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Microsoft unveils "Ultimate Extras" for Vista Ultimate

At his keynote at CES, Bill Gates has revealed two features which are part of the "Ultimate Extras" bundle designed to tempt potential buyers to choose Ultimate Vista rather than any of the less featured -- but cheaper -- Vista packages. DreamScene, the first ultimate extras feature that Bill revealed, probably won't impress anyone familiar with Unix-based operating systems which are already capable of DreamScene's specific function: allowing you to play a video file on your desktop. Is this a nice piece of eye candy? Yes, but it's also probably going to be totally distracting and a waste of system resources. The second feature which will appeal specifically to one demographic -- namely sports fans -- is the Windows Media Center SportsLounge, which brings an IPTV feed of sports related media to Vista Ultimate desktops thanks to a content partnership with Fox Sports. Unfortunately for Microsoft, we have a feeling that these two features won't be enough for the majority of users to justify spending an extra $100-200 over any of the other Vista packs.