Microsoft bringing Xbox Live to mobile games
Download games, manage your friends' lists, and accept Xbox challenges on your mobile
Just when you thought mobile gaming was the one place you could get away from the world's most powerful computer company, Bill Gates turns up at the E3 games conference in Los Angeles to explain that Microsoft is bringing its Xbox Live functionality to mobile phones.
But before you give up and become a luddite, look on the bright side: Microsoft's Xbox Live has been the most successful implementation of multiplayer gaming and communication yet, and we all know mobile could be a more pleasant place to play.
Besides, being able to send messages across Xbox Live, access friends lists, download mobile games, and sample, purchase and play games all from within one standard environment on your handset doesn't sound so bad – unless perhaps you're Nokia, who in March announced its own version of all this with its next N-Gage platform.
Microsoft has one key advantage over Nokia – its system, called 'Live Anywhere', will be completely compatible with Live on Windows Vista PCs and the Xbox. You'll not only be able to have just one 'gamertag' identity across all those platforms, you'll also be able to buy games like Zuma for PC, and get it at the same time for mobile and Xbox.
You'll also be able to tweak aspects of Xbox games like Forza Motorsport from your mobile handset; Microsoft's E3 demo showed gamers swapping cars over their phones, and tweaking them before racing.
Microsoft claims all this will be possible by "this time next year".
A big development, we feel. But hey, don't trust us, trust America's richest man:
"By opening the Xbox Live entertainment network to the entire universe of Windows and mobile gamers, we're creating unparalleled gameplay opportunities that will drive incredible growth of the online community," decreed Bill Gates. "Our vision is to deliver consistent, compelling experiences that make it easy for consumers to jump in and play, from any device at any time. It's a vision that only Microsoft can deliver."
Indeed. Shouldn't there be a flash of lightning and a chilling organ sound to conclude?