'Xbox is a PC' says Bill Gates

January 8th, 2007, 17:08 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

After insisting the contrary with its first console, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has said that the Xbox is not just a game console but a "general purpose computer", as well as reaffrming the company's strong support of PC gaming.

Speaking to blog site Kotaku, Gates said that now that Microsoft has established itself as a gaming company, it feels more confident to branch out into other avenues such as the freshly-announced IPTV service for Xbox 360.

"The reason we got into Xbox was not just for gaming," Gates said. "It's a general purpose computer. In terms of the first generation in particular, where we were so known as a PC company, the need to make clear how we were prioritizing the needs of demanding gamers, that was super important."

"We wouldn't have done it if it was just a gaming device," he continued. "We wouldn't have gone into the category at all. It was strategically getting into the living room. This is not some big secret, Sony says the same things."
But despite the Xbox 360's new position as a multi-purpose home entertainment box, Gates says that PC gaming is still very much part of Microsoft's plans: "I can stick up for both the PC model where you don't pay any royalties, you can introduce games without asking anybody, that's a great thing. And you will see a lot of innovation".
"PC gaming is where you will see that really cutting edge high-end type stuff happening. As the Xbox gets cheaper and cheaper some very cool things happen there."
"But both of these models, even in the living room are still very, I think very important. The kind of openness and variety of the PC, and then the kind of very inexpensive deep integration that Xbox represents. Really bootstrapping off of video gaming but being far more than that."

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