- Dec 22, 2005
- 126
- 0
- 0
Is anyone else reading all the tech news site articles about creative labs demanding that a person who released working drivers for Creative cards under Vista stop at once?
I am honestly surprised at the amount of outrage over this.... just because I am surprised people are just figuring this out. It has seemed to me that ever since the Audigy (and possibly even the Live cards) Creatives entire business model has been to release essentially the *same* hardware, but with modified drivers that enable/disable certain features based on what hardware is detected.
Anyone remember the CD check to install Live audio drivers? You had to actually have an original CD to install them. I always suspected this was because should the drivers been installed on a related, but not the same card, all the features of that card would be available on the lower end creative card.
I was convinced that this was the case back when the Audigy cards were around. Once creative released
Audigy 1
Audigy 2
Audigy 4
Audigy 1 gamer edition
Audigy 2 super elite edition
Audigy 4 Pro edition
Audigy 4 your sound card can cook food for you edition
(you get the idea)
I figured something was up. Then on some audiophile sites guess what started popping up? Amazingly DRIVERS that enabled ALL the features of Audigy 4 GODS $500 EDITION suddenly worked on Audigy ONE $50 BASIC edition.
Basically ALL (or perhaps the vast majority) the features that seperated the different cards were SOFTWARE based. You basically paid X dollars more for the better drivers.
Kind of shady right? But you not totally wrong. You know what? If they want to set things up like that fine.
But what REALLY is annoying comes when the flagship CURRENTLY PRODUCED X-fi edition (marketed as being Vista compatible) some how IS NOT vista compatible... and now you need to buy the no doubt up and coming X-fi VISTA Compatible edition.
But surprise what happens? A creative user discovers that amazingly with a few driver tweaks not only can X-fi cards be made to work fine under Vista, but even AUDIGY cards. Funny how that works?
As someone with a comp running Vista with an X-fi card in it, and another comp with an Audigy card in it this annoys me. My hardware is perfectly fine, but creative wants to force me to buy NEW hardware because they intentionally cripple the drivers.
I can understand creatives reason for this. I mean come on? It's a SOUND CARD. You can only evolve it so much before you have to ask as a consumer "Damn, isn't it good enough already? Do I really need X-fi Elite edition when my Audigy 4 does damn near everything?"
No of course not. So creative, no doubt knowing that, must have thought "Gosh maybe if we crippled the drivers and BSed that the hardware just wasn't compatible anymore we could get some more sales".
We are not talking video cards here. There is not a need to upgrade every 1-2 generations. Unfortunately creative is in a rough position because they need the sales but really have no motivation to keep people buying hardware because what they already have should do everything they want.
All I can say is - my opinion - creative needs to get a NEW business model. Stop crippling drivers as a way to get people to upgrade. Instead INNOVATE. Make something NEW that truly I NEED to buy more hardware for and will find worth my money to have. Don't tell me suddenly my perfectly fine hardware doesn't work anymore because all of a sudden the drivers aren't compatible!
I am honestly surprised at the amount of outrage over this.... just because I am surprised people are just figuring this out. It has seemed to me that ever since the Audigy (and possibly even the Live cards) Creatives entire business model has been to release essentially the *same* hardware, but with modified drivers that enable/disable certain features based on what hardware is detected.
Anyone remember the CD check to install Live audio drivers? You had to actually have an original CD to install them. I always suspected this was because should the drivers been installed on a related, but not the same card, all the features of that card would be available on the lower end creative card.
I was convinced that this was the case back when the Audigy cards were around. Once creative released
Audigy 1
Audigy 2
Audigy 4
Audigy 1 gamer edition
Audigy 2 super elite edition
Audigy 4 Pro edition
Audigy 4 your sound card can cook food for you edition
(you get the idea)
I figured something was up. Then on some audiophile sites guess what started popping up? Amazingly DRIVERS that enabled ALL the features of Audigy 4 GODS $500 EDITION suddenly worked on Audigy ONE $50 BASIC edition.
Basically ALL (or perhaps the vast majority) the features that seperated the different cards were SOFTWARE based. You basically paid X dollars more for the better drivers.
Kind of shady right? But you not totally wrong. You know what? If they want to set things up like that fine.
But what REALLY is annoying comes when the flagship CURRENTLY PRODUCED X-fi edition (marketed as being Vista compatible) some how IS NOT vista compatible... and now you need to buy the no doubt up and coming X-fi VISTA Compatible edition.
But surprise what happens? A creative user discovers that amazingly with a few driver tweaks not only can X-fi cards be made to work fine under Vista, but even AUDIGY cards. Funny how that works?
As someone with a comp running Vista with an X-fi card in it, and another comp with an Audigy card in it this annoys me. My hardware is perfectly fine, but creative wants to force me to buy NEW hardware because they intentionally cripple the drivers.
I can understand creatives reason for this. I mean come on? It's a SOUND CARD. You can only evolve it so much before you have to ask as a consumer "Damn, isn't it good enough already? Do I really need X-fi Elite edition when my Audigy 4 does damn near everything?"
No of course not. So creative, no doubt knowing that, must have thought "Gosh maybe if we crippled the drivers and BSed that the hardware just wasn't compatible anymore we could get some more sales".
We are not talking video cards here. There is not a need to upgrade every 1-2 generations. Unfortunately creative is in a rough position because they need the sales but really have no motivation to keep people buying hardware because what they already have should do everything they want.
All I can say is - my opinion - creative needs to get a NEW business model. Stop crippling drivers as a way to get people to upgrade. Instead INNOVATE. Make something NEW that truly I NEED to buy more hardware for and will find worth my money to have. Don't tell me suddenly my perfectly fine hardware doesn't work anymore because all of a sudden the drivers aren't compatible!