Reader Simon wrote in to us this weekend to let us know that he'd received an e-mail, one targeted at "subscribers to the MS download email service", that listed Halo 3 as one of the downloadable demos that take advantage of DirectX. Does that mean that Halo 3 is confirmed for a Games For Windows release? Not so fast, pal.

Sure, it's entirely possible, given that Halo and Halo 2 both made the Xbox 360 to PC jump about two years after their respective console releases. And, sure, games like Gears of War have been inadvertently "announced" for the Windows platform in marketing materials, but you're really jumping to conclusions here. You think Microsoft is going to let something like this leak?

After all, only about 98.44% of Microsoft-based rumors are true. We're following up with the company to get our sweet taste of carefully worded denial right now.

Free Xbox Live Silver Online Play Confirmed, Explained, Limited

Over the weekend we posted a rumor about Xbox Live's second class citizens having access to online play on select titles. It's not a rumor anymore, as Microsoft has confirmed that Silver level Live members can indeed have online visitation rights with their Xbox 360 buddies and not just on the weekends. It's all part of an unannounced promotion, we learned.

In tandem with the announcement that MS was "taking off the Gold-only restriction for multiplayer gaming over Games for Windows LIVE," cross platform games (Xbox 360/PC) will be free for all for a limited time, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. Get crackin' online gamers. It won't last long, they say.

As can be witnessed by their decision to, after only a year, cut their losses and start offering the service for free, Microsoft's Games for Windows Live initiative hasn't exactly set the world on fire. But just because it hasn't, doesn't mean that it can't. What could help spice things up a little? How about, oh, the ability to play XBLA games on both your 360 and PC? Would that help? It's something Microsoft are obviously thinking about, because after being asked about the subject by 1UP's Shawn Elliot, Microsoft's Kevin Unangst replies:

There's lots of issues about price points and models and the benefits to publishers — you have different developers that do things on different platforms. It certainly interests us, and it's one of many things we talk about, the fact that we have a service that spans both platforms opens up all kinds of opportunities like that. When we feel like we have all of the right pieces together, and we have partners who tell us they want to do that, you can expect that it's something we'll look at, much more closely.

Interesting, no?

Games for Windows Head Kevin Unangst Explains Move to Free Live [1UP]

GFW Live Goes Free, DirectX 11 Unveiled

Games for Windows - Live multiplayer features are free, effective today, Microsoft announced at today's GameFest 2008 conference in Seattle.

The move to free means that achievements, enhanced "truskill" matchmaking, cross-platform play with the Xbox 360, voice and text chat, friends lists, are all now free to Windows gamers. This change to free is for all Games for Windows LIVE titles, past and future.

Microsoft also announced plans to introduce Games for Windows - Live marketplace this fall, which will include free and paid downloadable game content, demos, trailers and "more." Finally, the company said they are working to streamline the interface for the PC and reduce technical requirements for developers. Too little, too late? Too early to tell, I say.

In other news from GameFest, DirectX 11 was unveiled.

Microsoft's Open Letter To PC Gamers, Full Of Good News

When I start an open letter to the world, I begin with "Dear So-and-so."

When Microsoft vp John Schappert began his open letter to PC gamers today, he started with "Growth and Opportunities in PC Gaming."

Weird start. Nevertheless, Schappert has issued what is basically a Microsoft-penned report on the state of PC gaming. Pretty rosy. No mention of World of Warcraft or Steam or The Sims.

But some good stuff nonetheless, like:

Other popular titles such as “Crysis” and “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” have sold and shipped more than 1 million copies, respectively. “Hellgate: London” now has more than 1 million active subscribers.

And

Today I’m excited to report that Microsoft and a growing community of the gaming industry’s leading publishers, hardware manufacturers and retailers have made the Windows-based PC the largest gaming platform in the world.

Read the full letter after the jump.

Universe At War Patch Lets Xbox 360, PC Players Duke It Out

Sega and Petroglyph's real time strategy sci-fi game Universe At War: Earth Assault was all patched up today, bringing with it an exhaustive list of changes, tweaks and fixes. The most notable? The saucer's build time was reduced from 30 to 28 seconds. Almost as exciting was the addition of Xbox 360 versus PC cross-play in Ranked, Quickmatch and Conquer the World game modes, something that should make it much, much easier to find a game for Universe At War players.

For the full list of changes implemented in patch 3, hit the jump for details.

Lego Indiana Jones PC Demo Released

PC gamers eager to get an early taste of Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures now have their chance! LucasArts has released the playable demo for the title, which spans Indy's first three movie adventures and features what seems like more characters than actually appeared in all three films combined. The demo is now available on the Games For Windows website, weighing in at a modest 464 megs, which means that at my current crappy internet speeds I shall be able to tell you how it is sometime next week. Switching to cable was such a brilliant idea.

Lego Indiana Jones Demo {Games For Windows]

Though it's currently trendy to declare the imminent and grisly demise of the PC gaming market, there are some legitimate concerns amid all of the sensationalism. Much-publicized NPD numbers showed retail PC sales slumping by $60 million between 2006 and 2007, while the console gaming market continues to burgeon year-over-year. While it's quite true that these numbers quantify only PC retail box sales and not subscription revenue - like how much WoW makes every month - there are issues at hand that are harder to quantify with raw data.

With steep hardware specifications, difficult and inconsistent installs, convoluted patching processes and unstable operating systems, the PC has developed a problematic barrier to entry for most consumers, who've voiced their difficulties in one crucial way — they've moved to consoles. So what will become of PC gaming?

Games For Windows Moves Online

Games for Windows: The Official Magazine (formerly known as Computer Gaming World) has announced that the publication is pulling from the printed market to be hosted at 1UP.com. Games for Windows itself only made it through 17 issues before ceasing traditional publication.

Despite knowing that my own place of work is part of the cause greater, the death of so many print publications is unfortunate. So in the midst of all the "great opportunity" euphemisms, it's refreshing to see editor-in-chief Jeff Green liken the experience to " the passing of a loved one" with unrestrained melodrama. Those with standing subscriptions will be contacted shortly.

Games For Windows Magazine Moves Online [1UP]

First Sims 3 Details: No More Pee-Meter

The biggest change to The Sims 3 is that it takes place in a wide-open, constantly changing neighborhood — a much bigger sandbox, if you will, and a much more complex simulation. The town and park you see on the cover image to the right (click to enlarge) exist in the same seamless space as your Sims' household, and what you do outside your home now matters as much as what you do within.

Xbox Live To Add Community Created Games

Ukraine's Attempt At Hot Fuzz: The Game Is A Huge Let Down

Apparently, the Ukrainian version of Hot Fuzz was a dreary action movie that took place on a freighter, not a tiny English town, and, instead of co-star Nick Frost, a German shepherd performed buddy duties. Whatever actual game is powering Hot Fuzz: The Game, we're glad not to have played it. I'd sure like to see that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Retextured, though.

Thanks, Radio Guy!

Mac gaming will become less of a punchline and more of a reality this year, as EA plans to ship the Will Wright-helmed Spore for both Windows and Mac OS X in 2008. That's dependent, of course, on Spore shipping for any platform this year, something that we don't exactly have the highest confidence in. The EA published Spore will come to the Mac platform courtesy of TransGaming Technologies, whose graphics wrapper is reported to make the transition from PC to Mac wicked easy.

EA, who shipped a number of PC games for the Mac last year, plans to have Spore on hand at MacWorld 08, going on right now.

Coming to the Mac in 2008: 'Spore' [News.com]

With CES now in full swing, Microsoft has taken up the task of shuttling around lazy members of the press and community in style. This is the Community Mobile, a dual-branded stretch hummer with Games for Windows on one side and Xbox Live on the other. As a special bonus to the already far-too-extravagant conveyance, the Microsoft team are loading up the limo at the end of the day on Wednesday for a special trip to In 'N Out Burger, where their own Larry Hryb will be on hand to lend his credit card towards the eventual cholesterol-choking death of everyone involved. Hooray! Hit the link for more pictures of the colossal gas guzzler.

Riding Around in Style [Gamerscore Blog]

Following a lackluster infomercial CES keynote, Microsoft sent out a press release this morning touting the "powerful momentum" of Games for Windows and the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles including Alone in the Dark and LEGO Indiana Jones.

"Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming."

The full list of new GFW games includes:

• "Alone in the Dark" (Atari)
• "Bionic Commando" (Capcom)
• "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive)
• "Empire: Total War" (SEGA)
• "LEGO Indiana Jones" (LucasArts)
• "Microsoft Train Simulator 2" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock)
• "Space Siege" (SEGA)
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (Eidos Interactive)

The release also went on to point out that the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue last year and has a projected increase of 20 percent. I wonder if that now includes the Wii? Hit the jump for the full release.

Gas Powered Games Unveils Demigod To Good Peons

The latest issue of Games For Windows *checks mailbox* should be arriving at subscriber's doors any day now, but 1UP teases one of the mag's reveals today, Gas Powered Games' Demigod. The follow up to Supreme Commander borrows from Defense of the Ancients, bringing a multiplayer-focused (demi)god game that blends role-playing, strategy and action into one tasty supernatural package. Like Defense of the Ancients for Warcraft III, hero focused combat is the name of the game. Only one screen, available at 1UP, is only display, but the coming issue of GFW is promised to have many more.

Demigod Revealed [1UP]

GFW Live 1.2 On The Way

Microsoft is rolling out two Games for Windows - LIVE updates in a matter of only four months, but we're just getting started! Our goal is to deliver new and exciting experiences for Windows gamers, while maintaining the unique PC gaming environment we love.

PC Gamers Get A Stranglehold Demo, Too