Yesterday, Microsoft announced that their PC gaming hub, Games for Windows Live, is now moving to a completely free business model. This move will remove the distinction between the Gold and Silver membership tiers and will hopefully alleviate some of the negative stigma that has been surrounding the service since its release.

In the wake of this announcement all eyes now turn to Microsoft’s console equivalent, Xbox Live, in the hopes that it will be undergoing a similar adjustment. However, in the absence of a direct competitor – such as Steam on the PC – and the fact that Microsoft continues to turn a profit from the service, any change that drastic seems highly unlikely.

[via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

For those of you who don't know (aka those of you living in holes in the ground), BioShock, the highly-anticipated and fascinatingly-unique first-person shooter from Take-Two and 2K Games, releases this Tuesday the 21st in the US, and by September in all major territories. The game, which will be released on Xbox 360 and Games For Windows, has been sold early by Toys R Us's across the country, naturally sending fanboys into a convulsive furor.

In the spirit of the occasion, the good folks at Joystiq did as any self-respecting journalists would do: They went out to Toys R Us and picked up 4 copies of the 360 version to give away. (2 in Joystiq, 2 in their sister site Xbox360Fanboy) I've already signed up (though I don't have a 360, but plan to get one), so get on over there gamers. There are currenty 4 posts to sign up in: one and two at Joystiq, and one and two at X360FB.
And for those interested in what BioShock is all about, visit the Wikipedia article on it here.
[via Joystiq]

(For those wondering, the digg button is sort of broken in this post. The only way you can digg it is through the permalink.)

After repeatedly assuring us that Gears of War, Epic's critically acclaimed Xbox 360 shooter, would not be moving from the 360 anytime soon, Microsoft yesterday announced at their E3 press conference that Gears and Viva Pinata, both bestselling 360 titles, would be ported to PC, and the Games for Windows platform.

In addition to these two games, new games were announced for Games for Windows, including such titles as Stranglehold and Blacksite: Area 51. Luckily for those who have not made the switch yet, (i.e. the lucky ones) Gears and Viva Pinata will run on both XP and Vista. Gears for PC will also come with "five new levels, a new editor, and 'some very big surprises.'" (Joystiq)
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It seems that somebody is following Doug Lowenstein's advice, as Microsoft has recently announced a game development contest called the Games for Change Challenge for college students to make games with real-world significance. They have chosen the touchy subject of global warming for the topic. All games must be made in Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express program, and the winners might even be used with Xbox Live Arcade or Games for Windows Live Arcade.

This is a great decision on the part of Microsoft, and I'm very interested in seeing some of these games. How do you think someone would incorporate global warming into an interesting game?
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