Yes they could.

They could, but i think they have to fix the bugs in Vista for them to stay in the race for the majority OS. If they could make that a solid OS then maybe I'd want them to focus more on PC gaming.

Bottom line, if their attempts at making PC gaming better are anything like Vista... Thanks, but no thanks :\

FIRST!!!

Microsoft will not focus on their OS untill the 360 is out of the game. The console market is so lucrative that they will not give up their foot hold easily.

EDIT: Damn, third.

Yes, they need to make more games for the PC and refine their operating system.

Also I find it disturbing the backward compatibility issues that have been happening with the last few windows versions.

I feel that Microsoft is severely limiting the potential of the company by only focusing so much on the 360 development. Sure it's an awesome system and eats the PS3 for usefulness at this day and age but that's not going to last much longer. Their best bet IS to focus on Windows, and more accurately, fixing Vista to not be so ridden with bugs and useless add ons. Then more people might use it. I'm an XP user, and I'll take XP SP3 over Vista SP1 any day. It's still got too many holes.

It's simple: Microsoft will do whatever they feel garners more monetary gain.

And that just so happens to be with the Console Market.

Rather than Microsoft putting more effort into the gaming scene, maybe it's time the gaming scene puts more effort into Linux. I mean that really could push Linux into the mainstream and enhance mine and a lot of other gamers experience. Native support for great games like WoW would be a dream come true for a large group of gamers.

I own an original Xbox. Then Microsoft alienated me from participation in their console gaming platform by refusing to offer (more or less) universal backward compatibility like Sony has been so terrific about with their systems. I basically refuse to buy a 360 based on that premise alone. Microsoft tends to treat the general gaming public like an unthinking heifer, ready to be milked over and over. Fortunately, I have a brain and realize when I'm being abused. My PC, while it DOES run windows XP, cost me more than a 360, yes, but offers huge variety in terms of both gaming as well as work-related tasks. So as an adult who can think (pardon the pun) out of the box, I wholeheartedly agree, more Windows, less Xbox, thanks Microsoft...

Most gamers (including Mr. Sams apparently) seem to think that it is solely Microsoft that is to blame for the rash of incompatabilities and bugs in their latetst OS. While I agree that Vista is probably doomed to failure, the fault is a shared fault between hardware vendors (notably nVidia and Creative Labs) and Microsoft. Most people dont realize that some hardware vendors went to extreme lengths to ensure failure of their products and BSoD incompatability with Vista. Creative Labs went as far as purposely castrating high end soundcard hadware with buggy supposedly whql certified drivers that hissed, popped and in some cases caused power mismanagment that ended up disabling or outright destroying the sound cards they were written for if used in conjuction with Vista(any flavor). Microsoft's unwillingess to support users and rush to embrace faulty schemes for DRM and the DMCA did not help their Distribution of the Vista platform and Add to that the early but intentional statements that Microsoft put in the Vista EULA about not being able to reinstall Vista on essentially the same hardware without paying twice for the OS and you have a recipe for disaster.

Add to all this the unwillingness of Microsoft to universally support backward compatability with older titles on their own console systems and customers attitudes toward Microsoft end up being generally unfavorable. Now Microsoft has decided to mothball Plays For Sure and I assume the Zune project as well, and that leaves gamers with a very bad taste in their mouth when they say Microsoft.

But Game Developers can help the situation a little bit. When they write code that is going to go into production vett the code. Regression test it to ensure it doesnt break something else. code review, environment test. and above all else if you give the ability for the end user to modify your code with things like add ons or custom maps give the end user a SOLID framework with which to access the add on pportion of the gaming code. Protected Functions not Public static rather than dynamic properties where plausable. Dont give the end user the ability to modify the Memory variables during execution. fully encapsulated objects with proper serialize and deserialize methods of data transfer. expose ONLY that which is necessary to expose and lastly but most definitely not least: Dont use the customer as an extended Beta Tester unless the code is still in beta. If its in production and being sold make damn sure the code is comercially ready before release or patch.

Follow this advice and your customers who use the Windows platform will not be displeased and consequently the console will fade in importance to Microsoft and they will refocus their efforts on that which matters.

@ marlberg are you talking about Microsoft or EA here, not to point any fingers or anything...

@ Es0ter1c sorry sony doesn't offer 100% compatibility either. I would say they are worse than Microsoft on that issue. They started out with offering a really good solution with basically the ps2 right in the ps3 in the 60gb version. Then they turned around and pulled it out and only offered ps2 emulation in the 80gb version. They also totally ripped out any kind of compatibility with the 40gb version. No emulation at all. They Stopped making the 60gb version, pulled the 80gb and left the 40gb version on the market. They did put the 80gb version with mgs 4 its annoying if you want the system and not the game. Still that leaves the 40gb version as the only system only choice you have for a new ps3, and without the backwards compatibility it sucks. The lest they could have done was offer all the 'versions' in reduced amounts.

It seems to me that Microsoft is forgetting the very people that made them the company that it is today. Sure Windows is used big time in the workplace, but alot of it is used in the home for games.

If it wasn't for that fact, then maybe they wouldn't have had the money they had for the R & D for the xbox and the 360. Well maybe that statement is not entirely true, but the next certainly is.
Just because they have to keep up with the effort behind the 360, does not mean they have to skimp on the windows side. After all they are 2 different factions of the same company. One does not decrease the runnig assets from the other.

I stand corrected, please consider my statement in the past tense on that matter. :) Yet another reason console gaming is a luxury for people who have lots of extra cash. ;)

I agree, the gaming scene should start putting effort into alternative operating system solutions, not just Windows. If I could run WoW natively on Ubu... if only.

Microsoft does it self no favours by concentrating on XBox 360 and not supporting the development of their operating system to be more gaming friendly. I actually have Macbook Pro and run OSX leopard and XP Pack 3. I run WoW on OSX because i found it more stable and use XP for Hellgate London etc.

Unfortunately the market share of windows operating system is not just to consumer market but also to corporate world were there are bigger ROI.

We all moan and groan at the issues at hand with Microsoft but truth is their operating system works well enough for 80% of their TOTAL market (consumer and business users), so unless their was heavy loss in market share due to gaming issues, i doubt there will focus on Windows in near future and keep their focus on Xbox.