With Minesweeper, Microsoft on ARM is Finally Legitimate

From DailyTech: With estimates of the total number of users of Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) Windows operating system at be well over one billion people, it's astonishing to think how many people have experienced Minesweeper, a humble game of chance, intuition, and skill, which has been packaged with every major edition of Windows since Windows 3.0 (which lacked the game). (Minesweeper clones have since popped up on other platforms like Linux.)

Now Microsoft has announced that it will finally be adding Minesweeper support for Windows RT -- its special distribution of Windows 8 that is designed to support ARM Holdings plc's (LON:ARM) ubiquitous low-power processors.

Minesweeper is no longer pre-bundled as of Windows 8, but it was offered for non-ARM users previously (for free) via the new Windows Store. Now the updated app also shares the minesweeping love with owners of ARM devices, like the Microsoft Surface RT.

While Solitaire and Mahjong still only list Windows RT support as "coming soon", ARM device owners can at least find solace in what is perhaps Microsoft's most ubiquitous game.

The update also adds something that may alienate some Minesweeper traditionalists -- an "adventure" mode. Microsoft describes, "[Players] guide [their] brave hero[s] to the center of the Earth, collecting riches along the way."

Beating the adventure mode challenges will earn you Xbox Live trophies, and advance your rank on leaderboards for the game.

Existing apps must be specially recompiled to work on ARM processors. This can be challenging, at times, as Microsoft's API selection differs slightly between Windows 8 and Windows RT. Most Microsoft titles, like Office, are currently available optimized for Windows RT devices.

View: Article @ Source Site