Now this is something that might just prove to be effective. Rather than having to be a hardware genius to figure out what games will work with what PCs, Microsoft is working with a variety of hardware manufactures to come up with a level system that will help to simplify the game buying process.

Microsoft is already working with major hardware manufacturers, such as Nvidia, ATI, and Intel (along with OEM manufacturers), to create prepackaged PCs with varying levels of midrange to high-end hardware with appropriately varying price points. Under such a plan, prepackaged PCs with certain processor speeds, certain amounts of RAM, and certain types of video cards would be given simple classifications or “levels.”

According to Lester, the plan is to simplify the process of selecting a good PC for games without having to be an expert on hardware. He provided a hypothetical example that compared a PC with a “level 5″ designation that might have a medium processor speed, a medium amount of RAM, and a midrange video card, to a “level 7″ PC that might have a faster processor, more RAM, and a higher-end video card. As you might expect, the “level 5″ PC would also be less expensive than the “level 7.” Either way, the “level” designations are not final, and they may not even be used at all. However, Microsoft is considering employing them to help newer users figure out what PCs they would need to be able to play the games they want to play.