For many people already running Windows 8.1 and Windows 7, it is free to upgrade to Windows 10, which means Microsoft has to look somewhere else to make money.
One of the oddest things found within Microsoft's otherwise superb new operating system is Microsoft Solitaire Collection Premium Edition, which packs in several variants of the classic card game Microsoft has been offering since Windows 3.1. The collection comes bundled with Windows 10 and is free to play for all users upgrading to the new OS. However, the game is not without a cost, since users will have to see ads that pay for the experience of playing the game.
The ads themselves are not placed on the playing field, so players will not be distracted by banners or pop-ups appearing when they are playing. However, a full-screen video does appear when they open the Challenge option, which can be just as annoying as seeing ads inside the game.
There is, of course, an option to have the ads removed. Users who do not want to see the ads can pay $1.49 per month or $9.99 per year to have the ads cleaned out. There is an option in the menu to Upgrade to Premium, which opens up a full screen to let users do just that.
$1.49 is a minimal price, compared to what users pay for premium game services, but with so many other Solitaire games available online, Microsoft's pay-for-Solitaire policy raises questions about why users should choose Redmond's version of the game.
Aside from getting rid of the ads, the $1.49 will also give users extra coins when they complete Daily Challenges and an extra boost when they play TriPeaks and Pyramid, two of the game variants in the collection, to give them an edge over other players vying for the top position on the leaderboard.
This is not the first time Microsoft has charged to remove ads from Solitaire. It uses the same business model for the game in Windows 8. However, Microsoft gives Solitaire a prominent position in Windows 10, while Windows 8 users had the option of downloading the game from the Windows Store.
