Goodbye, Games for Windows Live? Xbox Live Inside Windows 8

I'm excited for Windows 8 and I'm all for cleaner integration of games in to the OS...

...but I'm still sticking with Steam. It already works on multiple Operating Systems, not just Windows 8. It already does what I need. Hopefully competition will force Steam to have a better UI.

@2HeadedNinja said:

they can rebrand and rename all they want ... unless they start releasing xbox exclusive games on PC there is no PC gaming from microsoft ... and this better not be a payed service.

It's Xbox Live... of course its a payed service! They expect me to pay for XBL Gold just to watch Netflix, which I'm already paying Netflix for.

So far I see no reason to move from Windows 7 to 8.

For me, Steam has nearly filled the space for digital distribution on the PC. I rarely buy games from other sources, and if I do I check to see if the game can be activated on Steam. This way, if I uninstall the game from my PC I can always install it again from Steam, and all of my games stay in one place rather than across a bunch of difference shops and services.

I don't see myself using other services like Impulse or Origin except when a game I want is only available from those sources, and even then begrudgingly. Valve has done such a good job over the years taking a fledgling (and flaky) digital distribution system for their own games and turning it into a service that to me is synonymous with the phrase PC gaming. I welcome change for the better, but at the moment I just don't see Xbox Live bringing anything to the table for PC gamers that warrants the effort.

Makes sense, i just want xbox live to function the same between pc and console.

Microsoft's opinion and desire is for me to play "real" games on Xbox and for PC gaming to be stuff like Age of Empires Online. They want to migrate the Xbox brand to Windows because they want Xbox to be synonymous with gaming. As a PC gamer it's pretty insulting, but for the majority of people they are likely on the right path.

This is pretty cool, I wonder how this will effect steam and vice versa.

I honestly WANT achievements for my PC games. I wish I could play certain games on my PC instead but I've made the console sacrifice a few times just for the achievements so in a couple of years it's marked on my gaming felony sheet. But seriously, it's pretty bad ass that you can play Batman:AA on the pc for points. Just beat Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising also, neat game.

If they make the PC have XBL in a similar fashion but don't restrict the online gaming I'm on board.

@zombie2011 said:

Hmm Sony is basically going to advertising the Xbox brand with every PC they sell.

The irony of this is almost too good to be true.

This thing is going suck when its released!