While its no huge secret that Microsoft is currently working on their newest Operating System – so far called “Windows 8″ – what is being held close to the vest are some of the new features that Microsoft will spring on users once the system is released. Yet this is the age of the internet, where leaks are a daily occurrence and secrets are not as easy to keep.
According to a report by gaming website Game Informer, one of the newest bells and whistles that could be a huge draw for Windows 8 would be the ability to simply run any Xbox 360 game just by putting the game’s disc into your Windows 8 upgraded PC. Thereby turning your PC into a home console. Of course the rumored ability wouldn’t be as “cut and dry” as that. According to original source Teknylate – this ability to run Xbox 360 games on your PC would come with the price of a “Live Like” subscription. Whether this would take the form of an existing Xbox Live Account or an entirely new account is anyone’s guess as, remember, this is just a rumor at this point.
Of course this speculation leads to dozens of different questions. How would PCs with such differing architecture be able to smoothly run 360 games? Would there be a “minimum requirement” stat to enable this feature? And of course – Why would anyone want to play their 360 games on their PC if they already have a 360?
Now remember that this is rumor only and therefore completely open to speculation. Most likely this is just another case of internet scuttlebutt where the end result won’t feature this add on at all. Still, it is fun to speculate once in a while.
This is interesting. On one hand I think it's a great idea that could boost game sales with PC gamers who don't want to buy a 360. But those same PC gamers play PC games not because they like sitting at a desk but because of the scalability and mod-ability (new word) of PC games. Neither of which the 360 games will have. And I will bet that you will have to be logged into XBL or some form of it at all times for this to work so they can control the piracy issue.
On the surface that sounds like a good deal. If such a thing comes to pass, though, I'm sure MS will find a way to make it hateful... probably require you to pay $100/yr for Live Platinum if you want to access the Internet from your PC or something.
It's a great idea and this late in the 360's life cycle there's no good reason not to include it no strings attached. Course I'll agree with Shifty that it would hardly be surprising if they obfuscated this somehow, but Microsoft's batting average isn't so terrible that they couldn't get this right.
wouldn't this necessarily involve a software emulator, and didn't microsoft spend like five years trying to make their last emulator 100% compatible and ultimately fail?
the only way this would truly be interesting to me would be if I could download all my xbla games. I'm pretty much over putting a disc in a slot every time I want to play a video game.
If this is true, I bet this will play in with their new DVD format that increases the capacity of the storage on the disc, for higher-res textures such that they can sell universal Xbox/PC game discs. But that's almost TOO pro-consumer for me to totally believe until I see it.