14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is suggesting that the soon to be launched Xbox One home console might at some point allow users to play some of its titles against gamers who are using the Windows 8 operating system on the PC.
Phil Spencer, one of the leaders of the division in charge of next-gen consoles, tells AusGamers that the possibility exists and the company might offer more information after the release of the platform.
He states, "I think what you’re talking about makes a lot of sense. Now you have differences in Windows gaming and console gaming around control and input… in fact if you go back to Shadow Run on Xbox 360 — something I worked on — we had PC players playing against Xbox 360 customers."
The executive admits that Xbox 360 to PC cross-platform play was not a success, but it seems that Microsoft is ready to try again and perform better.
Spencer also mentions Skills of the Shogun and Halo: Spartan Assault as signs of how video games can use two or more platforms to deliver content to a gamer.
He adds, "This connected ecosystem across all the different devices is definitely where I think the future of gaming is going; you don’t have to do it as a developer, but you have the capability and I think a system like Xbox Live across all those screens where you know who someone is and who their friends are, what their Achievements are and their progression is really critical to that."
Recently, Microsoft has also revealed that the SDK of the Xbox One will allow developers to add mouse and keyboard support after the console is out, even if the two peripherals will not function at optimal parameters.
The new gaming platform will be offered in 13 core countries on November 22 and to the rest of the world in 2014.