Vista gets Live-wired in May

Talk about Gold Diggers.

AHAHAHAH .. this is insane !!! Microsoft is trying to monopolize also on a free service that PC users had access to for free till now !!! As a matter of fact I will not be renewing my XBOX LIVE gold account to retaliate against this .. is time for them to understand that we are not oranges to squeeze and trow away !!! Peace

Wow, now I can really see if I'm better at a mouse/keyboard combo instead of a controller when playing a FPS. Can't wait.

insane pilot: WHAT? um... no, they're not the same genre at all... one's a tactical shooter, the other's not... are you trying to tell me that using a tank in BF2 is the same as using a warthog in halo? or that flying a fighter in BF2 is the same as a ghost or something? the analog movement controls are very advantageous for controls as seen in halo.

Can't wait for my Vista PC

thats right M$ try and make PC gamers pay for a program which we already have access to, and also make us pay for all the 2 games that are cross-platform. no thanks.

I really hope microsoft does a complete redesign of the 360's dashboard. I really like the look of Vista's XBL better.

This sucks - achievements should be kept separate from the 360. How easy is it to mod a computer game?!

I think Kevin Unangst is on to something. Having different types of gameplay within one MMO could means loads of new possibilities. It sounds very much like Savage and I liked the idea even then (even though I never got a chance to actually play the game.) Maybe this is what we need to get MMOs kicked into next gear.

DrKill09, sorry, but you really have it backwards. getting a higher FPS isn't an advantage, (unless it's lagging on one system.) there's a point (a relatively low point) where the human eye can't tell the difference.

Cool, it's being released on my Birthday. :D

SP33doh: Both the same genres, both the same control scheme, nice try.

This is great news. They really nailed the pricing and services for Silver and Gold.

Gamerpoints hacked, they'll lose what little meaning they had on the 360. PC gamers get a lot of features they've had for years, this time with a higher price. 360 users get unfair competition. The service is great on the 360, why bring something to PC when its nothing but bad news?

insanepilot: it depends on the type of game. if you're talking battlefield or something, than the PC would probably be better, but if you're talking say, Microsoft's poster boy halo, the console would probably be better.

sounds like a good idae. but it sounds hard in practice. if they can accomplish this then i will be pretty amazed. The rts idea would be cool but the pc player would have to be really good if he commanded his squad of 360 users. you would also need many mor players to make it fun. sure you can have more players playing as other squads(like batallion wars), but what would happen when they die. If they can make it and make it good i'll try it.

Cross platform online play is a bad idea. Half of the games on the 360 run at 30fps. A good pc would be able to do well over 60fps. Although I prefer a controller over a keyboard and mouse, control is not really the issue. The issue is hardware, and a solid gaming pc will give pc gamers the unfair advantage. The reason that Live was so good is that it was standardized. Everybody had the same exact hardware, and used the same controllers. This will screw that up, and make Live not fun any more.

SP33doh: ever consider mouselook and aiming in tanks or jeeps? Joysticks and throttles for airplanes?

The downfall of PC gaming.

PC users wouldn't have a control advantage inside a vehicle...

The PC vs. XBox 360 multiplayer idea is complete garbage! The PC players are going to have an advantage in EVERY way! 1: Hotkeys 2: More Buttons 3: Mouse Control It just won't be fair for XBox 360 users unless they are REALLY good!

This is good news for MS, but It doesn't concern me. I don't have Vista and I won't have it for at least another year

Yeah right, so i'm supposed to pay money to play with YOUR console owners? genius microsoft, genius.

boy i hope bill`s wallet can handle all that cash he is gonna make off this

how much money do microsoft want!

I disagree

Honestly... I wish the silver benefits would translate to 360 owners now, and not be exclusive to PC gamers...

I hope that unreal tournament 3 uses it. heh heh heh that way I can beat the **** outta all the mainstream gamers.

*snicker* "windows was stolen from the MAC! Use a mac, the OS is originalz! lolz" Dude, ever hear of Xerox? Both companies done stole that paradigm. I love how people think Microsoft is more evil than Apple. It's like no one gets that they are the exact same thing - equally evil - with different talking heads in front of the news cameras and different logos. They even run on the same freakin' architecture now a days. Why don't we all grow up and admit this is a good thing? Interoperability between a console and your home system is something no one has done before. Whether people are down to play with the "keyboard and mice fairies" or not, th fact that it's possible is ground breaking. Sorry mac fans, sorry wii fans, sorry ps3 fans - it looks like the 360 and the *service* it brings will remain superior. Now, if only I had any faith that the games will be, too... :)

@xelloss88 actually - the first cross platform game will be Shadowrun a FPS where mouse & keyboard is gonna own! there's a video on Gamespot somewhere, i think from the recent Las Vegas event - where you can see the cross-network in action... and despite the developer standing there claiming there's no advantage to either control system.... The guy on the 360/controller combo is clearly getting OWNED big time by the PC/mouse&keyboard dude...

RaptorVenom = exactly.

Hmm, cross-platform isn't free, and I don't play games often enough to warrent a paid membership. Ah well. Nice to see Microsoft are doing more to support the PC gaming market. I suppose this is all a huge marketing strategy to point out "PC is THE platform for computer gaming, not Mac or Linux" (my initial thought on the "games for windows" tagline), but it's still good to know they're supporting PC gamers nonetheless. Cheers, Tim.

this sounds like it will be really fun

"From now on, we are going to have to contend with fighting against "no-skill, point-n-click, mouse & keyboard fairies... blahblah negative rant" Have you been following Shadowrun at all? It's the first FPS cross plat game, and they've made it so that neither controller or keyboard mouse has an advantage. Also, I doubt they'd have an advantage in Uno or other such games.

Now if they sold me a Live Gold account with a 360 controller I might get it, but they have yet to convince me to upgrade to Vista. It's a shame as Shadowrun looks kinda cool.

meh. when vista actually works in a couple years, give me a call.

@DefAde72 Not every game will let you play with someone on Xbox live. Only a few games like Uno or few other games will let you. They throught this through and are going to make it fair for everyone. I am just glad they have standardized this so we can finally show off our PC skills on achievements.

I love Vista. I haven't had one single problem with my upgrade and now everything runs faster and prettier.I loved it so much i'm going to upgrade to Utimate through there upgrade anytime program. I can't wait for live anywhwere. I have a 360 also so this is great.

At least MS isn't charging for PC online play. I guess I was wrong about them trying to kill the PC.

This absolutely sucks - BIG TIME... And i can't believe everyone else doesn't think so... Do you not understand what this means? It will be the end of xbox's equal tier online system.... From now on, we are going to have to contend with fighting against "no-skill, point-n-click, mouse & keyboard fairies" There is not a mouse & keyboard for the 360.. and quite frankly we shouldn't have to switch to them in order to play fairly... Surely the idea of everyone playing on the same hardware and controls is so no-one has any advantage, isn't that what online console's are all about...? Why should i have to play against someone with a couple of grands worth of pc hardware.. playing games at significantly faster frames per second and getting a faster response time from their game code, with controls where they can spin around 180 degree's instantly... I'm just hoping that you will get the option to set up X360 lobby's which can exclude PC owners...

lol Mac's blow in almost everything. They are good for multimedia editing and creation, thats it. Lets look at the crap Apple spits out about their system 1. Mac's don't get viruses- Want to know why? Because if you make viruses you are doing it to cause the most amount of problems or to gain the most amount of fame within your circle. Now who is going to be more pissed off and whats going to get more converage, the Mac with its like 10 million people, Windows with its half a billion people??? 2. Mac's run better- Ya mac's run better out of the box and they have fewer conflict errors, but thats because you can't customize a mac, and most mini programs don't work with Mac's. A Mac can't have 15 different parts from different manufactures, you can only use a small number of parts or none at all, and you can't really add anything to your mac because unless its an apple program it aint going to work. 3. Vista copied the Mac OS- Not true almost all the features for Vista have been in development for years. 4. Guess what can't game with a Mac like you can with windows and i don't see Mac supporting computer gaming so Mac's can burn

Whats the percentage of Americans that were stupid enough to upgrade already. I take it not many. Because I know were not that stupid. Anyways most people are smart enough to own a MAC instead these days. What world do you live in??? MAC are a total joke NO ONe uses them out saide the home. I work in the IT department for EDS the largest IT outsourcing comapny in the world and I can tell you first hand no Business are running on MACs just thinking that is funning since the OS wasn't network aware until MAC gave up on there own OS and went with OS X. Then they had to get rid of there so-call better processor and swith to intil...Anywways most people are not running on a MAC, LOL

Xbox Live's dominance continues!!:D

wow this really is the best !! rock on xbox 360 !!

love it

Whats the percentage of Americans that were stupid enough to upgrade already. I take it not many. Because I know were not that stupid. Anyways most people are smart enough to own a MAC instead these days. Then to buy the OS stolen from them.

this rocks!

i love it