Are gamers asking for too much when they suggest that video game consoles should be able to link with PC games to create cross-platform competition? It depends on whom you talk to, but Microsoft is looking into the idea of cross-platform competition in various ways, not just head-to-head direct gaming.

"I'm not allowed to leak things," Microsoft's Phil Spencer recently said to AusGamers. "But I think what you're talking about makes a lot of sense. Now, you have differences in Windows gaming and console gaming around control and input... in fact if you go back to Shadow Run on Xbox 360 - something I worked on - we had PC players playing against Xbox 360 customers. We didn't have tremendous success with that, but we learnt a lot from it."

What many people do not understand, however, is just how complex the definition of cross-platform gaming can be. Does it mean the ability to share stats across platforms or does it mean head-to-head gaming across platforms? It could mean both or some combination of both; only time will tell as Microsoft tests new waters. Regardless, Spencer sees this blending of platforms and games as something that will continue to evolve into the future.

"This connected ecosystem across all the different devices is definitely where I think the future of gaming is going," he went on. "You don't have to do it as a developer, but you have the capability and I think a system like Xbox Live across all those screens where you know who someone is and who their friends are, what their Achievements are and their progression is really critical to that."

Spencer is being more realistic about the actual possibilities that exist. Playing against someone on a different platform could create serious disadvantages depending on the game and the platform; controls, graphics, and gameplay all can vary from a video game system to a computer. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out down the road.