So what does this mean? It means that our gaming service just got a lot bigger and a whole lot better. For the six million Xbox LIVE users out there, this means that you'll be able to use your existing account in new PC games that support Games for Windows - LIVE.
You'll have a single gamertag you can use on either (or both) platforms, and your same friends list, achievements, and messages will all be available to you where you are. And even better, it won't cost any extra coinage - if you’re an Xbox LIVE gold member on Xbox, you’re automatically a Games for Windows – LIVE gold member. It's the same service. You just use your existing gamertag and go.
As the Games for Windows guy, the most exciting part of this for me is what it means for Windows gamers. People who play on the PC expect a certain common level of multiplayer for free out of the box with their Windows games. We’ve said before our plan was not to make people pay for an experience they've been getting for free, and we’re living up to that. On the PC, Windows gamers can join multiplayer games (by browsing a list of available servers) without having to pay to upgrade to a gold subscription. "So what", you say - that's what I get with PC games today. But we take it a step further – even as a free Silver member on LIVE, you get access to your friends list, single-player achievements, private voice chat, and your connected presence online while you play. We took the best of Xbox LIVE, brought it over to Windows, and we’re getting folks in the door for free.
Of course, Gold is where the real promise pays off. With gold you get cross-platform gameplay in supported games (Shadowrun will be the first, followed by UNO later this year), personal game invites (with your friends, vs. hopping on a server and hoping you find someone you like), and the enhanced matchmaking that LIVE is known for, which takes into account your skill, your preferred gamer zone, and your friends list.
Along with announcing the service today, there's a ton of new features in the first games that support it. Halo 2 for Windows Vista will be the first version of Halo to offer achievements... and will also support custom maps in the map editor – something only available on the PC version.
Shadowrun brings the first ever game to offer cross-platform gameplay between Windows and Xbox 360, giving folks a chance to finally end the debate over which is better – keyboard and mouse or controller. Here’s a hint: they both work really, really well. (translation: I can take a beating from good players on either one.)
Uno will be out later this year, and will open up the LIVE service to many more people. I travel a lot for my job, and I'm looking forward to being able to play a game of Uno with my son while he's home on the XBOX 360, and I'm off in a new city in a hotel room. Now THAT's connected entertainment the way I want it - if I have to be away, I can still enjoy time with him.
I’m pumped to finally be able to talk about how we’re bringing two fantastic game platforms together under a single service with a single identity. My gamertag is Odo – look for me on a Windows PC coming soon!
