Skip to main content

Microsoft readying on-demand gaming website

In a sign of the growing popularity of Web-based game stores like Valve’s Steam, Microsoft has announced its own digital games download venture dubbed Games for Windows Marketplace. The online store will host a healthy lineup of PC games available for on-demand download and will launch in mid-November.

“With Games for Windows Marketplace, we set out to create a digital store built for PC gamers end-to-end,” said Kevin Unangst, Senior Global director, PC and Mobile Gaming, at Microsoft. “And by integrating with our existing Xbox Live and Windows Live services, we’ve made it easier than ever for millions of gamers to see for themselves how easy buying PC games can be.”

Related Videos

Users will be to login with a Windows Live ID and pay via credit card, or through Microsoft Points. Microsoft is promising a “Deal of the Week” and recurring seasonal specials to attract PC game aficionados, but makes no specific mention of any pricing scheme — discounted or otherwise — planned for the store. Other features promised for the site include “dedicated publisher pages,” re-downloads of already-purchased titles, and “ultra-fast” download speeds.

The site will host titles from industry heavy-hitters including Rockstar Games, Capcom, and 2K Games. Microsoft says there will be “a portfolio of 100 top-quality titles” available at launch that will include a mix of established classics and recent hits including Grand Theft Auto III, Max Payne, and Dead Rising 2. And of course Microsoft won’t forget about Microsoft, and plans to offer games from its own lineup including Flight Simulator, and Halo. The site will host games new titles at their release such as the upcoming Fable III and Age of Empires Online. Indie titles are promised to appear in the store as well.

The Games for Windows Marketplace is scheduled to go online Nov. 15 at the site GamesforWindows.com.

Editors' Recommendations

Happy birthday, Steam Deck: console and PC gamers debate its first year
Factorio running on a Steam Deck.

As the Steam Deck’s one-year anniversary approached, I found myself itching to write a reflection on my past 12 months with it. Though I love the gaming device and use it as much as my Nintendo Switch, I initially found my feelings skewing more negative than I expected. Part of that may have been a little reactionary, as I’ve developed a pet peeve in the past year: hearing people who work in games tout it as a “life-changing” device. Sure, it’s life-changing for anyone whose job hinges on having easy access to games, but some of the Steam Deck’s more frustrating quirks make it harder to recommend to a casual player.

My perspective changed when I chatted with Jacob Roach. Digital Trends’ Computing senior staff  writer. As a PC gamer, his read on the system was entirely different from mine, focusing on game-changing features that I haven’t gotten much use out of. What became clear from that conversation is that the Steam Deck is a very different device depending on whether you’re coming at it from a PC or console background.

Read more
Microsoft pledges to bring Xbox PC games to Nvidia GeForce Now
geforce-now-og-no-text-1200x630

Microsoft has announced a 10-year partnership with Nvidia aimed at bringing Xbox PC games to its cloud gaming service competitor Nvidia GeForce Now as part of its ongoing efforts to win over companies skeptical of its potebtial Activision Blizzard acquisition.
This means that players can use Nvidia GeForce Now to play the Steam, Epic Games Store, or Windows versions of titles like Halo Infinite, Redfall, and eventually, Call of Duty through the cloud on GeForce Now. Third-party publishers with games on the Windows Store can also now grant streaming rights to Nvidia. This announcement came during a European Commission hearing where Microsoft tried to convince regulators that its impending acquisition should bne allowed.
Microsoft has been under a lot of regulatory scrutiny even since it announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022. It's trying to win over industry peers with deals like this one with Nvidia. This week, the Communications Workers of America voiced its approval of the deal, and Microsoft has signed a binding agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms as well. Previously, Nvidia had raised concerns about Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition, but the press release announcing this agreement states that the deal "resolves Nvidia's concerns," and that Nvidia now gives "full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition." 
Regulatory bodies in the U.S., U.K., and Europe are worried that Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard will hurt the game industry and sabotage Microsoft's competitors in both console and cloud gaming. Nvidia GeForce Now is seen as one of the biggest competitors to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate's cloud service offerings, which makes it surprising that it reached an agreement with Nvidia. However, this deal also demonstrates how Microsoft is willing to make concessions so that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved.

Read more
PlayStation VR2 adds even more games to its launch lineup
Gameplay from Sushi Ben, an upcoming PlayStation VR2 game.

Sony has finalized the launch lineup of the PlayStation VR2 headset just before its February 22 release. With that comes the confirmation of the new games coming to the PSVR2 platform throughout the rest of 2023, including a sequel to a critically acclaimed PlayStation VR title, as well as many exciting ports.

Starting with the newly confirmed launch titles, ports of the Viking rhythm game Ragnarock, 1980s anime-themed motorcycle combat game Runner, sci-fi simulator Startenders: Intergalactic Bartending, medieval sword-fighting game Swordsman VR, and VR Guitar Hero-like Unplugged: Air Guitar will all be available on February 22. This cements the following list as PlayStation VR2's 43-game launch game lineup.

Read more