February 29th 2012 8:30 am PT

Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Xbox LIVE

If you haven’t seen the news, the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available starting today. We’re excited that Xbox LIVE is part of this preview, and I wanted to share some details about what you can expect.

Xbox Live in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview includes games, video, music and Xbox companion applications. In the preview, these apps are just a taste of the features that we’ll be delivering at launch. We will share more information later this year as we get closer to launch.

Check out the preview if you can and let us know what you think. While you are downloading it, I’ve posted some screenshots of what Xbox LIVE looks like in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview.

Stay tuned for more details.

Update: Here is a good FAQ about Xbox LIVE and the Preview

Windows, Xbox Live By Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson

permalink: http://majornelson.com/2012/02/29/windows-8-consumer-preview-and-xbox-live/

Tim Sierzega

This is very sweet! thank you
Anonymous

Installing it on an old laptop at work can’t wait to get it home
Michael Maul

The flickr gallery seems to be set to private.
- http://www.majornelson.com Major Nelson
  
  Try the Flickr gallery now…it looks like Flickr took a few moments to catch up.
the Tech Dino

84% and six minutes to go. Can’t wait!
http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer

Wish I had a Win7 touch-screen tablet. This seems like it would be mind blowing on that.
http://profiles.google.com/miguelribeiro.ap Miguel Ribeiro

Screeshots aren’t working sir!
http://profiles.google.com/miguelribeiro.ap Miguel Ribeiro

k, so i’m just confused now… That screen showing pinball fx 2 has a button saying “play”. Does it means that i actually can play xbox games on pc? :S
- http://twitter.com/seekul Luke Es | sE ekuL
  
  Not at all, don’t be silly. Take a closer look. That screenshot says “…PinballFX2 is now available for Win8 BETA…” Zen ported it, and nobody made a new box art thumbnail.
http://twitter.com/ruiner9 Ed Wilson

Can I install this as an upgrade over the Developer’s Preview, or will I need to format and install fresh?
- Anonymous
  
  Format and reinstall is required. Upgrading is not supported.
http://twitter.com/EV1LSEAN Sean

Not sure if I like the look of the new layout. Call me old fashioned but I prefer a desktop with icons on it, lol. Hopefully there’s an option to change it, if not I’ll probably stick with Windows 7.
- http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XOTBJKUR4IW74YLQH2LHQTE2BU Kairu
  
  Same here. Dislike the metro dash as it is. If you can’t change to the old desktop layout I’ll stick with Win 7.
- http://twitter.com/ruiner9 Ed Wilson
  
  You can change back and forth at will. The traditional desktop is very similar to Win7.
- http://profiles.google.com/miguelribeiro.ap Miguel Ribeiro
  
  You can change
http://twitter.com/slikriky Richard Cronshaw

Just installing a VM now. This could be tricky on a ACER RL70 Net Top
http://www.facebook.com/people/Shaun-Perry/669502230 Shaun Perry

I want this soo bad, but I take online classes and I’m worried it won’t be supported!
- http://profiles.google.com/miguelribeiro.ap Miguel Ribeiro
  
  Probably your online classes depend on a browser, install firefox or chrome and you’re good to go
- Anonymous
  
  Dual boot. Create a 20 – 30 GB partition, use the ISO download and you can have both the old and the new systems running on your PC.
  
  Remember that this is preview software. It is not finished, will not be completely stable and as you mention above it may have incompatibilities. It is also time-limited. Overwriting your existing operating system on your primary PC would be an extraordinarily bad move because it will not be possible just to go back to your old operating system – you will need to install it again from scratch. And when the full version comes out, chances are you won’t be able to upgrade – all previous preview programmes I have been involved in have required a fresh install.
- Anonymous
  
  Dual boot. Create a 20 – 30 GB partition, use the ISO download and you can have both the old and the new systems running on your PC.
  
  Remember that this is preview software. It is not finished, will not be completely stable and as you mention above it may have incompatibilities. It is also time-limited. Overwriting your existing operating system on your primary PC would be an extraordinarily bad move because it will not be possible just to go back to your old operating system – you will need to install it again from scratch. And when the full version comes out, chances are you won’t be able to upgrade – all previous preview programmes I have been involved in have required a fresh install.
http://twitter.com/korahn Eric Starr

Vista was bad enough, 7 had problems, and now 8 – Microsoft makes a Tech support agent’s life hell sometimes.
- Anonymous
  
  That may be so but it is good for the industry to keep each release different from each other in some form so that we can tell what version is installed.
  
  P.S. – I work tech support as well so I should know.
- Anonymous
  
  That may be so but it is good for the industry to keep each release different from each other in some form so that we can tell what version is installed.
  
  P.S. – I work tech support as well so I should know.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=575835098 Sean Kelly

hey major it wont let me sign into live says “sign in isn’t supported in your region at this time” status code 0xc00d1388 im in Canada thanks
http://twitter.com/williamronholm Anonymous

It is excellent as always.
http://www.facebook.com/ReprovedReaper André Svensson

how exactly does the installation work?
It seem like it want to upgrade my current OS with is Windows 7, but I don’t want that I want to install it on either a Virtual machine or by using Dual-boot, is this even possible or do I need to install Win XP again and upgrade that?
http://twitter.com/seekul Luke Es | sE ekuL

Bye bye GFWL. Can’t say as I’ll miss ya.
http://twitter.com/Lucky13X Lucky13X

Downloading now.
http://twitter.com/bob101910 Bob B

If I can play some of the arcade games that I bought on Xbox with Windows 8 then I will love this! Have a few games that just feel weird playing on a console. I’d rather have them on PC or Windows Phone; like Puzzle Quest, Zuma, any card games, etc.
- http://twitter.com/seekul Luke Es | sE ekuL
  
  Only arcade games the developers have ported, it seems? But that will probably grow over time.
  - http://twitter.com/bob101910 Bob B
    
    Sounds good to me. I have ton of arcade games.
    - http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer
      
      I doubt they will give away new Win8 versions for free. I can see deals in the future where you can get both for one price but I wouldn’t bet on this being retroactive.
Peter M.

And the best thing: Xbox live on windows is free. No need for a supscription
http://twitter.com/bob101910 Bob B

Question: If I download this preview will games (Dawn of War 2, LOTRO, SF4, and a few others) I have not work until they are updated to support Windows 8? I noticed it said if I download this preview I’ll have to reinstall Windows 7 to change it back. Not sure if I should waste time getting it if I won’t be able to do anything.
- Anonymous
  
  I think it really depends on the game. I know I can still play a few titles that were originally designed for Windows 98 or XP on a Win 7 machine but others are a no go just for how some semi-random bit of code conflicts with the new operating system. The same is probably true for this latest OS too.
  
  With luck those games will work, but then again there’s the chance that they won’t just because they weren’t designed with the forethought of 8. It’s not an absolute barrier, but you might have some problems so just take the risk into consideration when deciding on the preview.
http://twitter.com/oxyg3n Oxyg3n

UK users don’t wanting to try out Windows 8 specifically for testing the XBox integration, don’t bother downloading it, MS has screwed us again, it doesn’t work…. Thanks MS for making everywhere else more important then us
Anonymous

Getting a error code that say it isnt supoorted in my region and that it cant connect to the service nice start for a consumer preview dont you think?
http://twitter.com/yamayamayaamaa «-•·÷·- ¥ámá -·÷·•-»

Can you get new Xbox Live achievements with this yet?
- http://twitter.com/bob101910 Bob B
  
  I’d like to know this too.
- BadManDuke
  
  No, Achievements are not offered with the Arcade games for Windows 8 yet. They’ll be available once it goes retail.
http://www.facebook.com/ReprovedReaper André Svensson

thanks mate, you’re a lifesaver
http://twitter.com/bushmaster2000 bushmaster2000

I’ll check it out for curiosity but I feel like as a business product, it’s too early for another version of Windows. I still am running into major 64bit compatibility issues and even have problems with getting some things to work in 32b windows 7 even running XP emulation mode. I”m not really sure how well Windows8 is going to do, it just seems like it’s too soon. But maybe as a home OS it could do alright especially with Live integration.
- http://twitter.com/Ganon255 Dustin
  
  I’ve been using 64bit since 2008 with Vista then on Windows 7 later. I have had no compatibility problems, though it was a concern I had. Things like that are frustrating. It’s a fine time to release a new OS, Windows 8 looks to bring quite a bit new to the table. The current OS’s will still be supported and updated for many years.
  - http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer
    
    Agreed. They’re responding to market changes. We saw it start with netbooks and really take off with smartphones and tablets. Consumers want more on the go devices. The desktop PC will never go away but mobile is the future. Windows 8 is Windows for the post-desktop era.
- http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer
  
  Windows XP was an anomaly. Before it (and one presumes after it) Windows used to upgrade very frequently. Same story on the Mac and Linux side.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1351905810 Chris Halley

How do I go back and retrieve my code to active this after downloading? Im not using a regular mouse, and i managed to double click “continue” instead of wanting to move the cursor. I pressed pause, but I can’t go back to that option.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1351905810 Chris Halley
  
  I hope I don’t have to delete and uninstalled it, then redownload it all over again. I will, but hopefully I won’t have to just for that code.
http://twitter.com/theubermod TheUbermod

What the heck? Can’t sign in from UK? (and yes I’ve changed my region in settings cause the set-up didn’t remember I’d said UK). How is this a consumer preview? You mean American consumer preview??? I live in the UK and I can tell you now with Zune Pass and Xbox Live I’m very much a consumer.
http://twitter.com/Ganon255 Dustin

I think I’m gonna give it a go. I’m currently using Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.
http://twitter.com/Ganon255 Dustin

I think I’m gonna give it a go. I’m currently using Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.
http://twitter.com/Lazarus22nd Andrew Tinmouth

Can we please get an ETA on when this is coming to the UK? Seems odd to have been ignored when US, France, Germany and Japan all have access to Xbox Live for windows…
Richard Savage

Erm … The last time I checked the UK was a major country of the world! Sort it out M$ .. I mean really what were you thinking!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001551073844 Rick Ice

Xbox and Music aren’t working in Canada either.
http://profile.yahoo.com/AVRKUKIRRSBJHBARIZIQUMXVIE noone

guess UK not good enough
http://profile.yahoo.com/AVRKUKIRRSBJHBARIZIQUMXVIE noone

ONLY US/FRANCE/GERMANY/JAPAN GET IT
Meekermoloko

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet: I hope that people buying Pinball FX2 (or any downloadable game) on the 360 already, we would be able to play the same game on Windows 8 as well without having to re-buy it … given the fact that we’d use our own Gamertag for logging in.

I know that right now, it is pay for each game for separate systems, but if Microsoft is truly planning on having the 3 screens logic or whatever, I hope that means we don’t have to keep buying the same game over and over. Otherwise, I’ll stick with Steam.
- Anonymous
  
  I agree. Now that Sony are starting to do “buy this game on PS3/Vita get the other version free”, Microsoft really need to step up their game. They promised to do this FIRST and totally failed to deliver.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_XOTBJKUR4IW74YLQH2LHQTE2BU Kairu
    
    When don’t they.
- http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer
  
  Totally different systems and programming. If you bought a VHS copy of Star Wars, does that entitle you to a free Blu-ray edition? No.
  - Meekermoloko
    
    Wow. That’s your comparison? To answer your question, no. I don’t think a VHS copy of Star Wars from the 80s entitles me to a free version of high definition quality with all the bonus features of Blu-Ray today. If you do buy certain Blu-Rays today, you can get the digital download for PC and perhaps even a DVD copy.
    
    It has nothing to do with different systems and programming, it has to deal with Microsoft allowing it. For all intents and purposes, they are the same game. It’s not like a 360 game and a Windows Phone game with the same name.
    
    I’d be much more inclined to buy an Xbox Live game if I could play it on both the 360 and Windows 8 PCs. And considering they are trying to do the three screens and a cloud, it would be in their benefit to do so. Especially since the current “Games for Windows Marketplace” has so far been a failure.
    
    If they don’t allow it, then I’d rather keep buying from STEAM since there would be no advantage of buying those games from Microsoft.
- BadManDuke
  
  Pinball FX2 is FREE on Windows 8 right now.
  
  With the Xbox Live integration in Windows 8, it will be completely possible for to buy once for both platforms since there isn’t much code change (since both versions rely on DirectX) We may yet begin to see this begin with Xbox Live Arcade games once Windows 8 goes retail.
Starzan Norman

wow windows 8 is the hot!!!
Anonymous

It doesn’t even work in the Netherlands, disappointed…
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=582716673 Randolph Righolt
  
  Yeah I’m waiting for this too! Hope they release it soon for NL.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1351905810 Chris Halley

anybody having issues typing numbers? whatever last letter i pressed, replaces the numbers. I hope this is just a glitch.
http://blog.ancientcave.com Adam Advocaat

Not available in Canada. Fail as usual.

Rest of Win8 is pretty spiffy though. Liking it more than I thought I would.
Anonymous

Wait, so you can play xbox games on this????
- http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer
  
  No, Games for Windows Live is being renamed and integrated into the OS. Games using the system will get the advantages GFWL had: achievements, voice chat, etc. And just so there’s no confusion, it’s free for PC users. (They tried doing the Gold thing when it launched but they quickly recognized it’s a different ecosystem and corrected that.)
  - http://twitter.com/Lazarus22nd Andrew Tinmouth
    
    I think in time a game bought on Xbox Live for Xbox will also be available to you on Xbox Live for windows and vice versa, but whether that finally comes true we shall see soon enough I guess.
http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer

Yes, they tried charging at first but quickly realized it was a different environment and corrected their mistake.
http://twitter.com/registradus Marcus

Has anyone tried playing REAL games on Windows 8? Do they work?
- BadManDuke
  
  I tried one or two PC games, and they launched as they normally do under Windows 7.
- http://twitter.com/Xbudz Xbudz LIVE
  
  Skyrim runs great.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1535498300 Gary Dulleck

I dont know why 95% of the programs I had installed on my computer running Vista wound up in a .old folder uninstalled and wont run even though they are compatible and will run if I re-install off of disk. Other than that I like that it populated the people app the same as on my windows phone.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=553686678 Mark Szili

Xbox and zune not avaliable in my region Australia
what the hell? this is useless. I just wasted 3 hours of my life installing this
last time i checked I have a workiong xbox live account on my xbox 360 and a zune marketplace pass on windows 7 and my windows phone. Fix this Microsoft totaly unacceptable
http://twitter.com/jonasvdaa Jonas

Please make the video, music and Xbox Companion apps available in other regions, pleeeease?
Anonymous

Must say I’m unhappy about the UK being left out of the consumer preview with regards live integration. Please make this a priority or explain why you decided to exclude us. (Were not used to it.)
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1355305542 Chris Rabideau

I imagine this will depend more on the game than the service/system it’s on. Like the codes for multiplayer of certain games on Xbox 360 right now that comes with games but gets used up. They may allow you to play online for free through the service, but the game developers may charge for the multiplayer feature themselves.
James Spiers

How can you have not included the UK?? Xbox sells big time here unlike France and Germany who prefer PS3?
http://www.inforlogia.com/ Fabrício Araújo

Sorry, sign-in isn’t supported in your region at this time.
http://twitter.com/theubermod TheUbermod

For some reason Larry has neglected to include it, but this FAQ answers a lot. Live integration only available in US, Japan, France and Germany (??!)

http://forums.xbox.com/xbox_forums/xbox_support/f/2479/t/214457.aspx
- http://www.majornelson.com Major Nelson
  
  Thanks for the link. That went up after my post yesterday. I’ll add a link to the main post.
  - http://twitter.com/theubermod TheUbermod
    
    Sorry, I didn’t mean neglected to include the link, just the details about what was included where. Could have saved some confusion. Look forward to the UK being switched on.

February 29th 2012 8:30 am PT

Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Xbox LIVE

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