We have known for sometime that the lines between the various screens we use each day such as our Windows Phone, PC and Xbox were fading away allowing us to engage in the same activities on all of them.
With the next version of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 8, Xbox games will become an integral piece of the system and Microsoft is priming the pump for when Windows 8 becomes available to the general public on 26 October this year.
Major Nelson, aka Microsoft’s Larry Hryb, has revealed the initial stable of games that will populate the Games portal on Windows 8 and they include some popular Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) titles as well as other favorites from companies like Rovio and their Angry Birds franchise.
The entire list of the 40 wave one games is available at Major Nelson’s website in his post titled First wave of Xbox LIVE games that will be coming to Windows 8 and then you can visit the Play Xbox Live Arcade to see detailed info on a handful of the XBLA already with more following soon.
If you are testing Windows 8 RTM three of these new games are already available in the Windows Store for download – Microsoft Mahjong, Microsoft Minesweeper and Microsoft Solitaire Collection – which are very impressive updates of these classics.
There is no mention in any of the postings about pricing for these games but if Xbox Live Games on Windows Phone is any indication I am sure there will be a good mix of those we need to pay for and those we will get for free.
