Microsoft Launches Play Service: Xbox Games on Your Windows Phone or PC
Microsoft's Play service wants to bring XBLA titles to your Windows 8 device.
One of Microsoft's latest efforts in unifying its platforms is by bringing Xbox games to Windows 8. Dubbed "Microsoft Play" (between Google Play and this, things are bound to get a little confusing); Microsoft's new service allows XBLA titles to be played on Windows 8 desktops and RT tablets. Since the service is still new, only fifteen titles are available for cross-platform play:
- Skulls of the Shogun.
- The Gunstringer: Dead Man Running.
- ilomilo+.
- Wordament.
- Toy Soldiers: Cold War.
- Taptiles.
- Rocket Riot 3D.
- Reckless Racing Ultimate.
- Pinball FX2.
- Microsoft Minesweeper.
- Microsoft Solitaire Collection.
- Microsoft Mahjong.
- Hydro Thunder Hurricane.
- Adera.
- 4 Elements II Special Edition.
The list doesn't consist of any mind blowing titles, by any means. However, the list can only expand as Microsoft plans to be able to have developers write games that will work across Xbox 360, phones, tablets, and desktops.
For more detail on Microsoft's Play service, head to its official page.
Very much doubt it, due to the architecture differences. You can get away with this for XBLA titles simply because of how non-resources intensive they are, which allows CPU side emulation of the PPC instruction set. But for 360 titles? Simply not enough horsepower for emulation to work. (Hell, emulation the 400MHz PS2 CPU is a major challenge!)
Very much doubt it, due to the architecture differences. You can get away with this for XBLA titles simply because of how non-resources intensive they are, which allows CPU side emulation of the PPC instruction set. But for 360 titles? Simply not enough horsepower for emulation to work. (Hell, emulation the 400MHz PS2 CPU is a major challenge!)
That's for emulation though, trying to actually run PowerPC instruction sets on an x86 CPU is resource heavy, but if it's written in a language that's platform independent like C++ then the difficulty of porting over to the other architecture is much less difficult.
And the PS2 uses MIPS
But then you'd have to pay $50 a year to connect with your friends to game....
But seeing as it's likely win8 only as the article shows, I likely won't ever get to try. Unless win9 is 8 without the screw ups.
I'd buy one too!
Old games, maybe not.
New games, sure.
The next Xbox may be using PC components, which if true, will allow for you to buy and play your game on Windows or Xbox for a single purchase; a major selling point. If the next Xbox is using the same architecture as a PC, expect all games to be made for both Windows and Xbox.
It would make sense since: Xbox/Windows Live Games merge, Windows 8 Metro(buy your games through Windows 8 game store for Xbox/PC).
I may tend to agree with you, but Microsoft is taking a step in one direct I find good, the Xbox is becoming a PC potentially. A closed walled system still perhaps, but an interesting one.
Here's a thought. Just buy an xbox.