Nvidia screws Dell

First comes the question of when the drivers are coming for real? Since Nvidia won't answer our mails until it gets picked up by another site, we dug in on our own. Several people tell us to expect mostly closer to functional Vista drivers by the end of the month, maybe. A month late and counting, best case.

The real question though is if Alienware can ship Vista, broken drivers and all, why can't Dell? Answer, Microsoft money.

It seems that in order to qualify for Microsoft marketing funds, you need to meet certain criteria. The first is all drivers need to be WHQL certified or you can't qualify for ad money. Second, in order to meet Vista Premium certification and bear the mark of DRM infection, er, that black mark, you also need WHQL drivers. Nvidia can't deliver, so Dell is up the creek.

Dell basically has a nasty choice, to ship its flagship line without functioning hardware, without a Vista black mark, and without the associated kickback dollars or to ship it with XP. It may be a tough place to be, but it is not a tough decision once you get there.

So, will Nvidia come out with functional drivers? Will Dell get out of it's pickle and back on the MS money train? Will Lassie get to the ranch in time to save the teddy bear? Stay tuned for the next installment of this soap opera. µ