Stupid Marketing Tricks - Games for Windows launch

Remember that whole Games for Windows brand thing? Turns out there's actually a little substance behind it. The program requires titles that wear the Games for Window banner to have:

• Easier installation
  
• Better reliability (whatever that means)
  
• Widescreen mode
  
• Support for the 360 controller
  
• Vista features including parental controls and Games Explorer

Of course, the box design is bound to cause consumer confusion since it looks too close to console game packaging. And the naming is still ridiculous. But once Vista ships, it may catch on as a way for early adopters to find optimized titles - if Microsoft can keep the quality bar high...