While Nintendo's online offerings currently pale in comparison to the robust gaming experience Microsoft offers via its wildly popular Xbox Live service, the big M has, at least on the surface, taken a page from the Wii's Virtual Console playbook and announced that in the future, certain original Xbox titles will be made available for download to the 360 console.

The service, called the Xbox Originals Initiative, will temporarily kick off at 12:01 a.m. on November 15th, with all Xbox Live subscribers being given, for 48 hours, the opportunity to download the game Carcassonne free of charge. After that, the service itself will open for business permanently on Dec. 4, when Microsoft unleashed its fall update for the 360 dashboard.

While Microsoft won't confirm it, outside sources in the know claim the service will debut with Halo, Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex, and Burnout 3. Each title will cost 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.00).

Still, maybe it's just me, but I can't see shelling out $15 for an original game you can pick up at most gaming stores for $10, unless you really want the title on your 360, and it isn't among the system's backward compatible titles.

Tags : 5th birthday : Anniversary : downloads : Fable : Halo : microsoft : psychonauts : Xbo Live Arcade : Xbox 360 : xbox live : Xbox Originals

Comments

By: Black Convoy

On: 07:26 Nov 14th, 2007
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I know Nintendo and Sony are already doing this, but neither one of them are offering last gen titles as downloadable games. Plus if they add achievements, that will make people go back to play them.

Pretty clever, Microsoft.

By: Evren

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On: 08:49 Nov 15th, 2007
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I may consider buying them if there are added achievments...
Also, possibly if there are a bunch of rare games that are near impossible to find in your local friendly gamestore.

By: Dragonfly

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On: 10:13 Nov 15th, 2007
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Persocom Kisses;36782

I may consider buying them if there are added achievments...

Well, you might want to read this then.

Link: Microsoft confirm Xbox Originals won't have Achievements

By: Corrine

On: 07:42 Nov 15th, 2007
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We just got rid of all our Crimson Skies discs at work. Hah.

It'll be a good addition for Microsoft and they'll make some money off it. Some people will pay 15 bucks to play these games. Though I agree they'd probably make more if they sold them for 10, 15 still isn't too bad considering new 360 games are 60 bucks...