XBLA hits PCs by the end of 2007

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 15th 2007 at 6:00PM }

Yet more news from Gamefest 2007 today, as Microsoft has made clear its intentions to bring Xbox Live Arcade to PCs by the end of the year. According to 1UP, Microsoft plans to offer a developer update to its Games for Windows Live tools this November. The update is being made in order to accommodate Xbox Live Arcade on PCs. The PC version of the downloadable games service should see its first titles by the end of the year. What titles we will actually see remains a mystery, though we're willing to bet UNO -- long promised as a Live Anywhere title -- will make an appearance.

[Thanks, homer34]

Tags: gamefest2007, xbla, xboxlivearcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

revans_one @ Aug 15th 2007 6:42PM

Reckon anyone's gonna spend 800 microsoft points, or whatever they'll use for the pc market on XBLA classic Doom...?

mike @ Aug 15th 2007 6:49PM

well if future releases are all both pc and xbox, this just killed live arcade. With the pc, any1 can just download any game from a torrent site. No need to pay anymore.

Lets hope the games are seperate and this does not cheapen up the XBLA.

I dont mind paying for XBLA games, but im also not an idiot, and im not gonna pay for the games anymore when I can download them free on the PC (yes im aware i can download games like doom for free on the pc, but xbla games that im interested in are usualy they new unique titles, and even the old ones are updated from the roms you can get on the pc (like added multiplayer, leaderboards, etc, etc)

Project Ekim @ Aug 15th 2007 6:49PM

i wonder if you downloaded a game like uno you can download it for pc aswell

Tony @ Aug 15th 2007 6:57PM

@2 The whole "I can illegally download this stuff so easily so why should I buy it!" is a pretty significantly different argument. I mean, by that token, no one would buy anything for PCs and Gametap would have went under already.

colin @ Aug 15th 2007 6:59PM

i think you can play the exact same version of uno that we have on xbla on msn games. and i think its free too.

http://zone.msn.com/en/uno/default.htm

jdub @ Aug 15th 2007 7:12PM

also I doubt you'll be able to pirate XBLA games on pc being, you'd have to play them on your gamertag, and if they know you haven't bought it but your playing it, your screwed

dishwasher @ Aug 15th 2007 7:26PM

I know it will never happen but I really wish they would come out with a xbla handeld that you could download your xbla games for no fee all you do is pay for the handeld and xbox live and buy the aracade game and be able to play it on all 3 systems at no extra cost..

wouldnt that be the best, and it would raise xbla awarness.

Mr Xbox @ Aug 15th 2007 8:06PM

Nice blog you got here, check out my new starting up Xbox 360 News Blog/Website and Podcast at www.MrXboxBlog.tk, thanks
:)

razer @ Aug 15th 2007 8:33PM

My PC connects to my big screen TV easily..

MS giving me one less reason to own an Xbox 360.

Nice work keep it up MS! I know your real plan which is to dump the 360 next gen and get out of the hardware console business all together and get your money with Live, XBLA, GFW branded titles on the PC. Major Nelson better get his resume polished up.

James @ Aug 15th 2007 11:35PM

I guarantee that someone, somewhere, will figure out a way to spoof pirated XBLA PC games into running -- for crying out loud, you can even play Starcraft on a fake Battle.net! BUT, all is not lost. Microsoft can probably manage to make online play only work for "legitimate" copies of the game -- you sign in with your gamertag, and if your gamertag did not buy the game, you can't play on Microsoft's servers. So people might pirate e.g. Soltrio Solitaire, but what would the point of e.g. Aegis Wing be without a buddy on your six?

I've always felt that the best way to staunch PC piracy was to include a vital online component that connects to a secure server, and a lot of XBLA games already have that.

Zapper @ Aug 16th 2007 1:06PM

AWESOME!!!!!!
I typically travel with a laptop and was bummed to be out of the loop last trip..
It will be cool to keep in touch with XBox buddies while hanging out on the balcony in Hawaii....will have to set the camera facing the waves..

GregA @ Aug 16th 2007 1:00AM

I just dont think piracy of the xbla games will be that significant... It will about about MS haters convincing themselves that they somehow hurt MS by pirating the game, when really they would have never purchased the game anyhow. Besides this will be a Vista only thing, and the nether regions of the internet are basically boycotting Vista because... It is hard to pirate apparently...

When you search #@$#$@@#$#$ (pirate torrent search engine) for torrents, you find that there are no working Vista activation cracks... or serial number generators... In spite of what the MS hater community claims.

YMMV

MYPS3KilledMy360 @ Aug 16th 2007 1:16AM

So you meen anybody can enjoy live. Now you can enjoy 360 games(cough GoW) with more content and XBLA wow. i now i see why moore left, MS never really cared about the 360 well being after going back and rewriting everything there giving another reason to buy a 360 for new comers away. 360 games are no longer truly exclusive not even the arcade. $50 a year seems worth it now to people because its really aiming towards casual gamers. Enjoy some nice arcade games without having a high end PC. y

GregA @ Aug 16th 2007 1:24AM

@#12

Well, they are still exclusive... You have to have a Microsoft powered computer, you still wont get all the xbla goodness on your ps3.

For example, Two Worlds (and many other) are not put in the 360 exclusive column, because they have a PC version. However you still can't get them on your PS3, Wii or run of the mill PC. We will call them Microsoft exclusives.

Besides, the GOW community has apparently forgotten about GOW now, and have moved onto Bioshock adulation;) Next stop is system shock 2 on XBLA!

Justin @ Aug 16th 2007 1:34AM

What's the first game in the second row/2nd game in first column?

I don't know cuz I don't have a 360, and haven't played XBLA for a long time.

mike @ Aug 16th 2007 4:47AM

vista hard to pirate? you must be insane. This is the easit OS ever to pirate. You dont need an activation crack anymore as now integrated releases are released where everything is done for you. Just install, and it says you have a 100% legit version of vista, even passes the windows genuine validation tests.

GregA @ Aug 16th 2007 5:24AM

@15,

Funny, I am looking at $#W%^$&%^& (my guess it is against forum rules to post this address) right now keyed on a search to Vista and on all the recent links there is complaints that the utilities no longer work, or are virus laden. The only ones that are actively being seeded are time limited demos.

Interesting Vista hacking community you have going there.

I would post a link so others could go check it out, but... my guess is... it is against the rules here...