PLAYERS WANTED. Then there's the question of demand. Parks Associates surveyed 2,000 gamers with Internet connections, and found that only 18% of all gamers play games on consoles, portables, and cell phones. Of those, 31% would be interested in cross-platform play. "If you are an Xbox loyalist, [Xbox Live Anywhere] expands the value of the service," says Matt Rosoff, an analyst with consultancy Directions on Microsoft. "But it's an incremental thing [in terms of revenue and users]."

Adding PC-to-console playing capabilities may make more sense. Parks Associates' research shows that 40% of gamers who play both console and PC games would be interested in cross-platform play. PC gaming is a huge market, expected to grow from $3 billion worldwide to $9 billion by 2010, according to Microsoft estimates. Microsoft already has a foot in the door with Windows and MSN Games.

From the article "Microsoft Plays It Cool on Games," by Olga Kharif. 

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