Summary
OneStarfieldplayer was recently surprised to learn that some computer consoles in Bethesda’s latest RPG have a Windows key. Although this keyboard feature was possibly included in error, someStarfieldplayers did come up with a number of viable theories explaining its existence in the game’s world.
While neither its critical reception nor fan reactions reached the heights of Bethesda’s biggest hits, such asTES 5:SkyrimandFallout 4,Starfieldwas still one of the best-selling games of 2023. Millions of players around the world have hence been scrutinizing every aspect of the RPG since its September release, which resulted in an ongoing influx of interesting insights, some more observant than others.
One particularly attentiveStarfielddiscoverywas recently made by Reddit user Syxtaine, who realized that some keyboards in the game have a Windows key. The player found this feature to be an odd addition toStarfield’s computer consoles, not least because PCs in Bethesda’s space-faring RPG don’t run Microsoft’s operating system. They are instead all equipped with Starware, a fictitious OS boasting a retro-futuristic aesthetic that doesn’t seem to have that much in common with the Windows UI.
Windows Key in Starfield’s World Might Be a Skeuomorph
The discovery eventually made its way to the front page of the r/Starfield subreddit, prompting a popular discussion that yielded everything from jokes to some viable explanations for this oddity. Some players have hence argued that the presence of the Windows key on Stardeck consoles could simply be a skeuomorph, a derivative element that retains some obsolete design characteristics of its functional predecessor in order to help users grow accustomed to it more easily. One modern example of skeuomorphism that many will be familiar with is the fact that most contemporary software still uses the floppy disk icon as a saving symbol, even though floppy disks themselves haven’t been in widespread use since the late ’90s.
Other players came up with more straightforward explanations, like speculating that Bethesda may have simply included the Windows key on purpose as a nod to its parent company. There is some circumstantial evidence lending credence to the Microsoft Easter egg theory, such as the fact that oneStarfieldplanet has serious Windows XP vibesthat are so obvious it’s difficult to think of them as accidental.
Some other fans chiming in on this discovery argued that the Windows key is most likely to be an erroneous addition to the game. That possibility is also not out of the question, assomeStarfieldassets do have blatant design oversights, although this newly spotted oddity cannot be conclusively described as such.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
