Microsoft Corp said that it will sell an extra software pack that works with its new version of Windows, adding games and features that demonstrate the operating systems' new graphics and music capabilities.
Microsoft will sell the Plus for Window XP package for US$40 and stores began taking orders yesterday to ship on Oct. 25 when XP hits stores, said Microsoft's Geordie Wilson, a product manager in the company's Windows digital media division.
Windows XP, the latest version of the operating system that runs more than 90 percent of personal computers, was expected to help repair the declining PC market.
The Plus Pack is intended to help show the new features of XP, which analysts have cautioned may not sell as well as initially expected because consumer and business spending is declining in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Windows XP is compatible with PCs released since the holiday season of 1999 but the Plus package required a newer computer.
The graphical features and games can only run well on a PC with a video card released in the last six to nine months, Wilson said.
The product offers games and voice recognition commands for the Microsoft Windows Media Player software for playing audio and video files, as well as new designs and graphics.
The pack allows users to choose a design theme for their PC, such as aquarium, which changes the user's cursor to a seashell, sets up a background with a picture of starfish and adds water and screeching seagull sounds when you close and open programs and applications.
The graphics features and games take advantage of Windows XP's ability to render shading and light in a more realistic fashion that past versions of Windows. Games include a bowling game and a puzzle game called Russian Square.
Audio features include the ability to have the computer make random play lists of music files the user has stored based on type of music, artist or album. Users can then design and print a compact disc booklet to go with CDs they create.
The program also stores information on the sound distortion of many common PC speakers and can adjust to compensate, making cheaper speakers sound better, Wilson said.
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