PC gamers who are playing on a system that runs on Windows Vista should take heart from the news that Microsoft intend to release an update early next year.

There have been a few issues regarding virtual memory with certain games, but the update should fix any bugs gamers may have encountered.

A “hotfix” was released on August 23, but being just that means that the fix is still under going testing and may not be complete.

The problem has been that many games use more virtual memory address space running on Windows Vista than on Windows XP, and high-end graphics cards make the problem worse. When the 2GB virtual memory limit is exceeded, they can crash the system.

Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, a Microsoft spokesperson said, "As developers harness the new graphics capabilities in Windows Vista, some changes in how Windows Vista manages video memory have resulted in sporadic issues in graphically taxing games with high-end video cards.

"Working closely with our hardware partners, we have developed a fix which is currently available online. We are currently targeting to deliver SP1 in Q1 2008, but we will collect customer feedback from our upcoming beta process before setting a final date. Quality is our most important factor when determining availability."