Microsoft today officially announce what we all new was coming soon enough anyway, though perhaps it's coming a little sooner than we expected, May this year.

The first title to use the Games for Windows Live service will be the Windows Vista port of Halo 2 and the first title to offer criss platform gaming will be Shadowrun in June.

The launch of Games for Windows — LIVE marks a major expansion of the LIVE service across multiple platforms, uniting gamers with a single identity, a single gamertag, a single friends list and a single list of achievements attainable on the Xbox 360 and a Windows-based PC. Games for Windows — LIVE gamers will be able to easily find and play supported titles online with their friends across a Windows computer or an Xbox 360. Beta testing for the service running on Windows is already under way. As a unified service with Xbox LIVE, Games for Windows — LIVE will be available in every country and region supported today by Xbox LIVE. Opening up the LIVE online network to Games for Windows titles will be a welcome relief for Windows gamers who have long desired seamless game and voice connectivity with other players.

"Five years ago, we began building a service that now defines the bar for online gameplay," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We’re proud to be extending the best-in-class Xbox LIVE service to include Games for Windows — LIVE, which will connect more than six million Xbox LIVE gamers together with the millions of online Windows gamers under a single online service."

As I'm in the process of selling my 360 because it never gets used, I'm quite glad about this, at least now I can use my Live Gold account rather than letting it go to waste.