.. seems to be more and more focused around the game capability of a PC, or at least that's how this article presents it. So Longhorn'd PCs will be compatible with XBox controllers and XNA:
To that end, Longhorn will natively support the XNA development system, and Longhorn-based PCs will directly benefit from this. "Xbox 2 peripherals will all work on PC," said Lester, clarifying that Xbox controllers, steering wheels, and other console-related peripheral functionality will all be brought into Longhorn's portfolio, as will Xbox Live functionality. For game players, this will make for, if nothing else, an added convenience, since playing a game on a PC or an Xbox will [ideally] come down to little more than unplugging the controller from one and plugging it in to the other.
Intriguing. Via Joystiq.
MS realise that there is sod all growth potential for them in the markets that they already control.
So, the quest for the domination of the living room looms large (and yes, the information superhighway yadda yadda convergence is inevitable).
Interestingly, when MS talk about Live evolution, they often mention the continuity of a given game across multiple hardware generations. Halo1 on XBox5 anyone? Hmmm. Could perhaps spell good things for cybersport.
Posted by: cf | September 30, 2004 at 23:58
That hatter looks pretyy dangerous btw. And I'm _convinced_ that Tenniel was the inspiration behind "Donnie Darko". Spookdom.
Posted by: cf | October 01, 2004 at 00:10
Ah ha! You too, huh? I'm waiting for people to actually notice the controller and the quake symbol.
Posted by: Alice | October 01, 2004 at 13:30
You know, there is another quake symbol on the page. Its location may prove distracting to some...
Not that subtle a joke - but hey it's a Friday night, you're not supposed to care :)
Posted by: cf | October 01, 2004 at 23:55