Color me confused after Microsoft’s CES presentation last night but this Xbox Game Room sounds awfully familiar to a service called Xbox Live Arcade.  I suppose there are differences in titles and pricing but a fish is still a fish no matter how big right?  That’s my take on the newly announced Xbox Game Room.

The idea behind the Xbox Game Room is to capture that feeling of throwing down quarter after quarter while owning people in your local Arcade.  The price is initially set to be no more than 400 Microsoft Points and as little as 40 Microsoft Points to enjoy the Xbox Game Room.  Here are some more specifics from the press release:

How Do I Play?
An Xbox 360 console or Windows-based PC and an Internet connection are all you need (Xbox Live Gold needed for online play) to access “Game Room.”  “Game Room” and associated games can be found on your Xbox 360 in the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace or in the Games for Windows — LIVE client on your Windows-based PC.

How Much Does It Cost?
It is free to download “Game Room,” which you can then populate with classic arcade games available for individual purchase.  Buy games once and play on both an Xbox 360 system and a Windows-based PC for 400 Microsoft Points.  Or, to purchase a game for only one platform, each individual Xbox 360 or Windows-based PC title is 240 Microsoft Points.  You also have the option to pay to play a single game, just like dropping two quarters in the slot in the old arcades, for 40 Microsoft Points.  Visit your friends’ “game rooms” and try their games free before you buy.

“Game Room” Specifications
• One or two players
• HDTV 1080p
• In-game Dolby Digital
• Voice chat
• Avatar support
• Online multiplayer (one or two players)*
• Cross-platform leader boards
• Cross-platform Achievements

The list of titles for the game are your typical retro titles or “classic arcade” titles as they call them.  Centipede, Millipede, Pitfall and various others will be available out of the gate.  I like the idea of trying your friends’ game room but still…isn’t this just the Xbox Live Arcade all over again?  What say you?