
Xbox gaming platform may soon span Web, console, mobile - chaostheory
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/08/xbox-gaming-platform-may-soon-span-web-console-mobile.ars
======
willwagner
Games for Windows Live has been available for quite a while now but has been a
dismal failure because they charged you a premium for it (as they do on Xbox
360), as opposed to other services like Steam which are all free. This seems
like an extension (and hopefully a reboot) of this.

Xbox Live is quite good and if they just included those features across the
spectrum of devices and services ( and didn't charge an annual fee), it would
be a good move on Microsoft's part. When a game comes out on both Xbox and
PS3, unless I hear that one platform has unique features, I almost always
purchase the Xbox version so I can hook up with friends to play multiplayer,
or simply compare progress using the Achievement system. Tack on an app store
(as they do on the XBox) and it could be a good revenue stream for them.

