Impulse Phase IV Released
Wednesday, September 9, 2009 by Island Dog | Discussion: Personal Computing
Stardock is excited to announce the release of the fourth phase of its popular digital download platform, Impulse .
Impulse enables users to quickly purchase, download, install and update any of thousands of available games, applications, and utilities to their machine. Once purchased, the program becomes associated with their account. If a user purchases a new PC or reformats an existing PC, a user can install Impulse, log in with their account and instantly re-download all their programs.
In the year since its initial release, Impulse has garnered widespread support from major game and application publishers. Most new PC games, for example, are now released on Impulse and a growing number of application developers are releasing their titles on Impulse as well.
“The objective of Impulse is to make it so that your software truly belongs to you,” said Brad Wardell, president & CEO of Stardock . “Anyone who has ever dug through boxes of CDs or looked through old emails to find a serial number can recognize the advantages of Impulse.”
In addition, PC gamers will soon be able to make use of a new Impulse feature called “Ready to Play”, a revolutionary new free program that allows users to create instant virtual communities based on profiles in order to quickly get multiplayer games going with like-minded people.
“Imagine Match.com or eHarmony for PC gamers where users enter in their gaming preferences and some profile data and with that data, Ready to Play can recommend other gamers with similar gaming preferences. My idea of what is ‘fun’ in an online game is probably different from that of say a teenager,” said Wardell. “With Ready to Play, now you can quickly get games going with ‘recommended’ friends.”
Ready to Play will go into wide beta as part of the Impulse Phase IV roll-out this week. To learn more about Impulse visit www.impulsedriven.com .
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Reply #2 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:23 PM
I like, but the white background is indeed a bit overpowering. Available territories seem to also be clearly visible now, so i now know exactly what i need to buy trough Steam 
And the settings button is no longer disguised as a logo 
Reply #3 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:24 PM
I really like the new layout of the homepage. I hope that, with this update, Ready to Play, and the support of more developers, Impulse can become a real contender to Steam. There's really no reason why digital content should be priced the same as retail content since the middleman is removed, so I'm hoping that competition will result in price wars in the future.
Reply #4 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:28 PM
Agree with Philly0381 100% but the other changes are fine.
Reply #5 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:38 PM
I like the new layout but I have a few complaints.
With the white background it feels a little unfinished, especially in the detailed game view. It also doesn't seem to scale that well with widescreen resolutions yet. In the Home view half of the screen space is just white (1680x1050). In the Community area only 1/3 of the screen is unused and together with the gray coloured pattern it feels much better.
Reply #6 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:54 PM
Thanks for the feedback. There is also a support/feedback thread here.
http://zargon.impulsedriven.net/article/363245/Impulse_Phase_4_Support_Thread
Reply #7 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:54 PM
I think having the disabled game icons faded is what is making it look ... off. It makes the white background seem awkward.. I would leave the icons themeselves opaque and just reduce the opacity of the accompanying text.
Reply #8 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:58 PM
Function is fine but I hate the new GUI.........sorry.
Reply #9 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 4:09 PM
I had the nvidia edition of Impulse. Has this Phase IV overwritten or would I have got the phase 4 upgrade to the nVidia edition.
I ask because the orb button has been replaced with something better so now there is no visible sign to indicate.
Reply #10 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 4:10 PM
as I was saying in IRC, the new GUI is blindingly bright... what happened to the good ol dark colors you had before?
Aren't you guys like... a skinning company? Can't we have a few themes?
Reply #11 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 4:29 PM
Yeah, bring back the black backgrounds, this is too bright!
Reply #12 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 4:49 PM
Have to agree that the white background has to go. Won't comment on the GUI change just yet, as I want to give it time to decide if I like/dislike it.
Tried to post in the support/feedback thread but got the EGADS! error message.
Reply #13 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 4:56 PM
what? Impulse is my new dating site? I thought it was just going to match make my games, not replace the goal of eharmony or match.com....
sad part is, it might actually be the same thing to me.
Reply #14 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 4:57 PM
Gotta side with the old coots guys, here...would love to see it on a charcoal background... like PSPPhotoX2.
Reply #15 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 5:06 PM
http://zargon.impulsedriven.net/article/363245/Impulse_Phase_4_Support_Thread
Went there, can't login...hmmm.
Anyway, it seems the new Impulse has a skinning error...lol!!
Check the top left and right corners.
Reply #16 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 5:12 PM
DO. NOT. LIKE. Why not just add the new stuff to the one I have now? Every time I get used to one, it gets changed. In all the years I've done business with Stardock, this is the first time I have to say ...THIS SUCKS.
Reply #17 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 5:32 PM
Looks good, but I have to agree the white is a bit OP and needs nerfing 
Reply #18 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 5:36 PM
wow... one might think someone had tossed out the idea of a public option or something. 
Reply #19 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 5:36 PM
I also do NOT LIKE the flouresent white background. I suggest an option to change background colours similar to windows 3.10 and later.
harpo
Reply #20 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 5:46 PM
But I liked the orb!
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Reply #1 Wednesday, September 9, 2009 3:12 PM
Just my opinion here but overkill on all the white back grounds. For some folks, like my self, it makes reading just a little hard. Would it be possilbe to add an option that allows for changing of the back grounds?