New Windows 8 OS will play Xbox 360 games.

[FxMercenary]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/a...ows-8-pcs.aspx

Thats the rumors on the internets anyhow.

[kupomogli]

If it's true, Microsoft is probably tired of spending an endless amount of funding to fix RRoD 360s.

[Leo_A]

How would this even be possible? You would need a PC from ten years into the future just to get decent emulation.

Because it surely wouldn't be done via emulation (Not that it would be nearly as daunting for Microsoft to eventually emulate their own console with professional programmers and full documentation of the inner workings of the system, resources that homebrew emulation programmers don't have and one reason the hardware requirements for homebrew efforts are so high).

The Xbox 360 is just a computer that has been turned into a dedicated console. It doesn't seem impossible that a PC with the correct operating system and suitable specs could be made to natively play Xbox 360 software. Would be a logical next step for them to merge their Games for Windows initiative with the Xbox 360 even further.

We were led by the media for quite a while to believe that the Xbox was going to be able to play Windows PC games back over a decade ago, and look how that turned out. I wouldn't be shocked if this was 100% incorrect like that turned out to be, or that something was just lost in translation somewhere (Maybe the rumor is, in reality, about the Xbox 720; something like a Blu-Ray disc would have ample room for the average game for both the PC and Xbox 720 builds of a particular game to reside on the same disc for releases slated for both platforms).

If it's true, Microsoft is probably tired of spending an endless amount of funding to fix RRoD 360s.

Microsoft resolved that issue long ago. I really don't see where it could've possibly played a role in anything. They're not abandoning the console business, even though a Playstation fanboy might want them to.

[RP2A03]

The Xbox 360 is just a computer that has been turned into a dedicated console. It doesn't seem impossible that a PC with the correct operating system and suitable specs could be made to natively play Xbox 360 software.

This was true only of the original Xbox. The 360, like the others, uses a PowerPC based CPU which contains an entirely different, more advanced instruction set that would have to be emulated on our x86 based PCs.

[Leo_A]

This was true only of the original Xbox. The 360, like the others, uses a PowerPC based CPU which contains an entirely different, more advanced instruction set that would have to be emulated on our x86 based PCs.

I guess we'll see.

I have to assume if it happens that it wouldn't be 100% emulation. I don't think the average PC in 2011 is anywhere near capable of that at this point, even with a lot of capital poured into the project with dozens of professionals skilled in hardware emulation with full technical documentation of the Xbox 360 at their disposal.

[Greg2600]

The same games available on 360 are often available on PC, with better graphics if you PC is souped up. That said, what is needed is a front end that does what emulators do now. Except it wouldn't be an emulator as we know it, it would be something far more professional. Sort of like the windows emulators for Unix. One place where they may have a problem is that PC games use gigantic amounts of disc space, installed. Would this application need to do that? Would you be required to "install" parts of the game onto your PC the first time you play?

[exit]

I'm not sure I can fully believe this, while it would be an interesting move on Microsoft's part, it doesn't sound very plausible from a marketing standpoint. Not only would it deem the 360 completely useless, it may even end up hurting some developers in the end, since people could simply not buy the PC counterpart and get the 360 version since they won't have to worry about system specs.

Also I could see this completely backfiring on them, not only would this be cracked within a week (if they decide to charge, which they probably will), there would also be no stopping people from just downloading a ripped 360 of a game. It would be a catastrophe for both developers and Microsoft, since a lot of people simply wouldn't buy anything.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

i can see it mostly because i doubt microsoft will even give a fuck about making sure their next system will be backward compatible with the 360, why go through thr trouble & cost of implementing it when you can just emulate it, help bolster the profile of your new upcoming os & steal marketshare from apple in the process?



if anything they'll make even more money from new live accounts while simultaneously cutting overhead due to not having to create & maintain as many systems while reaping the same rewards that console licensing nets them



...too bad my netbook wouldn't be able to run them tho

[kedawa]

A more likely explanation is that MS had ported minwin to XBOX360 at some point, and Windows 8 still contains some of the same system files or whatever.

[RP2A03]

How would this even be possible? You would need a PC from ten years into the future just to get decent emulation.

[RCM]

I've heard rumors like this for a long time, just not on Win8. It makes sense as they might be trying to play Sony's Blu-Ray game. I have to imagine the somewhat healthy installed based for BR players has a lot to do with PS3.

Anyway, if you include this feature for systems that can run Win8 well enough M$ could (eventually) legitimately claim the installed based for 360 (or 360 capable systems) went from 50+ million to 500 million (there's a report that something like 400+ million Win7 licenses were activated) in a mater of months or a year or two. Not everyone will utilize that, of course. But that prospect has to be pretty compelling to developers.

That sounds pretty mainstream to me, and just what videogames needs (to be truly mainstream). All speculation for now, but if M$ prices it right and solidly executes the app or whatever it'll be a win-win for everyone.

ps - imagine laptops running 360 without the aid of a Ben Heck hack job? How awesome would that be?