Bill Gates: X360 Key to Microsoft Strategy

[Zanzibar]

This article from AP (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051121/ap_on_hi_te/xbox360) interviews Bill Gates about the Xbox 360 and its future tie-in to Windows Live:

Xbox 360 is at the center of a strategy that will also eventually tie in elements of Microsoft's new online initiative, called Windows Live, says company Chairman Bill Gates.

Gates said Monday that he expects Xbox Live, Microsoft's service that allows gamers worldwide to play one another, to eventually work with a Microsoft instant messenger that is slated to become part of Windows Live.
...
"The PC and the Xbox are very complementary," Gates told The Associated Press.
So much for Microsoft distancing the Xbox from PCs, eh?

[Heretic Machine]

So much for Microsoft distancing the Xbox from PCs, eh?

Honestly... why would you want to?

[Zanzibar]

Honestly... why would you want to?

I agree with you. It's just funny how the entirety of the Xbox 1 lifespan was spent trying to convince gamers that it wasn't just a PC in a box, but now the X360 is accentuating all its similarities/conveniences that it shares with the PC.

[MosBen]

Well, I think that for the Xbox 1 they were concerned that the Xbox would just be viewed as a PC in custom box. I don't think adding functionality between the console and PCs leads to that conclusion as the 360 is pretty obviously a console and not a PC, so I'm not sure this is a full 180 in policy.

[Thumper]

This is exactly what I was hoping this generation would do (actually, the last generation... oh well). Being able to connect and play games together between PC and Xbox would be amazing! Here's hoping it doesn't take too long to come about.

[whoamg]

I don't want to play console games with PC gamers. Hacks suck.

[Thumper]

I want to play PC games with a console gamer. Analog sticks suck.

Shooters at least :D

[Taco]

I was going to say the same thing as Ben. They aren't fighting the PC in a box stereotype anymore(I don't think), so they can approach this as a console to PC merge.

[swiftdraw]

I don't want to play console games with PC gamers. Hacks suck.

There are hacks for console games too. Or so I'm told from people who play on Live!. But I don't play console multiplayers much unless I've some friends over and they have an extra controller, so I don't care. We keep our hacks, you keep your 13 year old cry babies... Though we PC gamers have our share of those in CS:Source...

Anyhow I prefer WASD & Left click in my FPSs to a console controller. Other than Golden Eye for N64 (which was my first FPS and still play the hell out of it with my friends), I find the FPS controls for consoles highly annoying and in-accurate compared to an adjustable mouse. Heck, I'm not even half as accurate in Golden Eye as I am in a PC FPS, and I play that game at least once a weekend.

[Taco]

Heh, hack or no hack, a PC gamer will look the same to a consoler when playing against each other. RPG's and strategy games could merge, I don't think we'll ever see a merger of FPS games.

[Exodus]

Heh, hack or no hack, a PC gamer will look the same to a consoler when playing against each other. RPG's and strategy games could merge, I don't think we'll ever see a merger of FPS games.

Yah but that's the beauty of this whole gamer profile thing. Those who are reported to be infact hacking can be chosen to be played with or not :)

[Frogleg Special]

I agree with you. It's just funny how the entirety of the Xbox 1 lifespan was spent trying to convince gamers that it wasn't just a PC in a box, but now the X360 is accentuating all its similarities/conveniences that it shares with the PC.

No, it's more like X360 is *the console*. PC can do everything what a console can, albeit with a higher price tag. X360 has its own specialized identity. PC has multiple versatile identity.

[Nefs]

I for one welcome this new PC to console connectivity. Shame it won't make the games for X360 any better :(

[H.Bogard]

Can someone spell Quake pwn4g3?

[emjoi]

Sounds like MS creating it's own Internet there.
Lock users in to the MS world.

[Valkyrist]

I keep going back to the same question in my head:

Why are consoles trying so hard to be PCs these days? Personally I just recognize that there are certain advantages/disadvantages to the whole PC vs Console argument. I don't think this is necessarily a good thing. I get certain types of games for my PC, and certain types for my consoles. Whatever I'm in the mood for. I don't need RPGs on my PC, nor do I want to touch a FPS on a console.

[Taco]

You don't need RPG's on your PC?

I've yet to see BG2 or Fallout caliber RPG's on a console. Morrowind came real close, but I don't see myself playing through that with a game pad.

[Valkyrist]

I didn't dig Morrowind at all. Fallout was before my PC gaming days. I grew up on FF, Chrono Trigger, Ogre Battle, Star Ocean, etc type RPGs.

Now I'm not saying RPGs suck on PC. The Magna Carta and War of Genesis series, Diablo, and our fun little MMORPGs are all great. I'm just saying there's no need for the consoles themselves to force us to integrate into each other. It's my belief that the seperation b/w Console and PC is what makes their games so diverse. If we start blending the line b/w the platforms, the games will follow suit.

Think of it this way. We all poked fun at the Gamecube. But we still hold a special place for it, just because of it's quirky yet unique games. Smash Bros, Mario party, Zelda, Animal Crossing, etc all were fun in their own right. And as much fun as we're making at the Revolution, it'll be the same thing. By Nintendo making systems totally different than Sony or MS, we as gamers enjoy a wider variety of games.

/end rant

[Kyle Jones]

I really would love this! Release Halo 2 on the PC and let me screw with all the leet Halo kiddies on my computer... Yaaaay!