Robbie Bach, Microsoft’s President of the Entertainment & Devices Division, recently spoke to financial analysts as a part of Microsoft’s annual Financial Analyst Meeting. Transcripts of the talk, a webcast, and PowerPoint slides have been posted to the web.

Most interesting to gamers would be his comments on the gaming division and Microsoft’s plan for growth. Much of the talk reinforces things that Microsoft has said before: the Xbox 360 has sold 5 million units worldwide, and they still anticipate reaching 10 million units by the end of the year. Bach hopes Vista will enable growth in the game space; according to him, Vista is “critical to our gaming platform.”

Specifically within the gaming arena, Bach highlighted three titles: Viva Pinata, Forza 2, and Gears of War. Viva Pinata, as previously mentioned, will co-launch with an associated animate television program, and is probably the biggest wild card of the bunch. Microsoft is clearly aiming for a younger demographic with the title. Forza 2 is being pitched as a competitor for Sony’s Gran Turismo series, and Gears of War, of course, is Epic’s latest shooter. Microsoft’s original Xbox 360 content will be key in driving market share.

Live Anywhere was also discussed. As previously mentioned, this will allow users of Windows Vista to connect with Xbox 360 gamers, and part of the presentation demonstrates this interactivity with Shadowrun. Live Anywhere will also integrate with Microsoft’s Zune platform, but obviously not for gaming initially. There does seem to be some risk opening up the Live platform to the PC; the PC is not a closed system like the Xbox 360, and gameplay balance and security must become a consideration here.

Finally, in terms of actual financial numbers, Bach revealed that Microsoft hopes to have the Gaming division profitable by 2008.