As everyone knows Microsoft is planning to attempt to merge PC gaming and Console gaming. This plan will without a doubt fail miserably and ONLY to create tensions between console gamers and PC gamers. Why will it fail you ask? Really it's quite simple. As every PC gamer knows PC gamers have several distinct advantages over Console Gamers ...

A brief list:
1. Both Precision and Accuracy of a PC through the use of an optical mouse is by far superior to that of a game pad (using joysticks). This element will critically cripple all First Person Shooter games for console gamers that are bridged between Live and PC.
2. Hot keys, it's quite simple really - PCs have more buttons than game pads have. This gives PCs another large edge over console gamers. More hot-keys in the major game categories such as Real Time Strategy Games, First Person Shooters, and Role Playing Games is another huge advantage.

Most Games are based on speed and reaction time, and the PC has these advantages hands down. Unless Microsoft plans on crippling these types of games, which are all major genres for PC gamers, there will be many angry Console gamers. The only genres I don't see any issues with are racing games and possibly some simple Flight Simulators.

But wait, Didn't I previously say PC gamers Agree they don't want a merge? If you have ever played Xbox Live you have seen immaturity that exists far beyond belief. I myself have seen very inappropriate racial slurs tossed around with total disregard on Xbox Live, PC gamers SEEM to be less apt to be as immature. I mean of course you hear the same game talk of calling people newbs and a little bit of trash talking, but that's to be expected in any sort of competition. On Multiplayer PC Games I have never seen people flat out arguing over a game for no apparent reason. I'm sure it happens, but not as frequently as it does on Xbox Live. But wait there are more reasons PC Gamers don't want to hop on Live. Check out the list below.

1. As mentioned before maturity is a big factor.
2. Since when do PC Gamers want to pay 10 bucks for a measly map pack? And these often have terrible new maps in them. Many dislike the whole P2P (pay to play) concept, but gamers dislike even more P2P (pay to patch).
3. Achievements and Gamer scores, do you really need a score to show how much of a life you don't have when you're gaming? X-fire already does that in hours.

So the outcome will simply be Xbox users getting crushed in bridged games by PC Gamers. Then a new system will need to be devised, if not already being devised by Microsoft to re-segregate the two types of gamers. There will probably be some kind of block feature where PC gamers can block console gamers and vice versa. Not to mention every other PC gamer will be dubbed a hacker by Xbox players. For any of you who gamed in CAL or similar leagues imagine playing against the Xbox console gamers, maybe the Halo masters, yeah I saw you laugh! And the option of forcing PC gamers to use a similar to Xbox game pad would also fail if attempted because as known PC gamers are mighty resourceful and would find a workaround. As the saying goes, back to square one, and Microsoft has done what its best at: wasting time and money.

My solution is quite simple, polls should be taken by Microsoft and maybe they will see a large majority is against this "revolutionary" idea of theirs. Microsoft claims "We're bringing together two communities that share a passion for playing online games, and we're enhancing the online experience for PC gamers who have long desired seamless game and voice connectivity"

-Best of Luck to Microsoft.

Microsoft is ruining something, what they are ruining is for you to decide.

- Author's notes -
Regardless to what it seems I do enjoy playing Xbox live and I do game on PC games, but I simply believe as do many others that the idea of merging the two is simply silly. Information used in this article was gathered from multiple PC and Console Gamers. This article reflects the author's stance on such a topic.