At long last Microsoft has revealed the pricing structure for Live for Windows -- the new Windows Vista service that will bring Xbox Live-esque functionality to your Vista PC -- and I can't say it's much of a surprise: Free for "Silver" users, and $50 a year for "Gold" members. Already have an Xbox Live subscription? You're all set -- your current Live username is good across all platforms supported by Live.

This is probably the best way Microsoft could have set this up -- essentially adding Live to Windows instead of setting up Live for Windows as a separate-but-interoperable service. There's been a lot of talk about how PC gamers won't adopt this service because they aren't used to paying for online play, but I don't think that's going to be a problem -- I see this as being targeted at gamers who already have an Xbox 360 and a PC, and chances are they're already paying for Xbox Live. While this might not be much of a value to hardline PC gamers, I'm sure that there are plenty of people who own 360s and PCs that will be happy to get some new functionality from something they're already paying for.

Now, how long until I can get Live for Mac? I'm not holding my breath.

via Game Informer