Since Microsoft first revealed Windows 8 last year, it has pitched the  upcoming operating system as a catalyst that will help reposition the  company at the forefront of PC gaming. And according to today’s rumors,  the new OS could actually allow PC gamers to run and play Xbox 360  titles.

Various reports, including one by Engadget,  indicate there are references in the Windows 8 kernel code that link  the OS to the Xbox 360. Exactly how the OS will be connected to the Xbox  360 is all speculation, but bits of code like “XBOX_360_SYSTEM_CRASH”  are leading some to make the 360-games-on-PC conclusion.

Others suggest Microsoft will use Windows 8 to create cross-platform  multiplayer gaming between the Xbox 360 and PC. If that sounds familiar,  it’s because Microsoft attempted to do the exact same thing back in 2007 with the launch of Windows Vista, promising to change online gaming  forever with cross-platform multiplayer FPS, Shadow run — a doomed game  that only highlighted the difficulty in bringing the two platforms  together.

However, according to Voodoo PC founder and former CTO of HP’s gaming  arm, Rahul Sood — the man who became Microsoft’s GM for System  Experience in the Interactive Entertainment Business in late 2010 –  Microsoft continued to experiment with cross-platform integration after  Shadowrun.