA centric models right alongside gaming-centric models...
I really hope this happens sooner rather than later... The PSP looks like it could be a hit and that might mean less developers writing games for the Windows Mobile platform...
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 03:50 PM
|
|
Oracle
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 830
|
|
Im very happy to see WM becomming a gaming platform. My new X30 624mhz kicks my Clie's a$$, even when the x30 is in 208mhz mode. With the emulation possibilities of this xscale, ppc will prosper as a gaming platform
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 04:48 PM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 332
|
|
If they would come up with a browser that worked as well as the desktop version (smaller, of course), integrated wireless, an ability to play video at the same framerate as a desktop and a good, seperate video processor to handle the games (coupled with a little friendlier D-Pad), I'd be set. And they would sell a heck of a lot more ppc's to the average consumer as well.
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 04:57 PM
|
|
Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dazz
Since MS has merged their Windows Mobile and Windows CE departments and teams we are certainly going to see a tighter fit between the two "OSes".
|
They haven't merged them. In fact, I think the CE team is more closely aligned with the windows embedded group, which includes XP Embedded, but the CE team has always worked well with their largest customer - the Mobile Device group. :-)
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 05:33 PM
|
|
5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,133
|
|
I'll really think of PPCs as gaming devices when there are buttons on both the "top" and "bottom" of the screen so that in landscape mode all the buttons aren't on one side...
Did you see the list of games that they're planning to port to Windows Mobile? One of them was "It's Mr. Pants". :lol:
Now, forget 3D support, let's get CivII! :P
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 05:55 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 155
|
|
I've been waiting for this day for a long time. It may be untimely because of gameboy DS and PSP's upcoming presence. I still await some Xbox live network development kit for the ppc. Once that's in place, all is well =)
|
| |
|
|
|
06-06-2004, 07:31 PM
|
|
Oracle
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 830
|
|
this is probebly msft indirectly releasing a next gen handheld console
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
