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Games for Windows Marketplace Merging With Xbox.com
Microsoft announced today that on July 11th, their Games for Windows marketplace will be merging with its console equivalent. According to a spokesman,
"All of the same content from GamesForWindows.com will be available on Xbox.com so members of communities across Xbox 360 and Games for Windows can purchase and get details on their favorite games, all in one place. All account information will remain the same and community members can still take advantage of their Xbox Live profile in their Windows games and stay connected to friends who are playing on the PC."
The Xbox 360 marketplace works great. But the Windows version is really not that good. They should just forget about the Games for Windows name, pick something good and make it Steam-like with the social interactions, communications, groups, easy purchasing and fast in-game overlay (seriously, the GfW in-game overlay is really shitty).
Microsoft: Games for Windows Marketplace
Apple: Game Center
Microsoft: Windows Live Hotmail
Google: Gmail
Microsoft: Windows Live Photo Gallery 2011
Apple: iPhoto
What's going on here? When did Microsoft stop using simple names like "Paint" and "Write" and come up with ridiculously long marketing names that have more syllables than I have fingers?
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
well MS does make the software base for U-verse and other systems that use the same tech.
Directv media share lets you play some content from your pc on your TV.
As for cable. Cable card has been mostly a bust with the cable co's doing a poor job and they push you to use there box and even if you get a cable the lack of VOD and then need for SDV tuners add on's for SDV systems.
But I would argue that this is because so few people know how easy it truly is. Lately I have been building quite a few HTPCs, why? Because I had one customer who wanted a new PC but couldn't afford a new screen and I said "You have that nice new 37 inch, why not just use that?" so I built him a nice AMD quad and put a nice cheap HD4830 in it, along with getting him a wireless keyboard and mouse and the next thing I know he is bragging about it to everyone who will listen and i'm getting calls "Hey, are you that guy that was able to hook Brian's PC to his TV? Can you do that for me too?"
It just goes to show despite my best efforts to be a "voice for the common man" that sometimes I can geek out too as I thought being able to hook a PC to a modern TV was common knowledge but apparently not. But with a wireless X360 controller and his keyboard and mouse wireless frankly he sees no need for a console now and the games are soooo much cheaper on PC. Now the only problem the guy has is trying to actually get to use his new PC, as his wife wants to do her Farmville on it, the kids of course love the picture for all their kid shows on Netflix, and now that there is wireless HDMI honestly if you have a PC less than three years old you can just wirelessly stream the HDMI straight to the set, no need to buy another.
But when people see how cheap I can build them a new triple most are just opting to have me build them one. Hell Tigerdirect is selling 8Gb monsters for just $300, add in another $100 for Win 7 HP X64 and $50 for a nice GPU and for less than $500 you have a machine that will easily last you a decade or more as an HTPC. Just rip all your movies to the Tb HDD so you don't have to fiddle with discs and away you go!
But I'd say TFA shows MSFT is FINALLY getting a clue that folks want integration. They want the PC, the X360, the WinPhone, all of this stuff to talk to each other while being "clicky clicky" simple. The only real stickler they have now is GFWL which frankly blows ass. They really do need to make it more like Steam as the last time I tried dealing with it (over Bioshock II) I ended up downloading the cracked version even though I bought the game because I was fighting GFWL more than the splicers! damned thing would lose connection, would say I wasn't hooked up when I was, just a royal PITA and about 180 compared to my experience with Steam. And is there an easy way to back up your games yet? One of the things I love about Steam is when I get a bigger drive I can just drop my steam folder onto it and tell Steam where it is and BOOM all my games work perfectly.
So let us hope that this means MSFT is finally getting a clue about what folks want. They have good separate components..Win 7 is good, the X360 is good, from those that I've talked to the WinPhone is nice if not an iPhone killer, so if they can tie everything together with a pretty little bow and make it all simple it should be sweet. but never underestimate MSFT's ability to cock things up so I'll wait to pass judgement.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
No you didn't. Skype games is something completely different and nothing to do with Microsoft. But don't let that ruin your hating.
For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
Gaming is the only clear advantage that Windows still holds over OS X and Linux. That's why it's so surprising that MS has been trying so hard to kill its own PC gaming lead. What do they really expect to happen after that? I still love Windows gaming and I love XBOX, but for all other uses I will go for my Mac or Linux computers. How do I mean MS is trying to kill gaming on Windows? Easy. MS doesn't even release it's own games on Windows anymore! No recent Halo games on PC. What? No Gear of War 2 on PC. Why? Add to this lack of any serious innovation in Direct X besides prettier water in every release. Then MS allows themselves to be curb-stomped by Steam. IMO Windows Live always felt like more of a bug than a feature. It just crashed and annoyed more than it worked.I guess they are really giving up now. It's other companies that are really keeping PC gaming alive now. MS you really blew it you losers.
No, it's not. Trust me, I've developed with this API, the GfW DRM does not do that, that's external DRM implemented by the company who made the game.
Achievements are triggered by simple API calls that do not require anything like that kind of invasiveness.