Aaron Greenberg on Games for Windows Live (Anywhere)

 

The advantage for Games for Windows Live, according to Xbox Live product manager Aaron Greenberg in an inty with Next Generation, is that most of its audience is already built in: Xbox Live. As revealed earlier, Xbox Live Gold accounts are essentially GFW Live Gold accounts. Aaron was able to reveal more details on the GFWL Gold/Silver differences that differ from XBL Gold/Silver differences:

• GFWL Gold is the one with cross-platform (360-PC) gaming, plus TrueSkill matching;
• GFWL Silver, obviously for free, has single-player achievements, text and voice chat, and free PC-to-PC online multiplayer gaming
• Next-Gen compares this to XBL Silver which "doesn't allow for multiplayer online gaming"
• Greenberg says that Microsoft included free PC-to-PC multiplayer as the incentive to draw PC players to Live - so that they "wouldn't have to make sacrifices to participate in this community." Then again, Greenberg also notes: "it's something that they're used to today on the PC" - so it only made perfect sense for MS to keep it free in GFW Live Silver.

And like Xbox Live, Greenberg notes that Microsoft will provide all the necessary Live "plumbing" to third-party PC developers to integrate Live into their games. Some ambitious PC-to-360 Live partnerships Microsoft theorizes (or proposes?) include hybrid strategy-action games, with PC owners playing the tactician generals and console players playing the part of frontline shooters. Think a PC Command & Conquer vet "advising" a Gears of War vet where the eff' he ought to be fraggin'.

And as for Cell Phone Live that puts the Anywhere in Live Anywhere? Greenberg only says: Stay tuned. Don't you mean: wait for the call to come in?

 

The advantage for Games for Windows Live, according to Xbox Live product manager Aaron Greenberg in an inty with Next Generation, is that most of its audience is already built in: Xbox Live. As revealed earlier, Xbox Live Gold accounts are essentially GFW Live Gold accounts. Aaron was able to reveal more details on the GFWL Gold/Silver differences that differ from XBL Gold/Silver differences:

• GFWL Gold is the one with cross-platform (360-PC) gaming, plus TrueSkill matching;
• GFWL Silver, obviously for free, has single-player achievements, text and voice chat, and free PC-to-PC online multiplayer gaming
• Next-Gen compares this to XBL Silver which "doesn't allow for multiplayer online gaming"
• Greenberg says that Microsoft included free PC-to-PC multiplayer as the incentive to draw PC players to Live - so that they "wouldn't have to make sacrifices to participate in this community." Then again, Greenberg also notes: "it's something that they're used to today on the PC" - so it only made perfect sense for MS to keep it free in GFW Live Silver.

And like Xbox Live, Greenberg notes that Microsoft will provide all the necessary Live "plumbing" to third-party PC developers to integrate Live into their games. Some ambitious PC-to-360 Live partnerships Microsoft theorizes (or proposes?) include hybrid strategy-action games, with PC owners playing the tactician generals and console players playing the part of frontline shooters. Think a PC Command & Conquer vet "advising" a Gears of War vet where the eff' he ought to be fraggin'.

And as for Cell Phone Live that puts the Anywhere in Live Anywhere? Greenberg only says: Stay tuned. Don't you mean: wait for the call to come in?