Windows 8 To Feature Xbox Live Integration

Microsoft revealed plans to further extend Xbox Live beyond the Xbox 360, integrating the online multiplayer and digital distribution service into its upcoming Windows 8 operating system for PCs. "Live will be built into the PC," said Mike Delman, Global Marketing VP of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business group, in an interview with the Seattle Times. "It will be the service where you get your entertainment." He claimed Xbox Live's integration into the Windows Phone 7 mobile OS starting last October has been successful, and added, "You will not just see consoles and handhelds at [E3] next year, this show's going to morph into other devices." Delman believes that consumers want to be able to access services and content through multiple devices, and said it's Microsoft job to make it possible for users to buy a movie or game in one place, then watch or play it anywhere. When asked if Xbox Live will be a cloud media service for PCs, Windows Phones, and Xbox 360s, the executive responded that it will be "the pervasive media service across devices". Microsoft last attempted to launch a major PC gaming service several years ago with Games for Windows – Live on Vista, which offered online multiplayer, messaging, achievements, and cross-platform play features. The company has not yet announced when it expects to ship Windows 8.