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Microsoft Offers First Vista Ultimate Extras

By BetaNews Staff, BetaNews

January 30, 2007, 2:43 PM

Shortly before the operating systems' launch Monday night, Microsoft posted the first of what it expects to be many added extras for consumers that have purchased its top-of-the-line version of Windows Vista, dubbed "Ultimate." Among the first add-ons released are the game "Texas Hold'em Poker," and enhancements for both the BitLocker and EFS functionality.

"This is just the beginning," Windows Vista product manager Nick White posted to the official Vista blog Tuesday. Vista Ultimate is available as the full version for $399.95 USD or in upgrade form for $259.95 USD. However, OEM copies of the software are available for $199.99 USD from electronics retail sites like NewEgg.com.

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By BadIronTree

posted Feb 1, 2007 - 1:48 AM

VISTA Ultimate cost 600 euros :((((

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Feb 1, 2007 - 11:18 AM

How much you wanna bet that's to pay off all the ridiculous EU fines?

Score: 0

By niloch

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 9:44 PM

I have been a user of RC2 Vista since it came out and it is worth buying for it is truly an upgrade from Xp Pro. If you do not like it go to a more stable environment like Mandriva Linux

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

edited Jan 31, 2007 - 9:39 PM

Wow. The trolls are out in force tonight.

Mommy and Daddy must be out for the night.

Vista Home Premium, which is what most folks will buy:

Full Retail: $226.99
Retail Upgrade: $153.99
OEM: $119.99

Just to provide some context,

Windows XP Home Edition:

Full Retail: $189.99 ($37 difference)
Retail Upgrade: $99.99 ($54 difference)
OEM: $89.99 ($30 difference)

Consider the fact that XP Home did *not* come with Media Center capabilities and Vista Home Premium *does*.

It's a $30-$54 dollar difference folks. For an incredible amount of added functionality.

Yeah, I know.. trying to break up the trolling with actual facts.

I should know better by now.

(All prices are current as of this moment from NewEgg.)

Score: 0

By buyerman120

edited Jan 30, 2007 - 3:54 PM

Overpriced over hyped and after all the crap I went through with the begining of xp. Yeah 399.95 give me a break......

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 6:11 PM

Do you need Vista Ultimate?

Home Basic is $95 on Newegg right now. Tell me you paid less than that for XP Home at launch. No? Thought so.

Score: 0

By tappa113

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 10:48 AM

Ultimate rip-off!!

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Jan 31, 2007 - 11:18 AM

For the price of 4 games you can get the newest OS (Vista Ultimate OEM $200).

How is that a ripoff?

Photoshop costs more than that (a lot more).

Score: 0

By xyzcb1

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 12:18 PM

If Photoshop is from MS, yes then it's expensive, otherwise, it's not ;)

Score: 0

By treworld

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 4:16 PM

The Vista interface was designed with Photoshop CS2. Lol. =p

Score: 0

By ds0934

edited Jan 31, 2007 - 10:10 AM

What a joke. Crap that should have been in the base OS package is stripped out and sold back to us like it's some bonus. BS! Texas Hold-Em Poker? Are you kidding me??!!

This whole thing seems like buying a tricycle for your kid, only to find out you have to go back and buy the wheels to go with it.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 9:25 PM

More like it comes with wheels, and they then offer the streamers, bells, and reflective decals *free* the next day.

God, some people are stupid.

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Jan 31, 2007 - 10:36 AM

Read the article. They are giving it to you. You have to buy nothing but the original OS.

Score: 0

By ladylust

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 4:10 AM

I sell the the OS on ebay.. Ultimate out sells Basic, Basic Premium and Business by 3 to 1...

Score: 0

By tappa113

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 10:50 AM

The true reason for you ummm overly robust hailing of Vista comes to light...ebay hummpft now we know.

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Jan 31, 2007 - 11:16 AM

For what? 4 days? Not saying I doubt you, but that's not a great sample size.

Score: 0

By sumone

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 2:55 AM

Yeah MS if you are listening, please include Bitlocker and the Unix subsystem in the Business edition. Everyone all over the blogosphere and new sites want Bitlocker in Business edition. And Subsystem for unix applications is a free download for XP, that's what keeping me from upgrading to Business edition.

Score: 0

By ds0934

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 10:08 AM

Most corporate environments (especially those that deal with the US DOS or DOD) had no choice to wait or go with what was shoved down our throats. Most DOD contractors went with PC Guardian (EPHD), so BitLocker is not even on the table at this point (neither is Vista though).

Score: 0

By cvegter

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 10:34 PM

Why is bitlocker not included on business edition? Why on earth would a business want to use whole disk encryption on their laptops? Go figure... If Microsoft is really preaching security they should include it on all versions of vista.

Score: 0

By saint.alpha

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 1:07 AM

That is my question too. Bitlocker seems like the only thing that the business version is missing for a "completely secure" system...

Score: 0

By candlebox1369

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 2:28 AM

well it is included in the enterprise version for business, and that's what big companies would get

Score: 0

By dr_midnite

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 8:07 PM

Bill: Mine is really this long
Steve: And mine is really this long

Score: 0

By mjm01010101

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 6:34 PM

Enhancements: This is stuff that should have been in there.

Pass.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 10:39 AM

I don't understand the mentality. They're giving you something for free, and you're angry at that for some reason?

Please explain.

Score: 0

By Program86

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 4:26 PM

Nice. No wonder EVERYONE is buying a Mac nowadays.
(and before the Fanboys flame, its to run OSX AND Windows)

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 9:23 PM

With under a 5% market share, I'd be a bit more averse to using the term 'everyone'.

Statistically, damn near no-one's buying a Mac.

Score: 0

By THZGryphon

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 10:55 PM

Everyone? Talk about fanboy.

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 5:39 PM

Well, unless your like me and build your computers. The OEM copy doesn't sound too bad though for $199.

Score: 0

By DudeBoyz

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 11:24 PM

If you don't mind the restriction that the OEM copy is bound to the Motherboard specifically and cannot be moved to another motherboard should you decide to upgrade. You can update your CPU, memory, vid, hard drive, etc. but apparently the product will not reactivate in full-function mode if the motherboard has been changed out.

I suppose if your motherboard broke and you had to replace it, you could call 'em and state that was the specific reason for the change and they would issue you a new activation number, so all is not lost.

I'm not sure what I would do. I've changed out about everything but my motherboard in my current system, so maybe the OEM license would be worth doing in that case. Cause a full-on retail copy - that is spendy.

I could purchase 2 copies of the OEM license for the price of 1 retail copy, so maybe it would be worth it. I change out the motherboard, throw that one license away and use the second OEM one.

Hrm...

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 10:01 PM

Why not buy the full retail of Home Premium for ~$20 less than two OEM copies and not have to worry about it?

Seriously. I doubt anyone here needs Ultimate. It's like buying a yacht when all you want to do is go fishing "up nort".

Score: 0

By smarterthanyou

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 5:02 AM

The OEM version of Vista automatically locks itself to a computer's motherboard? This is the best thing ever for laptop computers. It would have been nice if OEM versions of Windows XP would have done this automatically.

Score: 0

By Banquo

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 4:04 PM

Meh, these "extras" will be spread all over the internet and soon people will be using them on other versions of Vista and even XP.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 6:19 PM

Not if they WGA the crap out of it like all their other "extras".

I wouldn't mind playing Texas Hold 'em though :)

Score: 0

By zridling

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 3:56 PM

Look for lots of giveaway promotions, as in: "Would you like a free copy of Vista Ultimate with your Happy meal?"

No thanks.

Score: 0

By zridling

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 3:54 PM

Five years, tens of billions in research, billions in marketing, billions for anti-piracy measures that don't work, a $400 price tag, and all for...

poker.

Laughingstock, as in Microsoft's stock plunged this week, and here in Chicago, the shelves are full of Vista boxes and no one in the stores either lined up or buying it. Vista may well replace 'George Bush' for the search term miserable failure on Google!

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 9:21 PM

So, does trolling MS articles get you off, or are you simply so pathetic you can't actually think of anything better to do?

I honestly cannot recall the last comment you posted that had any relevance to anyone here other than entertainment (as in, look at the court-jester, isn't he funny?).

I'd suggest you find other hobbies, but I fear that would be giving you too much credit.

Score: 0

By joeljkp

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 7:06 PM

I don't know if I'd call a ~1 point loss a "plunge".

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 6:21 PM

Uh.... dude. That's not all you get with Vista Ultimate.

Try pulling your head out of that pile of anti-MS dog crap and see if you can make any logical sense.

Score: 0

By cheesy

edited Jan 30, 2007 - 3:43 PM

and that's the beginning boy !, next you'll have klondike

Score: 0

By Natrunner

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 3:28 PM

$399.95....hehehehehe....hahahahah....hehehehee...hahahahah.....Somebody help me stop laughing it is hurting me.

Score: 0

By wincement

edited Jan 30, 2007 - 6:25 PM

Not everyone needs the Ultimate version.

Vista Home Basic is just $95 at Newegg right now. That's a lot less than XP Home was at launch.

Score: 0

By bobthegoat2001

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 5:43 PM

Well, actually you can get the OEM for $199. I don't think it's that bad.

Score: 0

By Scary Guy

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 11:33 PM

So just how much do you make a year exactly?

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 9:43 PM

WTF does that have to do with *anything*?

Sorry, if you can't afford $200 every 5 years or so, you have bigger things to worry about than getting the latest OS.

Score: 0

By ladylust

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 4:09 AM

$199.99 for brand new OS that hasnt had a major upgrade since 2001? The question is how much DO YOU make? Perhaps you should put down the name tag and go back to school.

Score: 0

By Program86

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 5:27 PM

Exactly.

$399.95 for XP SP3

hahahaha

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

edited Jan 31, 2007 - 9:45 PM

They don't even compare.

The closest comparable edition to XP SP2 (yeah, that's a 2, genius, not a 3) is Vista Home Premium, which, even at FULL RETAIL is only $37 more than XP SP2.

Get over yourself, you've got nothing.

Score: 0

By J Moyer

edited Jan 30, 2007 - 2:57 PM

Yea!! A poker game! And EFS enhancements, because Microsoft wouldn't want to make it good to begin with.

Score: 0

By wincement

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 6:24 PM

They're free add-ons. What part of that don't you understand? You make it sound as if they took something from you.

Score: 0

By Scary Guy

posted Jan 30, 2007 - 3:02 PM

Should have been dubbed "Overpriced".

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Jan 31, 2007 - 9:57 PM

I can't believe you're honestly shocked that the proverbial "Ferrari" is more expensive than the proverbial "Intrepid", so you're either a troll, or you're ignorant.

Both get you from point "A" to point "B", one just has a few "extras".

Of course it's more expensive. It's targeted directly at those willing to spend the extra $$$ to get all the extra goodies.

Duh?

Score: 0

By Sexbarril

edited Jan 31, 2007 - 2:08 PM

Still cheaper than a PS3...with more games!!!

HEH, just puts things in abit of perspective...or you can get an iphone...for more also.

Ill stick with this overpriced...the others i guess are just luxuries.

Latz, SB

Score: 0

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