PC Gamers Will Join Xbox Live Community

Microsoft announced at International CES that gamers on Windows Vista will be able to play several games on the Xbox Live community right from their PCs and they'll even be able to earn achievements.  Interestingly, one of the achievement earning games mentioned is Halo 2.  Does this mean that all Live users will soon be eligible for Halo 2 achievements or will some of us be left in the cold dark achievementless corner?

Microsoft showed off the new feature with players on a Windows PC and players on Xbox 360s joining each other in the same game of UNO.  This connectivity was announced early last year, but we are right around the corner from it being a reality.  Some have complained that cross platform games might make for heavily unbalanced multiplayer games, particularly because of the keyboard and mouse control option available to PC gamers.  The developer of Shadowrun, a major cross platform title on the way, promised that the game will have a control scheme that negates the potential advantage of a keyboard-mouse setup.

Any leg up that a Windows gamer might have, whether in gameplay or achievements, is partially made up for with the fact that we Xbox Live addicts will have a broader pool of gamers to shoot at play with.

Delivering on a vision that Microsoft presented at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006, Microsoft Game Studios’ “Shadowrun” and Mattel’s “UNO” are part of the first wave of Live titles that bring the benefits of Xbox Live® to gamers on Windows Vista, including an active community of nearly 5 million gamers, a single identity for each gamer across Windows and Xbox 360, as well as Achievements, which redefine what it means to conquer a game and share accomplishments with friends. The Live gaming and entertainment network will enable gamers to play and communicate online across both of Microsoft’s gaming platforms, bringing more players and their friends together to play and connect in new, exciting ways. In addition, “Halo® 2” for Windows Vista (Microsoft Game Studios/Bungie Studios) will also support Live, including enabling Windows gamers to communicate with Xbox Live gamers and earn Achievements in the famed “Halo 2” campaign — a first for any “Halo” title on any platform.