>>You've contradicted yourself by displaying a pleasant alternative to Windows gaming - consoles.
But games aren't interchangable like some other media is. If a game that I want to play is only available on Windows, then I will put up with whatever bullshit Microsoft throws at me to play that game, I won't go "oh well, I'll just play something else on the PS4 instead".
And yes, Win10 is a disaster - but you can't use certain things like the latest GamePass subscription without it, or adjust your settings for the Xbox Elite controller without Windows 10.....sticking with Windows 7 forever is not the solution(as much as I would like it to be).
I'm both a consumer and a developer, and use windows for both - it's just the right choice for what I need at the moment. If those needs change then the operating system will change as well.
Exclusivity for games has always been the case, except for those who choose multiple platforms. When I was a kid, you had a Sega or a Nintendo, and so you had Mario, or Sonic.
IMHO the selection of games for consoles is much broader, and, overall, seem to generally have less initial issues. Furthermore, we don't get the awful DRM that causes us to go find a crack on launch day anyway, just because of the annoyance.
Microsoft's attempt to lock me into an OS I would never allow within ten feet of any of my computers, or any developer's, just means I won't use their software. No game title is worth having an awful experience with the rest of my OS, that's what dual booting is for.
Furthermore, Microsoft even offers its own console! If I want to use GamePass or an xBox controller, why am I not just using an xBox One (Pro?) - the lifespan of consoles and the length of time games will still work and be released for them, is far greater than the upgrade paths I had to suffer through with my PC growing up.
Microsoft is removing its own reason to use Windows as a gaming platform. I'd happily buy an xBox, but if I can't play a title on Windows 7, I'm just not going to purchase it.
If the developer doesn't care, and isn't willing to support it, sucks for them.
With tools like Unity and Unreal Engine, we have very, very little reason for anything but the biggest AAA games, which require seriously custom engines, which will have console versions anyway - to be Windows-exclusive.
Could you, off the top of your head, name five, significant PC-exclusive titles from the past five years that did not have a console equivalent? Not a rhetorical question, just genuinely curious. I've not heard of a single, standout Windows-exclusive title on any of the tech or gaming blogs I obsessively follow.
In fact, I've seen Microsoft make it even easier to directly port your games to xBox.
But games aren't interchangable like some other media is. If a game that I want to play is only available on Windows, then I will put up with whatever bullshit Microsoft throws at me to play that game, I won't go "oh well, I'll just play something else on the PS4 instead".
And yes, Win10 is a disaster - but you can't use certain things like the latest GamePass subscription without it, or adjust your settings for the Xbox Elite controller without Windows 10.....sticking with Windows 7 forever is not the solution(as much as I would like it to be).
I'm both a consumer and a developer, and use windows for both - it's just the right choice for what I need at the moment. If those needs change then the operating system will change as well.