Microsoft announced its Game Room yesterday at the CES keynote, but details of how the service will work are still coming out. While it's being widely seen as Microsoft's answer to PlayStation Home, the Avatars don't actually walk around their game space like they do in Home. On the other hand, this also means no waiting in line for arcade cabinets, which has been a point of frustration for some Home users. The Game Room itself is a free download, and will serve as a hub for the purchasable arcade cabinets. Microsoft is also pushing cross-platform play, letting players purchase Game Room items once and then play on both Xbox 360 and PC.
Once purchased, the titles will include online leaderboards and achievements, as well as online and offline multiplayer. Players can invite friends over to their Game Room to play, and the invitee can try a friend's game before plunking down their own MSP. The service will launch new games every week, and in addition to the 30 available at launch, Microsoft is aiming for over 1,000 titles over the course of three years. That's about six new releases per week.
The pricing, announced last night, is tiered by licenses. The 400 Point ($5) option lets players use a cabinet on both Xbox 360 and PC, while the 240 Point ($3) option is for just one platform or the other. If you only wanted to play on one platform anyway, you're in luck. The 40 Point (50 cents) option is said to provide "two quarters" of playtime. We'll keep you updated as we learn more about the service, set to launch in spring.
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