Perhaps realising it wasn’t exactly popular with gamers as a standalone marketplace, Microsoft recently decided to shift Games for Windows over to Xbox.com. That move has now taken place, and…it’s gone about as well as you’d expect from Microsoft and PC gaming.
The image above is where you’ll now find PC gaming on Xbox.com. Tucked away in a sub-menu, nestled between avatars and Xbox downloads. Click on it and you’ll be taken to the new GFW marketplace. Where one of five featured games is the six year-old Age of Empires III.
For all its talk and intent on the subject, some days it really does feel like Microsoft just wants to wash its hands of PC gaming.
Rod
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 3:58 PMWould they? Please? I think we would all be grateful if they just stuck to delivering the OS.
Shinkada
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 6:01 PMThis. Just because Windows is the only real choice for gamers doesn’t mean Microsoft has to actually pay any attention to them, other than making sure they support the latest hardware and software (which they should let other people develop).
Reoh
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 5:14 PM+1, I entirely endorse this idea.
Lone Wolf
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:13 PMDouble facepalm to keep from beating head against desk.
Dear Microsoft – consider respecting your primary customer base enough to give them fully-functional game support.
If you throw up your hands and drop it as too hard, expect alienation.
Daniel Green
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 9:49 PMI thought you had written ‘If you throw UP IN your hands’ which is just as apt, and about what they are trying to serve to PC gamers now too…
Dunnowhathuh
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:19 PMSome days? It feels like it wants to shaft PC gaming every day of the week if you ask me. I haven’t seen one bit of support from them for PC gaming in a loooong time.
Alinos
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:26 PMeh hopefully this means they will just f$%$ off the GWFL service completely it was never necessary and has always been a hassle.
but id rather buy a game with GWFL on it than the XBOX moniker.
Brewer74
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:37 PMDont count on it, I thought it would die off many a time, but it is still around with games like DiRT3 and such. The patching system is the worst thing though, if you are new to GFW, then you would swear the game is broken, such a kick in the nuts to PC users…
McGarnical
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:30 PMAm I missing something? It’s in the same menu as “Xbox Games”. What’s the problem?
James Mac
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 5:53 PMI think, and don’t quote me on this, the problem is that someone isn’t throwing themselves at and fawning over the PC master race…
Alinos
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 7:25 PMno the problem has nothing to do with sucking up to PC gamers.
The problem is that it would be like making an xbox user go to steam in order to buy DLC for their xbox.
The PC system worked much better before gfwl. and now they seem to have just given up and even trying to replicate the xbox system in gfwl.
which is no problem if it means that they have given up on GFWL.
but if they start selling me games with XBOX markings on it i really have to ask why?
PsyKoMunKy
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 9:51 AMExactly Mr. Mac…
You’d think the PC master race would know how to mark a favourite website – then they wouldn’t have to look at their platform being third on a drop down list of 4 items…
Rod
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 7:01 PM…the fact that I’m not looking for Xbox games?
On a heavily Xbox-branded website, pretty much every bit of content on there is subconsciously qualified with “for Xbox” in our heads. If Microsoft are stupid enough to try and sell PC games on that site, then the first thing they need to realise is that people don’t go to an Xbox games section looking for PC games…they’ll most logically look to go to a PC section.
Dark_Templar
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:32 PMI hate the fact I had to cancel a credit card because MS would not cancel my live subscription when I sold my 360.
Darth Guybrush
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:43 PMI got the full AgeIII collection for $1.00 – a while ago yes. Everything else is a rip off – same as the XBox marketplace.
Billy Joel
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:48 PMIMO, Microsoft should stop developing Xbox and transfer everyone working on that to a new PC Gaming division.
Sure, they’d lose billions of dollars but Xbox would fuck off which most PC gamers want and PC gaming would get more attention.
Trjn
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 4:57 PMSomehow that doesn’t seem like a smart decision for Microsoft and as someone that isn’t part of the PC master race, that wouldn’t work out too well for me either.
Really, more people would lose out in that situation and those that would gain would gain relatively little.
doubleDizz
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 5:51 PMME: Is my PC an XBOX?
MICROSOFT: well, no bu..
ME: THEN WHY THE FUCK DO I HAVE TO GO TO XBOX.COM TO GET YOUR OFFERING OF GAMES?!!
*Godzilla fire-breath*
Ezkaton
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 7:34 PMPlease please please give up on GFWL too, Microsoft.
Nobody likes it anyway.
OzHuski
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 8:02 PMI dunno why everyone has problems with GFWL, I love it! But i’ve never had any drama’s with it, and its good if your Xbox friends are too lazy to get into PC gaming.
What sucks, is MS can spend all this time moving shit around and not bother to port some of their better 360 titles over.. Come on?? Seriously there is a market here for your games!!
Samuel
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 8:11 PMMicrosoft being dicks? Colour me non-sarcastically surprised!
Ethan
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 9:17 PMHate me all you like, but a larger number of people are converting to other operating systems than any time in the last 15 years. Microsoft are keeping a lot of the enthusiast market because they need Windows to play games. Thus, if they push everything over the to the XBox, they’re going to lose customers on the Windows side.
Do you see more promise in the XBox than Windows, Microsoft?
mattroe
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 10:55 PMMacs are nowhere near as popular as their loud-mouth user base would have you think. Microsoft still has nearly 90% of the OS share, and with the success that Windows 7 was, I’d be surprised if they’re worried one bit.
Grandmaster B-Funk
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 9:32 PMplease, just let valve organise everything, i mean, stam isn’t perfect, but GFWL is just atrocious
Ted
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 11:55 PM+1
PsyKoMunKy
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 9:45 AMBoohoo I’m a hard done by PC Gamer… you chose your platform get over it.
PC gamers complaining that PC gamers don’t like Xbox is a gross generalisation – go research some new video cards while I just get on with playing games…
andy
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 11:23 AMgo back to being a annoying console jockey who for some odd reason thinks PC games requires $2000 to set up.
btw i also own an xbox and im not a dick so maybe…
PsyKoMunKy
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 11:41 AMSorry dude, I’m a gamer – I enjoy all platforms – I just don’t care about insignificant things like this.
I’m under no illusion about the cost of PC gaming – my emphasis is on the gaming part rather than which platform I swear allegiance to.
PsyKoMunKy
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 11:43 AMBTW Andy – You proved my point… I was saying that PC gamers who complain that all PC players don’t like consoles (refer to above comments) are generalising… The fact that you play both is testament to this is it not?
DENAz
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 11:42 AMOMG how dare they!! /sarcasm
Seriously, what is the big deal? Its in a logical place. There is a games menu, so of course PC games would fall under that. People will complain about anything these days!
DENAz
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 11:43 AMPlus its not like the whole site is like that, go to the forums (if you can) and you’ll see that PC Gaming has its very own section, quite seperate from the Xbox section
rjt197197
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 5:32 PMLook at the website. http://www.Xbox.com
PC gamers don’t go to an Xbox site to buy PC games.