Windows Ultimate Extras Review

1995 was a golden year, both for Microsoft, and for those testing its products. The company was prepping Windows 95 (codenamed Chicago and previously known as Windows 4.0), of course, but also a slew of add-on products such as Office 95 and the initial proprietary online service MSN, the Microsoft Network. Early that summer, a surprise package appeared: The first beta of something called Plus! for Windows 95, a collection of applications that made Windows 95 more useful and fun. Some saw Plus! as a fluffy and unnecessary add-on, and while there was certainly some truth to that, I figured that anything that makes the computing experience more enjoyable has to be at least somewhat worthwhile.



In the intervening years, Microsoft has released various Plus! packs, some of which were issued alongside specific Windows versions, others that were released on their own. These Plus! packs all had certain things in common: They were generally inexpensive, certainly optional, and they usually included at least one or two gems, especially if you're the type of person who enjoys visual enhancements like themes, desktop wallpapers, and the like.



With Windows Vista, Microsoft has sadly elected to discontinue its use of Plus! packs. Instead, the company has created a new collection of downloadable add-ons for Windows Vista called Windows Ultimate Extras. As the name implies, Windows Ultimate Extras is only available to owners of Windows Vista Ultimate, the most expensive Windows Vista product edition. And that's a problem: With previous Plus! packs, any Windows user could opt-in. Now, you have to pay for the Full Meal Deal (i.e. Ultimate edition) before you even qualify. I understand the need to differentiate Vista Ultimate and justify its higher price. But it seems that you could at least make the Extras available to other Vista users at a price. Common sense.



If you can get over the requirements, however, the Ultimate Extras map pretty closely to previous Plus! packs. There are fun but pointless utilities like DreamScene, which provides an animated desktop background. And there are the truly useful utilities, like the Windows BitLocker Drive Preparation Tool, which arguably should be an integrated part of BitLocker, and not an Extra.



In any event, let's break down the available Extras into logical categories and see what we've got.

Games



Plus! packs have often included games--indeed, some Plus! packs consisted only of games--and Ultimate Extras, predictably, offers at least a single game.

Hold 'Em Poker



Originally intended as one of the new Premium Games Microsoft offers in Windows Vista Ultimate and Premium, Hold 'Em was pulled out and added to Ultimate Extras because of its gambling theme, which is rated "T" for "Teen" by the ESRB; Vista's built-in Premium Games are all rated "E" for "Everyone." Technically, Hold 'Em Poker requires the same low-end PC that the built-in games require: It requires a PC with a Windows Experience Index rating of 1.0, and recommends one with a score of 2.0. That's budget PC territory, so no one should have any issues running this game title.



Hold 'Em is, of course, based on the popular Texas Hold 'Em poker variant, which swept the nation (and, presumably, the planet) a few years back and shows no sign of letting up. Of course, this electronic version of the game dispenses with the sillier elements of the TV version--i.e. the wrestler-like player personas and mountain-sized piles of chips--and instead provides a faithful rendition of the game. I'm not a huge fan of Texas Hold 'Em per se--I prefer more variation, as well as beer and pizza, when I actually play poker--but I suspect this game will be a hit with lots of people.



In Hold 'Em, you play against up to five computer-controller players in three levels of difficulty, and you start off with $1000 of faux gambling money. You can also customize a wide range of other options, including the names of the players, the look and feel of the card deck and table, and various options that would only make sense to Texas Hold 'Em devotees. One nice feature: You can automatically save the game on exit and continue at a later time.



What's missing, of course, is multiplayer capabilities, which, combined with Microsoft's Live service, could have made this game an absolute must-have. As it is, Hold 'Em will likely only benefit those who are looking for a way to improve their gaming skills while offline.



Rating:

Desktop utilities



While previous Plus! packs offered fun desktop utilities like new desktop themes, animated cursors, and high-quality desktop wallpapers, Windows Ultimate Extras turns it up a notch with a utility that Windows users have been asking about for years: Now we'll find out whether anyone will really use this thing.

Windows DreamScene (tm)



Codenamed Motion Desktop, the new (and trademarked) Windows DreamScene utility allows you to assign as video file as an animated desktop. Any MPEG or WMV (Windows Media Video) will work just fine, meaning you can use that less-than-stellar home video from Disneyworld if you're so inclined. But Microsoft supplies a number of more professional animated desktops that are designed to be seamlessly repeated.



When you install DreamScene, you'll see a new section in your Desktop Background control panel called Motion Desktops. Here, you'll see the new videos Microsoft added with DreamScene, as well as videos that can with Windows Vista itself and any movie files you've copied to the Videos or Public Videos folders.



So is DreamScene a fun add-on or annoying eye candy? That will vary from person to person, but I'm guessing I'm going to grow tired of it pretty quickly.



DreamScene requires the Windows Aero user interface, which shouldn't be much an issue for most Vista Ultimate users.