I'm not sure why anyone would want to have their home videos of whatever kind as their moving desktop wallpaper, but aren't the Ultimate Extras going to be "made available" to other Vista users PDQ as well?

Pretty disappointing.

A freeware program that's already available (GroupShot)

Using video as your desktop background? This has already been possible for YEARS in Windows. While DWM may reduce the CPU utilization to nil, the fact that no one has bothered to use video for their background (even very simple low color videos) means that the only use of this "Extra" is for marketing.

Also does anyone else beside's me get bothered by the fact of Aero and now this DreamScene "Extra" using their video card for unecessary eye candy? I'm wondering how many more tech support calls Vista will cause to graphics card manufacturers due to failing hardware. The way it's been for some time now is that the home user would use their computer for basic tasks like internet surfing and email and MAY occasionally load up a 3d game every now and then. With Aero constantly using their GPU....man.....I hate to think about it.

From what its been known, "Extras" are going to be "exclusive" to Windows Vista Ultimate. But as much as I am excited for this, I do have to agree that Microsoft should not screw this awesome opportunity, because I feel that the same thing is going to happen as what did to XP. They promised all of these goodies, but they stopped making stuff (i.e. Movie Maker Theme Packs, Add-ins, and so on, just check their "Added Date" info on the Downloads site at Microsoft.com; it makes you feel so weird that at a point, those now-looking-obsolete (once comparing to Vista) were at a point cool and flashy) at around 2003 because they were probably busy with Vista. Take their WGA "Offers", they make up of really useless and old pieces of "cool" software that really make no sense now. (I'm not talking about IE, Defender, and all of the new programs that need WGA, but those "extras"). So yeah, Microsoft, don't screw this up!

Argh, Joe!

And here, from your tantalising heading, I thought you'd be spilling the beans on the Ultimate Extras!

Let's hope the 30th delivers some nice extras for the premium.

Joe is this what you mean by Microsoft talking to the press and Apple holding up on stuff? Where is the news?

The fact that you had been looking for downloads that never happened means Microsoft didn't just give a reason last night. You had it all along. But it never materialized. What makes you think it will materialize in the near future?

People did we learn nothing from Licensing 6.0??? Give us your money now and we'll give you something down the road (hopefully). Now we are getting the same line. Give us 400 bucks and we'll give you something you probably don't really need, but don't worry since we probably won't give it anyway. So don't worry.

I'll tell you what IS going to happen. Addons will come out for the other Vista versions (and maybe for Ultimate too). That wont require Ultimate at all. It won't come from partners since Microsoft has bought, sued or conned itself out of real partners (see 1990s definition of that term).

Now on the matters of usability. Really what is the relevance of a moving desktop? I have two things to consider 1) distracting and 2) I have windows with work related stuff open. So I spend 400 bucks to get and OS that lets me see videos on my background. Videos I can't really see because I have open windows with work material. So I go out and buy a 32" monitor so I can see my work and half my video. I get distracted by half the scene and do half the average work (at best).

Can you point out the Advantage? I just don't see it.

Forget the candy (both eye and otherwise). What has Vista got that XP hasn't. Don't include Aero, video desktops etc. Give me a list of REAL things that Vista has which XP hasn't.

I haven't seen this list anywhere yet!

Hey Joe, is the shill check you get from Redmond more, or less than what ZDNet and eWeek pay you? Is it enough to wash the taste out of your mouth every morning?

why buy ultimate now? it's on the DVD. Upgrade to Ultimate later when you see an "extra" that is worth it.

The only thing that I believe will make vista viable is the fact that it will have DirectX 10 and XP won't. Do you think this is a coincidence? or that Microsoft knows that Vista isn't really that much better than XP and that most folks wouldn't need to upgrade to vista unless it had a "killer" feature no other MS OS has. Microsoft is smart but I can't believe 5 years went into this OS and this is all it has. No way I'm paying 400 for Vista Ultimate. If the windows platform wasn't the best gaming platform on the planet, windows wouldn't matter as much any more...Look at OS X and Linux...much more secure operating systems, but thats a story for another time.

I have a moving desktop. It's called Dremples!
It's free to download and works on win 98 and XP!

Its still not enough to justify the extra cost - if this happens to do anything, it will be to devalue the other versions of Windows - the extra downloads look like the kind of stuff that's now freeware for xp (with the WGA validation) - if they don't release them for the rest of Vista, it'll just degrade the user experience slightly. Not worth the premium - MSBob has it right - wait for a good extra before you upgrade.

how can you compare a hardware and software solution to just software, they going to chuck in a PC to even it out? I think not!

I find it hilarious how you try to justify the hefty price tag

What? have they really forgotten all the hassles people went through with XP? I'm not going NEAR vista until the 2nd service pack is released - no way am I falling into the same trap and acting as a beta tester for M$oft again..and at that price they should guarantee no crashes ..as they said for XP...Ive been able to have video overlay for desktop for years. Its NOT new. Its also very distracting unless you have say, 6 hours worth of video of a beach on fiji with just the water lapping away.
This is nothing extraordinary - come on..pretty themes (styleXP anyone?) and desktop searches..good grief..
Im moving to linux

Any flavor of Vista seems a little rediculous to me. I feel that MS should take hardware upgrade cost to even run Vista with all features in to consideration or atleast offer a hardware upgrade rebate You wouldnt pay full price for a new car with no tires would you? I am running a farely new system P4 3.2 GHz 1GB of ram and still only get a 1 on vista performance all because of my graphics card I have an ATI 9200se with 128mb vram but vista wont let me run aero glass which i could really care less about but wont let me run the DVD maker software because my gfx card isnt up to par my point is that it costs $400 bucks for vista ultimate and about another 200 bucks for a good gfx card total of 600 bucks. I could buy a vista premium box for that but in all reality I dont see the need to upgrade Top desk provides the flip3d feature I can get a vista theme pack for xp to make it look like vista, I can use Media Portal for media center (which is free) A wide variety of software both freeware and shareware for video editing and dvd authoring zone alarm for firewall and avg for av I see no need to upgrade besides most of the software i have already purchased for xp is not compatible for vista even some of my hardware drivers whch brings me to another point finding and buying compatible software for vista. More money down the drain another thing i think is odd is that xpsp3 is now delayed until 2008 WTF? just trying to make ppl pay for vista at this time the only way i wold upgrade is if i needed a new pc and it came preloaded and even then i probably would reformat it and install xp I suggest that everyone thinking of buying vista partition your hd and install rc1 or2 and try running it first before blindly purchasing it I think a lot of ppl are going to be disapointed. This is only my opinion. Good Luck

I have to agree with jkluger here, I was handed Vista Ultimate and Office Ultimate, full versions, by MS and was advised that my system specs were good enough to run them. Well, the specs will run them but I have to tell you I wish I hadn't.
To get the best out of Vista I would need to run dual cpu, 2GB RAM, 512MB or better Video and HDD's that haven't been created yet.
Bottom line is that all the bells n whistles will work IF you have the hardware to support them, and I think perhaps only Gates actually has.
My system is a P4 2.8GHz 1GB RAM 256MB Video, 160GB Seagate HDD and 19" Flat Screen.
The HDD hardly ever stops, while the HDD is running I get absolutely NO indication why, nor any way to stop it, and everything else slows down to snails pace, can't use programs, may as well go cook dnner and take a long bath.
This OS may be fantastic in that world where things are exactly the way you want them, but in the real world, dial up connections and sub Super systems, it ain't much use.
Btw, here goes that HDD again!

I have read all the comments and have to laugh. I bought a new laptop that had the almighty PISTA on it. Biggest mistake I have ever made. I am now taking my system into a local geek to take this crap off of the system.In no way shape form or fashion is this crap user friendly and PC friendly its so not. My pc runs as slow as dial up and its very annoying. It takes about 10 minutes to boot up and NOTHING is compatible with it.If you have any computer knowledge then you will stay as far away from PISTA as you possibly can.Your life in the PC world will be much happier if you do. Home Videos my eye if you put your home videos on this crap you will never pull a page on the internet.

Overall, to buy Ultimate with a MSRP of $399. Your first hurdle is learning a completely new way of nearly every system function (setting up a network or try setting your desktop to no picture!) but you get 3 things "Home Premium" doesn't have:

1. Backup software-- free from third-party sources

2. Business Networking-- illogical because the business edition has everything your employees need and costs less.

3. BitLocker-- well, the complaints there are too verbose.

Seems to me something is lacking to justify the price, and I've got it!

You want to justify the price? >> Give us Multi Station! <<

Released through Windows Update... To add a Station, simply plug in two cables to the back of your existing Windows Vista Ultimate computer. One for video and one going to a USB hub. Not only are you saving the cost of electricity but it reduces the chances of piracy of Vista. Multi head video cards are very common and can cost less than it takes to run one PC for a year. How easy would it be to give your child (or roommate, etc.) access to the internet and all the goodies of Vista with the simple addition of an additional monitor with it's own USB keyboard, USB mouse, USB sound (maybe even a USB DVD-ROM). You say your child's bedroom is in the next room? That's only Two cables through the wall.... t-w-o.

So I send out a cry to microsoft-- make all existing and future editions of Vista Ultimate capable of Multi Station use. Setting it up would be simple. Soon users of multi boot systems (ahem Tux) would be in envy of Ultimate's multi station as they see mulitple monitors all containing a Vista Welcome screen!

P.S. 5 users would do fine, beyond that it's a business.

Tried to upgrade to Ultimnate from Home Premium with disatrous results, such as unable to connect to my wireless LAN. Support has been slow and not useful. I'm still trying to figure out how to get a refund.