[WTF?] Microsoft shutting down Xbox Live services for Original Xbox games

In a move that first got a raised eyebrow from me, and then 10 seconds later an "Ah ha!" moment befell me, Microsoft is shutting down Xbox Live services for Xbox games and systems. That would mean that Original Xbox titles won't be getting their daily juicing of Xbox Live, but would that also mean that no more OXB titles wouldn't be hitting the service? I'm fairly sure you can upload some good Xbox games onto the service and not hamper it. Would those OXB games that were downloaded (all 7 of them) cease to exist or function? There are some questions that Microsoft has yet to answer.

The good part about this is that Microsoft can do two things now, both of which they said development or implementation couldn't proceed past planning phase because of Xbox Live service on the Xbox: a friend list of over 100 people and "mobile tie-ins," as Engadget puts it. What would constitute a "mobile tie-in," you say? Remember Microsoft talking about a service called Xbox Live Anywhere, where you could access your XBL account from your mobile, check on your friends, compare achievements on the go, and, yes, play certain games - your Xbox Live Arcade games - that can be played without joysticks or need the fast responsiveness of contextual buttons (see: Peggle)? Yea, that little guy. Well, development on that can now proceed and, hopefully, get an official iPhone app over than feature-lacking or slow-as-all-hell apps. What? Microsoft has given us Seadragon and Bing apps, so asking for a Live Anywhere app? Yea, I can see the problem, but why wouldn't they make one for the iPho...oh yea, that's right, the whole Apple-Microsoft thing. Right.

Read Xbox Live's General Manager Marc Whitten's letter in regards to the matter past the break.

[Via Engadget]
[Source Major Nelson's Blog]