Microsoft Bringing Virtual GDC Access To Xbox Live

As much as I'm sure we'd all love to jet of to the Game Developers Conference in San Fransisco, the reality is that most of us simply can't. It is with some ingenuity, then, that Microsoft has concocted a convenient half way house by planning to bring GDC content to its Xbox Live Marketplace.

Among the content being offered will be highlights of the keynote of John Schappert, Corporate Vice President LIVE, Software and Services for the Interactive Entertainment Business (one mouthful of a title). As well as the aforementioned keynote snippets coverage will include game trailers, interviews and GDC-exclusive gameplay footage.

Footage will be available in both standard and high definition, so prepare to exceed your ISP-imposed bandwidth limits. Hopefully Microsoft is going to be able to ensure there isn't too much delay between GDC announcements and material appearing for download, although realistically the US/UK time difference will probably mean most of us are a day behind America anyway.

Content should be popping up all through the GDC, which runs from the 18th to the 22nd of February. The curious will want to check out the content labelled under GDC: Bringing it Home on the Live marketplace. Whether Microsoft will also offer up some exclusive Live content or not is unknown as yet, but some of us have our hopes. Either way this is a pretty neat development - our office Xbox needs a use other than lunchtime Guitar Hero practice.