Discover why Windows Vista will be the ultimate PC gaming platform in my latest showcase, Games for Windows Vista! So what's Microsoft doing slumming around with its Xbox 360, you ask? Actually, video game consoles like the 360 are still going to be hugely important going forward, and Microsoft's decision to diversify that device into HD and digital media streaming only means that its connections with the PC are stronger than was ever before possible. But the real question isn't why Microsoft has spent so much time and so many resources on the Xbox 360. Why hasn't the company done more to promote PC gaming? And why has it steadily abandoned what was once a well-respected line of PC gaming peripherals?

I can't answer those questions exactly. But I can tell you that Microsoft intends to make up for it is past mistakes and establish Windows Vista as both the pinnacle of PC gaming and an equal partner to video game consoles from a features and functionality perspective. In true Microsoft fashion, this plan involves working closely with its partners and integrating with the hardware, software, and services it's already created for the Xbox 360. And you know what? It's just crazy enough to work.

Paul Thurrott Windows SuperSite