The wait is over, VLC for Windows 8 now available as a Beta from the Windows Store

A dedicated Windows 8 version of the popular video player VLC feels as though it has been a very long time coming, but now the wait is finally over. Last week’s suggestion that the app would make an appearance on Monday turned out to be slightly optimistic, but now you can indeed head over to the Windows Store and grab yourself a copy of the free app.

The app’s feature list makes the bold claim that it will “play every kind of video,” and this will not be news to anyone familiar with previous versions of the software. This is a title famed for its ability to play just about any file you care to throw at it — although the description does concede that it “will play most video file formats.”

WinBeta reader Steveo has post a video to DailyMotion that shows the app interface in action.

It is not made completely clear from the Windows Store, this is still a beta release. The description does say that “VLC for Windows 8 is an experimental port of VLC media player for the WinRT platform”, but earlier today VideoLAN, the company behind the app, tweeted that it was in fact a Beta version hitting the Store.

In keeping with the majority of other modern apps, VLC has a clean, uncluttered interface — quite a change from the desktop version which, while not exactly cluttered, was home to endless menus and options.

VideoLAN’s blog explains that Windows 8.0 support was included (rather than just Windows 8.1) despite the fact that it “decreases the stability of the application.” It also comes with the warning that the “app is currently slow, and is slower than VLC for desktop for video decoding and has no hardware acceleration.” This is still very much a work in progress, but the important thing to remember is that it is still in progress. In fact the release is planned for just a few days’ time:  a tweet advises users that “Next release for VLC for Windows 8 is this week-end. Stay tuned.”

For now, there is only a x86 / x64 compatible version available — so if you’re running Windows RT, you’re going to have to wait a little longer. Grab yourself a copy using the download link below and see what you think. You can share your experiences below, but you can also file big reports and feature requests with VideoLAN.

Thanks to Steveo and Thomas for the tips!

Further reading: Windows 8.1, Windows Store