for windows only annoyingly. So you could have a situation where a paying 360 owner is up against a nonpaying pc owner in mp games. Presumably an illogical long term solution.

A prelude therefore for making it free for xbox too? They must be making a mint on the cut they inevitably take on marketplace sales - maybe they don't need it in their business model anymore.

It would be fantastic if they did, but what to do with all that subscription that you've paid for?

I think the only reason it's free on Windows is to try and win back PC gamers who are rejecting GfW because "you have to pay to play it online". Although technically that's not strictly true (you just pay for cross-platform online play and achievements and stuff, PC to PC gaming is free) I'm sure the mention of paying for any sort of PC gaming model has left a stigma with the GfW brand.

In contrast, people seem perfectly happy to pump £40 a year into their 360's Live service, so I don't see why Microsoft would want to suddenly make that free as well. Unless they want to make life even harder for Sony, but going by their bullish stance post-E3 conference I'd say they're happy as-is.

Microsoft is making far too much money on LIVE to ever provide it at no cost
 
...this generation anyway.

They're doing this, obviously, as Ornodeal said, to keep the angry (and rightly so) PC users playing on the travesty that is Games for Windows.

Anybody who pays 60 euro for live is an idiot. I got 13 months on ebay for 32 euro.

Yeah Live for PC is neglected. I play a lot of PC games and i dont even know how to enter/switch on/what ever it.

It was free a long time ago for me on my PC, because I'd already paid for it for my 360!  [:P]

The only thing thats changed for me is that I can now get rid of my 360 LIVE subscription (anyone tried that btw, they make it very difficult) - and still get Windows LIVE free. 

But I don't know why I'd do that, since Games for Windows is AWFUL!  There are many other free alternatives for social game networking on the PC.  Thank goodness they realised they couldn't compete while charging money.

ECHIGOYA!!!! Erm, yeah, Live free for PC owners... sounds like a good thing for them!

Hehe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCgo-sIsfi8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEtTYNiyza4&feature=related