Vista will help PC gaming "grow up", says Levine

Irrational Games co-founder Ken Levine has praised Windows Vista and Microsoft's efforts to make PC gaming more accessible.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz's sister site, Eurogamer.net, Levine said, "The best thing about DX10 and Vista for me is not better graphics. It's the push Microsoft is making to make PC games easier for the user to buy, install and understand."

He continued, "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.

As announced this week Games for Windows Live - a PC version of the popular Xbox Live service - will launch in Europe on May 18. It will feature a unified cross-platform profile and friends list, along with Xbox 360's Gamerscore system.

Levine is lead designer for Bioshock, a PC and Xbox 360 shooter due to be published under the 2K label in August. The full interview with Levine will be featured on Eurogamer next week.