Gates at E3: Xbox 360 headstart, 160 plus games, Live Anywhere unified platform

Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates on Tuesday staked the claim that the Xbox 360 system will have a 10 million-unit head start by the time the competition enters the market and more than 160 games by the end of the year.

Gates went on to outline the company’s bold new vision to connect millions of Xbox 360 gamers with hundreds of millions of Microsoft Windows-based PC and mobile gamers from around the world through the Xbox Live online entertainment network. Gates made the announcements at a press conference to open the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the largest annual confab for the interactive entertainment industry.

Dubbed “Live Anywhere,” the initiative puts gamers at the center of a ubiquitous always-on world where their digital identities, games, friends and digital entertainment are always accessible through the familiar Xbox Live interface, regardless of location or device. The plan also clears the way for groundbreaking cross-platform gameplay scenarios, with participants using Windows-based PCs, mobile phones and Xbox 360 consoles to play together simultaneously.

Gates outlined next steps to bring the Live Anywhere vision to fruition:

• Xbox Live experiences come to Windows-based PCs. Gamers will have the ability to jack into the vibrant Xbox Live world from their Windows-based PCs early next year to play games with friends. Answering the call of millions of Windows gamers for a world that is always on, the Xbox Live experience on Windows will give gamers a consistent online game experience in which they have one identity, one friends list, one set of achievements and voice communications across all games on the network. These experiences will debut on Windows with the Windows Vista operating system and “Shadowrun” this winter.

• Microsoft’s mobile offering. Spanning Windows Mobile, Java and BREW-based handsets, the world-class mobile games service will give gamers on-the-go access to cross-platform gaming communities at any time, from any location. By this time next year, users will be able to send messages, access friends lists, download the best of mobile game content, and sample, purchase and play favorites such as “Bejeweled,” “Zuma” and “Hexic” as part of the integrated gaming world.

Gates, making his first appearance at E3, joined Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division, on stage to announce a barrage of new game titles coming to the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista platforms. Microsoft announced that it will have 160 Xbox 360 titles by end of 2006.

Gates and Moore dazzled the crowd with an initial look at “Halo 3,” the hugely anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed “Halo” franchise.

As part of the Live Anywhere initiative, Microsoft has announced new cross-platform accessories such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel and Xbox 360 Wireless Headset, which will enrich game experiences on Xbox 360 and Windows. The new Xbox Live Vision video camera will allow consumers to customize their gamer picture, send photo messages, and video chat with friends and family over Xbox Live.