Microsoft makes Games For Windows Live free for all
by Randy Nelson 
{ Jul 22nd 2008 at 2:44PM }
The change is effective immediately, affecting all current GFW Live titles (such as Halo 2 and Shadowrun) as well as future releases. MS is also set to expand the service through a GFW Live Marketplace, due this fall. Like the XBL Marketplace, the PC-centric store will offer free and paid downloadable content, demos, and trailers (is this PC Live Arcade?)
In addition to these announcements, MS is working to make the GFW Live interface "much more PC friendly" (read: not like the Xbox 360's now deprecated "Blades" interface) along with reducing the technical requirements for developers. One criticism of the interface from the development camp has been that it must be built into every GFW title, rather than a stand-alone client such as Steam.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Huey2k2 @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:49PM
Live for free on the way?
Here's hoping.
copa @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:14PM
More likely, they will continue delaying all PC game releases so that people don't flock to the title with the free online service:
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/mgs-europe-simultaneous-360-pc-releases-like-shooting-ourselves/
Negativecool @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:21PM
No, that would make too much sense.
Dale Massey @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:28PM
Same game servers as PC users = Same cost as PC users.
Its only fair that XBL users get the same benefits as the Windows users.
XBL for free!
brokenscope @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:38PM
Only on games that don't have community run servers..
So no games on live then.
SpekOpz @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:52PM
Sounds great. Might actually start buying pc games now instead of, well you know.
FNG @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:45PM
I do, and good for you. (I don't PC game)
Aaron @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:53PM
Maybe I can actually find a multiplayer match for GoW PC now.
Jeff @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:43PM
Whoa. Maybe I'll reinstall that now!
Klepto @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:54PM
Really? Were they suprised when people didn't want to pay for what they can get for free?
Deezul @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:49PM
That's what my wife keeps saying, but it's a better experience when you pay, more choices, you can always find someone any time of day.
Oh, we're talking about GAMES...
Marty @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:02PM
Deezul FTW
j.howlett @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:55PM
now if we can get people to stop saying things like they'd gladly pay $50 for live, maybe microsoft will bring down the price
Knight Marquise @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:04PM
I don't have a problem paying $50.00 for Live.
Obie @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:08PM
I love live, but I would love it a whole lot more if it were free!
j.howlett @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:03PM
and thats why they'll keep charging for it Knight.
Hashbrown Hunter @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:08PM
I don't have a problem paying nothing for PSN.
joevill @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:55PM
They couldn't compete with such services like Steam!
deaftly @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:21PM
Steam is one of the buggiest pieces of software I have on my computer, massive memory leaks in that thing.
ANTCEP @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:37PM
@deaftly i have to disagree, i have had no problems whatsoever with steam, and i think it is the most comprihensive service out there.
Ordeith @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:41PM
deaftly, you are so right about steam that I wish I could vote you up multiple times.
Marty @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:13PM
At the launch of HL2, Steam was garbage... but it's come a long way now, and frankly, if you think it sucks, you probably haven't used it since they fixed it.
deaftly @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:34PM
I like how I have no votes at all
eldee @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:56PM
good, they're catching on. PC users already sink a shitload of money into hardware costs, and those of us who aren't pirating games don't like the idea of paying some bullshit middleman for a steam-like service.
xxHughesxx @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:56PM
So, the three people who are using this service are gonna be happy. No big surprise that a service which is virtually unused is now free while Xbox live stays at a premium.
I played shadowrun on my 360 for a good 5 months and there were about 3 pc players i ran into over that time.
And before someone says thats cos shadowrun was a bad game, there were loads of 360 people on it and i enjoyed it, not as good as i hoped but damn better than any reviewer said. Teleporting through a wall, stabbing somone in the back, ressurecting your dead friend and then teleporting out again is so much fun for the record.
Joeshie @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:57PM
So GFWL went from being a shitty online service that you had to pay for to being a shitty online service is free?
I think it's great and all that Microsoft finally got it through their skulls that they can't nickle and dime PC gamers like they can console gamers, but it's too little too late.
Steam is still the better service with many more games. The best thing that Microsoft could do is throw their support behind Steam.
Klepto @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:02PM
That'll be the day.
007craft @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:04PM
steam is not GFWL. GFWL is not a distrbution system. Its a set of online interfaces and connectivity. GFWL brings the 360 features like voice chat, matchmaking and friends list unified across pc games, something that they really need. Now that its free, I cant see anything wrong with it. Charging the money was a bit rediculose to begin with, because on the pc, your free to do so much and get around using it.
Dont expect live to go free ont he xbox anytime soon. Theres millions of subscribers. I would love to stop having to pay $30 a year to play my xbox online, but I just dont see it happening at all. the 360 is closed, not open like a pc. We really cant create alternative servers or anything. Microsoft has us pinned against a wall, and their reaching into our pockets to get at our wallets. On the PC, theres no wall, so we can get away, so microsofts only choice is basically to make their service free.
KingOfGods @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:12PM
What's with all this comparison to steam? GFWL isn't a steam like service. gfw is a set of really good standards (wide screen monitor, x360 peripherals, etc.) that developers must implement to qualify for gfw branding.
gfwl is gfw but also allows gamers to earn achievements and if the game supports it, play cross platform with 360 users.
Veko @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:15PM
007craft: I have friend lists, voice chatting and all other basic needs on Steam. Oh, and they're not the first to do it. I used to play games online all the time on Gamespy 5 or so years ago. Both these services are free.
The only new thing about "Live" is its shitty 'blades' interface and the payment for it. They got rid of one of those problems, when they get rid of the blades interface they'll only be 5 years behind.
Monkeys Suck @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:17PM
It did have a free version where you could play with just PC users...now, I can get in touch with Xbox people too. Pretty good IMO, and I can still use the games through Steam, so yay
Joeshie @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:12PM
@007craft
Steam isn't just a distribution service. It also has a unified friends list (which is better than GFWL and PC gaming has had for a LONG time, XFire), voice chat, and matchmaking is pretty much worthless on PCs due to the inherent benefits of dedicated servers.
Believe me, I have done GFWL from day one when I picked up Shadowrun for the PC. The interface was a friggin' mess, dedicated servers were a bitch to set up (what few there were), and it lacked a slew of other features that PC gamers have had for years. While Steam technically only provides online service for VALVE games, it still does it 1000% better than GFWL. I would much rather have another company work on their own service than use the attrocity that is GFWL. It's why I didn't pick up Universe at War and GoW for PC. I refuse to use an online service as shitty as GFWL on my PC.
Also, I can tell you that any excitement over cross-platform play is severly misplaced. PC gamers are limited to the same kind of limitations that console gamers would be limited to (meaning no dedicated servers, no custom content, no mods, etc). If Shadowrun demonstrated anything, it's that PC users don't like being shackled by the limitations of consoles.
eldee @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:40PM
OKAY ITS NOT LIKE STEAM. ITS LIKE XFIRE.
Still, there are BETTER and FREE alternatives to it, there's no reason *anybody* would pay for GFWL. The comparison is moot, the net result is the same.. MOVE ON.
PSN & GAMERTAG: jorojoserojas - Wii FC: 0749-8609-3752-6926 @ Jul 22nd 2008 2:57PM
I would like to get into PC gaming, but it seems like it's a lot to keep up with. I'm not too tech-savvy when it comes to things like upgrades and hardware and such.
What's a good estimate on a PC that can run the latest games? I mean, pricewise.
Keep in mind, I'm running a PC with pretty low specs (Dell Dimension E510, bought just for the sake of doing my school work).
Joeshie @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:03PM
Depends. If you keep the same monitor and only get a new case, motherboard, CPU, and graphics card. Then you can build a pretty nice one for under $600 dollars.
007craft @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:08PM
gaming PC to play anything on the market today if you build yourself - $800
Gaming pc to play anything on the market if you buy prebuilt from dell, sony, hp , etc etc - $2000+
Do yourself a favour and learn how to build a pc. Its not as difficult as it may seem. Knowing the insides of a car is much mroe confusing. Theres really only like 6 or 7 main parts to a PC, and putting them together is like connecting lego blocks. Just google around to learn. It should only take a few hours of reading, and you will save yourself Hundreds and hundreds of dollars, everytime you need a new PC.
Jeff @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:43PM
Honestly, under $500 and you could run any game except Crysis maxed out.
For like $800 you could go all top of the line. Not absolute top, but mostly the latest tech.
In between console generations PC gaming gets cheappp.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:04PM
Sweet so how about we console gamers get Xbox LIVE for free now or maybe slash it in half? $25.00 a year would be TEH HAWTNESS!!!
PSN & GAMERTAG: jorojoserojas - Wii FC: 0749-8609-3752-6926 @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:12PM
Agreed.
I hardly even play games online, and I've already paid for 2 years of Live. Funny on how I spend money on things I don't use (like half my damn video game collection, for example).
That's one thing where I like Nintendo and Sony's system better. Yeah, they're not as good as Live, but Sony is getting close...and they're free.
Eventually, I'll have to try this online gaming craze. I keep hearing things about it.
Veko @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:09PM
Took them long enough. They still have a few hundred fixes to go before them catch up with Valve's Steam and Stardock's Impulse, but it's a start.
BIGFAT @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:21PM
That the one thing that i like most about about Microsoft, they listen to there community. while ypu could argue Sony does too, they take way more more time to produce then Microsoft.
Negativecool @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:23PM
....
Oookay?
o.0
Vcize @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:36PM
Live works on the 360 because it works across ALL games, ALL consoles. One friends list, one menu to send game invites from, one menu to send messages from, it's all integrated no matter what you're doing.
GFWL doesn't work because it only works across a few games.
One of the reasons I got out of PC gaming was because I got tired of having this same IM conversation with 12 friends in a row:
"Ok, so we're gonna play some Counterstrike, you down? Ok, now join the teamspeak server we're in, the IP is 24.132.038.289. What's that, you need the new client? Ok, go to the teamspeak website and click downloads -> updates -> 2.4.0.1.3b. Make sure you don't get 3a, that's not compatible. Ok, got it? Ok, now we're in a server called ~-Uncle Joe's 24/7 Dust-~. You in here now? No? Ok, that's a dash in front of the tilda, not two tildas. Got it? Ah, crap, the admin just turned on God mode. Forget it, we're going to go find a different server. I'll IM you the details."
Then repeat 12 times to get everyone together.
If there were a Live-like service, that worked across ALL games, I'd probably play a LOT more PC games, whether it was free or not.
But PC gamers are too set in their ways and their "we're too cool for console gamers and that xbox live crap" attitude to accept changes for the better.
StuScotsLazyEye @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:41PM
You've obviously never heard of Xfire, have you?
This isn't 1999.
Ihavepants @ Jul 23rd 2008 12:51AM
Or, seeing as you're using Counter Strike as an example. You go into your Steam friends list, right click on your friend who is in the game and then click "Join Game"
BenKenobi88 @ Jul 23rd 2008 11:46AM
Uh...Steam? Use Steam chat to talk to friends and it'll show what server they're in, on the message window. Just click "join game" and you're in. And if you want to switch midgame, you just press Shift+Tab, and your whole friends list and open message windows show up, so you can talk to your friends more.
That's pretty much what you're asking for, and it already exists. Not to mention they'll be introducing a Matchmaking system in the fall when Left 4 Dead comes out.
Vcize @ Jul 23rd 2008 1:05PM
I'm not sure how you're missing the "across all games" part, since it's in the first sentence and all.
If I'm in a Steam game, and someone I know is in Crysis, I don't know and can't contact them unless I call them or IM them and boot them out of their window.
And the 'join game' thing is assuming we're playing a game on steam. Again, all games.
Then there's voice chat to consider, and being able to go into private voice chat with friends without setting up a TS server, etc.
Steam would be fine, or Xfire would be fine, if everyone had them across all games. As it is, they're completely optional, and have endless restrictions as to what they have full functionality with.
natetk @ Jul 23rd 2008 3:39PM
Is there even an xbox game where you can jump in the middle of a game started?
Jeff @ Jul 22nd 2008 3:41PM
The only reason anyone would use this-- even free-- over Steam is for cross-platform play. I might actually buy Lost Planet: Colonies Edition now. I loved that game, but on PC there were never any servers.
I also have a $4 copy of shadowrun sitting around for when I have to buy a laptop for college that inevitably comes with Vista.
Shawn @ Jul 22nd 2008 4:34PM
yeah, STEAMWORKS IS the future of PC Gaming as far as I'm concerned. I just hope Dawn of War 2 sell on STEAM, kinda upset about that using Live, but if it's free, I'm not going to complain, but what a great thing it would have been to see STEAMWORKS integrated into DoW2.