Microsoft Closes Xbox.com PC Marketplace 158
SmartAboutThings writes "Microsoft is definitely changing things in its gaming department: it has now announced in a support note on the Xbox site that it will be shutting down the Xbox.com PC Marketplace on August 22nd. This comes shortly after news that Microsoft hired former Steam boss Jason Holtman, whose mission at Redmond is to 'make Windows great for gaming.' The Microsoft Points system will be retired on August 22nd as well. The Games for Windows Live client software will not be affected, at least initially, letting you play previously purchased games."
Re:"letting us play" (Score:5, Informative)
Microsoft does this ever couple of years (Score:2, Informative)
Microsoft has ZERO internal commitment to gaming on the PC (which obviously doesn't impact third-party games sales), but every few years some optimistic loser manages to persuade the higher management to allow him/her to 'push' PC gaming from an official Microsoft position once again. This frequently coincides with the new console launch, when the PC may get one or two titles that Microsoft is also publishing on said console.
Of course, third party game companies that make PC games are FAR FAR FAR better of ignoring all Microsoft initiatives, and making their code as Microsoft independent as possible (essentially using DirectX and nothing else). Using newer Microsoft APIs beyond DirectX ensures massive incompatibilities between different operating systems (done by MS on purpose to strong-arm upgrades to the latest version of Windows).
Since Microsoft actively began preventing the porting of the Xbox's best exclusives (Halo and Gears of War) to the PC, PC gamers became fully clued in as to Microsoft's true agenda. Microsoft itself has formally PROMISED to prevent its own AAA Xbox One games from appearing as PC versions, and stated that the PC exists only for casual gaming (go Google if you don't believe me).
As for Live in its existing PC game activation form, please stop the FUD- that's going nowhere. Microsoft has clearly promised to ensure every game sold that needs a live connection will get a live connection. Maybe ten years after the last such game is sold, there may be an issue, but no-one is going to have issues using their games in the near future.
PC gaming has never depended on Microsoft, and never will. DirectX was a contribution, but if it had never existed, we would be using a just as good open-standard alternate universe version of something based on Open GL today, just as Open GL ES now exists for the tablets. If Microsoft had EVER been clued in, it would be responsible for the service provided by Valve that we know as 'Steam'. Initially Valve only began the Steam project in frustration that no-one else was doing anything similar in the PC space.
Thankfully, the fact that PC owners will be getting games like GTA V and The Witcher 3 has nothing to do with Microsoft whatsoever.
Re:"letting you play previously purchased games." (Score:4, Informative)
You can backup and install steam games off line as well.
But you can't run the games if Steam has gone away. I've also seen a few people say that they used the Steam backup software and the file it generated wouldn't reinstall.
Re:Always complainers (Score:5, Informative)
The way I see it, MS could write everybody on /. a $10 000 cheque and slashdotters would turn around and say it wasn't done right. Just cause it's MS.
You must be new, oh yes, I can see by your 2.6 Million UID that you are. Let me give you a clue. MS has been making products and dropping support for those products for quite awhile. See, MS had ADHD. They can't pay attention, so they miss the trends until they are already happening. Then they try to play catch up, but since they can't focus worth shit, they lose interest again.
You know how many times they have had a PC Gaming Initiative? About every 5 years. How long do they last? One set of games being released, if that. And even that is to promote something else. Halo & Shadowrun? Remember those? Had to have Vista to run them because they required Direct X 10? MS was pushing Vista & Direct X 10, telling peeps they were there for PC gaming. And yet those 2 games, with a small hack, could run just fine on XP because they didn't use DX 10, they used DX 9.
I'm not even going to into the features that MS always promises for new OS's that never make it. Or how they will focus to take over a market, then let it sit (Web Browsers is a good example of this. They fought tooth and nail to beat Netscape, then once they did, sat on IE6 for years without updates.
No, I don't like MS. They have a history of being twats and most of us know it.