Solved Games for x86 and x64 processors only?

xlandhenry

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Just installed Windows 8 RTM and had a quick look at the Store. For the most part, I'm amazed there're already so many Modern UI apps. But looking deeper into the details, I found a lot of apps explicitly list x86 and x64 processor as the supported platform, but where is the supposed compabillity for Win8RT? Even some big title Xbox Live games, like Fruit Ninja and Taptiles fall into this category.

I'm just so wondering, if app compabilities are decided by developers? Aren't all non-desktop apps in the store supposed to be compatible with all three platforms(x86,x64,ARM)?
 

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System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
My guess is what you see listed in the "Store" is filtered based on what hardware is. You won't see ARM/RT apps if your PC is x86 because they won't install or run. If you log in from an RT tablet you'll likely see a different list of apps.
 

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System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
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    PC/Desktop
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    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
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    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
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    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
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I would imagine it does that too as alpha said, especially since Desktop apps are hosted on there.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
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    Crosshair V Formula-Z
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    16 gig DDR3
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    ASUS R9 270
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    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
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    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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Yes, do the games say "Desktop App"? If so, that means they aren't a Metro app, and thus can only be run on x86/64
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
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    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
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    16GB DDR3 1600
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    nVidia GTX 650
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    Onboard Audio
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    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
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    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
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    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
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    Antec SOLO II
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    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
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    Logitech MX
Yes, do the games say "Desktop App"? If so, that means they aren't a Metro app, and thus can only be run on x86/64

Take "Fruit Ninja" for example, it's definitely not a Desktop App. I thought I should copy its detail description here:

Recommended hardware
2 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
2 GB RAM
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Taking advantage of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch


Supported processors
x86, x64
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
My guess is what you see listed in the "Store" is filtered based on what hardware is. You won't see ARM/RT apps if your PC is x86 because they won't install or run. If you log in from an RT tablet you'll likely see a different list of apps.

It's reasonable that the Store has different app list for respective platforms, which makes me wonder how many apps actually are compatible with Windows RT. It's said the Store currently has over 4000 apps altogether, but I assume a lot of which are just for x86/x64 only.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Yes, do the games say "Desktop App"? If so, that means they aren't a Metro app, and thus can only be run on x86/64

Take "Fruit Ninja" for example, it's definitely not a Desktop App. I thought I should copy its detail description here:

Recommended hardware
2 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
2 GB RAM
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Taking advantage of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch


Supported processors
x86, x64

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Metro apps can be ARM/RT and or x86/x64. From that discription I would conclude that Fruit Ninja is a Metro x86/x64 app.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Take "Fruit Ninja" for example, it's definitely not a Desktop App. I thought I should copy its detail description here:

Since they mention DirectX, it seems they're using the technique that allows non-Metro apps to work in metro.

This following article indicates that in order to use DirectX, you have to write native code in C++, that would preclude running on ARM:

How to set up your DirectX Windows Store app to display a view

"If you want to use DirectX in your game or graphics app, you must use native C++ for development, which means that you need to be familiar with references and basic memory management techniques."
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
Yes, do the games say "Desktop App"? If so, that means they aren't a Metro app, and thus can only be run on x86/64

Take "Fruit Ninja" for example, it's definitely not a Desktop App. I thought I should copy its detail description here:

Recommended hardware
2 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
2 GB RAM
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Taking advantage of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch


Supported processors
x86, x64

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Metro apps can be ARM/RT and or x86/x64. From that discription I would conclude that Fruit Ninja is a Metro x86/x64 app.

That Metro Apps can be x86/x64 only is really news to me. I thought Microsoft did say that apart from those desktop ones, all apps in the store are compatible with ARM platform, or something along the line. If this turns out not true, then I may reconsider about whether to buy a Surface RT anytime sooner. Who knows how many apps are actually compatible with RT? :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Take "Fruit Ninja" for example, it's definitely not a Desktop App. I thought I should copy its detail description here:

Since they mention DirectX, it seems they're using the technique that allows non-Metro apps to work in metro.

This following article indicates that in order to use DirectX, you have to write native code in C++, that would preclude running on ARM:

How to set up your DirectX Windows Store app to display a view

"If you want to use DirectX in your game or graphics app, you must use native C++ for development, which means that you need to be familiar with references and basic memory management techniques."

Thanks for explaining.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
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