You might recall that Xbox Live is coming to Windows 8. What does that entail? You can see for yourself in a pair of videos shot at a Build session this morning. GeekWire and WinRumors were both in attendance as Microsoft program manager Avi Ben-Menahem demonstrated an early version of the Metro-style Xbox Live app running on Windows 8, and it looks like a far cry from the current, often-obnoxious Games for Windows Live. Instead of enforcing game licenses and hiding achievements in a drop-down menu bar, the new app is designed to be the colorful tiled center of your gaming social life. There are also Video and Music tabs for content discovery -- though Avi reportedly didn’t show them off this morning -- and cloud storage for your game’s save state. Perhaps most excitingly, Microsoft’s pledging support for turn-based multiplayer games that work across Windows 8, Xbox, and Windows Phone alike. Watch a chunk of presentation and a demo of Pinball FX 2 (ported from Xbox) right after the break.
Microsoft demos Xbox Live on Windows 8, promises cross-platform asynchronous multiplayer games (video)
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
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