Quietly, ever so quietly, Microsoft has released a revamp of the entire Games for Windows Live service on PC and begun hinting at future expansions and enhancements to the service.
The update, which was rolled out yesterday, does away with the ill-advised and clunky Xbox 360 interface and replaces it with something more suited for mouse and keyboard control. The new interface for the service now pops down out of the top of the screen and include a more streamlined and much faster loading set of menus.
Functionally, most of the service has stayed the same however. The system is still used mainly for tracking achievements, messaging friends and matchmaking for multiplayer games - it just looks a bit better and loads a bit faster.
One section which is being overhauled a but though is the Microsoft Marketplace which, although not released quite yet, will soon come with a standalone application that will offer similar functionality to the Xbox 360 marketplace. The Games for Windows Live marketplace will soon allow players to download demos, trailers and full versions of some games for a price.
Microsoft has also done away with the unsuccessful subscription part of the service too, as they had previously pledged to do. The entire Live service is now free to use on a PC and there is no longer a Gold subscription offer.
Do you use Games for Windows Live to track your progress in games like, say, Fallout 3, or do you not bother? Let us know in the forums.
The update, which was rolled out yesterday, does away with the ill-advised and clunky Xbox 360 interface and replaces it with something more suited for mouse and keyboard control. The new interface for the service now pops down out of the top of the screen and include a more streamlined and much faster loading set of menus.
Functionally, most of the service has stayed the same however. The system is still used mainly for tracking achievements, messaging friends and matchmaking for multiplayer games - it just looks a bit better and loads a bit faster.
One section which is being overhauled a but though is the Microsoft Marketplace which, although not released quite yet, will soon come with a standalone application that will offer similar functionality to the Xbox 360 marketplace. The Games for Windows Live marketplace will soon allow players to download demos, trailers and full versions of some games for a price.
Microsoft has also done away with the unsuccessful subscription part of the service too, as they had previously pledged to do. The entire Live service is now free to use on a PC and there is no longer a Gold subscription offer.
Do you use Games for Windows Live to track your progress in games like, say, Fallout 3, or do you not bother? Let us know in the forums.
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