Those who picked up the Xbox 360 just after midnight on its launch date may be surprised to know Microsoft has convergence with Windows Live planned for Xbox Live.
Now that the smells of late night pizza and beer Xbox 360 gaming have been replaced with the aroma of roasting turkeys, it’s a good time to recount Bill Gates comments pre-launch about the future of the platform.
It could be said that the Xbox 360 opens some Windows into the future. Gates told AP the “PC and the Xbox are very complementary.”
Through a forthcoming instant messaging client, Xbox 360 users will be able to communicate with Windows Live users, as Microsoft plans to integrate the IM technology into both platforms.
Windows Live, and the upcoming beta of Office Live, represents Microsoft’s entry into the world of web services, a category that Google has filled with a number of offerings.
Microsoft inadvertently provided Google with part of its web services’ arsenal, for the technology underlying the now-sizzling hot AJAX programming method was developed by Microsoft a few years ago. It’s only recently gained a prominent place in developer toolkits everywhere. Gates previously said the Xbox 360 would be the driver of high-definition TV adoption. Now, he sees the machine as the “centerpiece” in living rooms everywhere.
In the Gates’ living room, it may not be real likely that the chief software architect will be challenging many gamers at Halo.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
