The game that sold double-digit millions for the Xbox is now coming to Windows Vista. Ushering in the undeniable power of the Halo franchise is some fresh new screenshots from GDC. You can check out how this game will look on high-end computers with the new screenshots.

If you only don’t know what Halo 2 is then I think you came to the wrong website. Honestly, I think I would feel better that you leave than to continue to visit this place and not know what Halo 2 is... ... ... Wait...Wait! Okay, don’t leave. I’ll tell what Halo 2 is: A cool looking, armored space marine must stop aliens from destroying the universe. Oh yeah, and Halo 2 has one of the most popular multiplayer features ever implemented in a console video game. All righty. Now that we’re all caught up on the history lessons, you can now view the screenshots below as if you’ve been playing the game for ages. Enjoy.

We're making a small but significant modification to the Windows Vista End-User License Agreement (EULA) for Windows Anytime Upgrade.  Customers who purchase a retail copy of Windows Vista and then upgrade to another version of Windows Vista using Windows Anytime Upgrade will be affected by this modification, while all other WAU licensing terms remain unchanged.

Now, those customers will be able to uninstall their upgraded copy of Windows Vista and re-install it on another device (usually, but not always, a PC).  The number of device-to-device reassignments is no longer limited, provided that Windows Vista has been uninstalled from the original device.

The full text of the change can be found at this FAQ under the final question, "Am I allowed to transfer my software from one device to another when I upgrade using Windows Anytime Upgrade?"

The Live Search Team has released 2 new Windows Sidebar Gadgets for Windows Vista.

Live Search Traffic Gadget

The new Live Search Traffic Gadget uses Live Search Maps to bring up-to-date local traffic information right to your Windows Vista desktop.  The gadget display includes shortcuts to driving directions, local search and a full-screen view of traffic in Live Search Maps.  Currently supported are the following cities:

·         Atlanta

·         Boston

·         Chicago

·         Denver

·         Detroit

·         Houston

·         Los Angeles

·         Milwaukee

·         New York

·         Oklahoma City

·         Philadelphia

·         Phoenix

·         Pittsburgh

·         Portland

·         Providence

·         Sacramento

·         Salt Lake City

·         San Diego

·         San Francisco

·         Seattle

·         St Louis

·         Tampa

·         Washington, DC

Download the Live Search Traffic Gadget from Windows Live Gallery.

Live Search Gadget

The team has also released a Sidebar Gadget that allows access to Live Search directly from your desktop.  It’ll accept your search query and render the results directly within the Gadget.  You can set up custom searches using Live Search Macros in the gadget’s Settings pane as well.

Download the Live Search Gadget from Windows Live Gallery.

Microsoft is going to make Windows Vista more fun as it extends its Xbox Live online gaming and entertainment network to Windows in May as part of its plan to offer more Web-based services through its desktop OS, Vista. On May 8, Microsoft will launch the Windows Vista version of the popular Xbox game "Halo 2" with the addition of what the company is calling Games for Windows -- Live, which connects gamers to more than 6 million other players in the Xbox Live community, Microsoft said. In June, Microsoft will release a second game for Windows Vista that incorporates Games for Windows -- Live, "Shadowrun," with a third game "Uno" to be released later this year.

Microsoft has been preparing their plans to offer their "Live" online services and its Xbox 360 and Windows gaming platforms are included in that strategy. Online services such as Xbox Live, which allows gamers to play online against other players and offers a games and entertainment marketplace, enables Microsoft to sell more advertising online. The company is in pursuit of Google Inc. to boost its online ad revenue.

What this means is that with the new Games for Windows and the Live platform, people playing games on the Xbox 360 can connect seamlessly to gamers who are playing on Windows Vista. Users also can get a single identity, friends list and other services that log their gaming history across both Xbox and Windows platforms. Additionally, Xbox Live functionality such as such as in-game voice chat, integrated achievements and dedicated servers now will be offered on Windows through Games for Windows - Live.

Current Xbox Live members will immediately receive the functionality of Games for Windows - Live using the same gamertag and friends list at no additional cost, and the pricing of the Live services across both Xbox and Games for Windows is the same, Microsoft said. The company also will offer both Silver and Gold memberships for the Windows platform as they do in Xbox Live. There will be no cost to sign up for the Silver membership while the Gold memberships will go for $49.95 per year. Of course current Xbox Live Gold members will automatically have access to Gold features on Games for Windows - Live titles.