Xbox Live going 360 exclusive
According to a letter today from Marc Whitten, GM of Xbox Live, the original Xbox is definitely looking at it’s sunset months, at least when it comes to online gaming. Support for the original Xbox on the Live service will end on April 15th, 2010. This includes both original titles compatible with the 360 and the downloadable Xbox Originals games. This doesn’t affect the single player experience, as it affects the multiplayer gaming aspect. The largest groups of people to be affected are fans of Halo 2 and Counter Strike.
I want to start by saying this isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.
Although not clearly defined in the letter, there are a number of compatibility issues with the original console, and ending its online support for the original will likely allow for larger friends lists, as well as a number of other features. This includes the likely compatibility with Windows Phone devices when they’re released later this year, as well as a more integrated Marketplace. I wouldn’t doubt that it will also allow other social networking services to run concurrently. For example, if you’ve connected your Live ID to Messenger, you can always receive IMs, but other social networking services require their own application. It’s possible that moving forward the service can implement multiple logins that would remain available while gaming.
In any case, this is clearly the price of progress, and there will probably be more information forthcoming at the upcoming X10 event in San Francisco on February 11th.
