Gamespot report that Xbox Live will be incorporated into the next edition of Windows. Xbox Live's director of programming Larry Hryb confirmed the announcement, saying "bringing Xbox LIVE to Windows 8 is part of our vision to bring you all the entertainment you want, shared with the people you care about, made easy." Hmmm.
Hryb mentions nothing of how the system will work, saying only that it will bring "your games, music, movies, and TV shows to your favorite Microsoft and Windows devices" It's an interesting announcement given the recent move of the Games for Windows Marketplace to Xbox.com . It looks as though Microsoft are looking to further incorporate their PC services with the infrastructure they use to support Xbox gamers.
The last time Microsoft tried to bring a Live style service to PC, we got Games for Windows Live, which promised cross platform play and shared accounts and achievements across PC and Xbox games, but delivered an endlessly frustrating store, and, for a brief time, an Xbox Live style gold subscription fee. That was quickly dropped. We'll have to wait and see what the Windows 8 iteration of Xbox Live will mean for PC gamers.
