AceyBongos' Xbox Life: Xbox Live News

EDITED: Xbox LIVE Down Tomorrow 10am - 6pm UK Time

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:08:49 GMT

Just a quick note to let you know that Xbox LIVE will be down for maintenance tomorrow from 10am to 6pm UK time (11am - 7pm CET). During this time you won't be able to access Xbox LIVE or My Xbox on Xbox.com, and the forums on Xbox.com will be read only. It's maintenance only so there won't be any new features when the server comes back up. Use the time off it to get some of those offline Achievements you've missed...

In other news I'm now fully fixed up again so it'll be normal AceyBongos service this week!

EDIT: Changed the finish time for the maintenance from 4pm UK to 6pm UK. My bad, sorry about that, and thanks to those who pointed out my pitiful maths skills in the comments!

Xbox LIVE Downtime Tomorrow @ 10am UK Time

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:22:28 GMT

You'll hopefully be aware of this thanks to the heads-up that dropped into your Xbox LIVE messages last week, but Xbox LIVE is going to be down for maintenance tomorrow morning from 10am UK time (11am in Central Europe) for approximately three hours. It's not a Dash update or anything, just some routine behind the scenes work.

Nelson and Natalie's Pick Up and Play on Inside Xbox

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:24:54 GMT

You might notice we've got another new video on Inside Xbox in the UK today - it's the first edition of Pick Up and Play, a new feature aimed at the more casual gamer. It's hosted by Nelson from www.GamerScoreBlog.com and Natalie from www.TalkingAboutGames.com and this week they're discussing the joys of recent XBLA hit Poker Smash.

Take a look and let me know what you think - then head over to Nelson's post on GamerScore to give him some direct feedback and suggestions! And make sure you watch it a few times or Nelson will be getting the salmon...

OXM Awards Video Up On Monday

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:00:36 GMT

I was hoping we'd get it live today but the OXM Awards video won't be up on Inside Xbox until Monday. Hope you can bear the wait!

If you go to Play.com Live tomorrow at Wembley kee an eye out for me.

Insider Moves on Inside Xbox

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:50:25 GMT

Apologies to those of you who don't have Inside Xbox yet, but I wanted to point out the new Insider Moves video feature that we posted yesterday. It's put together by Denny Atkins and Ryan Treit from the US Xbox.com team and it's a weekly video walkthrough showing you how to do some of the trickiest moves or unlock some of the toughest Achievements in Xbox gaming. It looks great and, more so than a lot of wlakthroughs or tutorials these days, actually offers some really useful content!

First up is the Millionaire's Club Achievement in Burnout Paradise, and keep your eyes peeled next week for more Insider Moves. As always, let me know what you think!

Inside Xbox Is Now Daily - What Do You Think?

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:41:18 GMT

I've been meaning to mention this for a week now, but you've probably noticed that we're now updating Inside Xbox (in the UK) on a daily basis. What do you think? Do you think it works better daily?

I'll also hopefully have some updates on some more cool content - and when other European countries will be getting the feature - soon.

UPDATED: Undertow Is Next Week's Free XBLA Game

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:32:05 GMT

You'll remember that Marc Whitten, General Manager of Xbox LIVE, recently sent an open letter to Xbox LIVE members around the world. In it he discussed the service over the Christmas period, and promised to thank LIVE members with a free XBLA game. Well, that game is Unreal engine-powered shooter Undertow, and it will be available free of charge from 10am GMT on Wednesday January 23 until 8am GMT on Monday January 28. It's normally priced at 800 MS Points.

More details from GamerScore Blog:

"Recently, Xbox.com posted a letter from Marc Whitten, General Manager of Xbox LIVE, thanking subscribers for their patience with the service. We’ve implemented several improvements to the service, to help ensure ongoing reliability and performance. As the popularity of Xbox LIVE expands, we’ll continue to closely monitor the service and make adjustments. As always, if you are having any problems, please contact your local support (1-800-4-MYXBOX in North America) so that we can assist you.

Marc announced that all Xbox LIVE members around the world would have access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game to download free of charge. We’re pleased to announce that beginning next Wednesday, 2:00 a.m. PST through Sunday, 11:59 p.m. PST, Xbox LIVE members worldwide can download the full version of the recent award-winning Xbox LIVE Arcade game, Undertow."

You can find more details and screenshots for Undertow here.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, Undertow will be free in all LIVE territories around the world. It will also be available to both Gold and Silver Xbox LIVE members.

UPDATED: Xbox LIVE Performance Over the Holiday Period - An Open Letter From Marc Whitten, GM of Xbox LIVE

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:39:19 GMT

You'll no doubt be aware that some LIVE users have been suffering problems over the Christmas and new year period, and I want to thank everyone who has been in touch with me to let me know about the issues they have been facing. Everyone here at Xbox has been alert to your thoughts and experiences, and overnight Marc Whitten - the General Manager of Xbox LIVE - has written this open letter to you:

"Dear Xbox LIVE Members:

During this past holiday season you helped us break a number of Xbox LIVE records. This included our largest sign-up of new members to Xbox LIVE in our 5 year history and just yesterday you broke the record for the single biggest day of concurrent members ever on the service.

As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox LIVE issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance. I would like to take this moment to thank you each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as our team has worked around the clock to return the service to a stable state.

At the same time we would like to offer a token of our appreciation to all of you in celebration of record success for the service. And as a thank you for your loyalty during this holiday period, we will be offering all of our Xbox LIVE members around the world access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game that will be available to download free of charge. In the coming weeks we will be sharing the specific details of this offer with you.

Thank you again for helping make Xbox LIVE everything that it is today!

Sincerely,

Marc Whitten

General Manager, Xbox LIVE
Gamertag: Notwen"

I'll get you more details on which Xbox LIVE Arcade game will be made available for free when I find out. Thanks again so much for your patience and your enthusiasm to tell us about any problems you may have faced!

UPDATE: I notice that Major Nelson Twittered that the free Arcade game will be available for both Gold and Silver Xbox Live users. Still no details on the game itself.

New Inside Xbox Live

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:36:11 GMT

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And what better way to start 2008 than with a brand new edition of Inside Xbox? Well, it beats a hangover...

In this week's edition I'm taking a quick look at some of the biggest games heading our way this year - check it out and let me know which ones you're most excited about.

If you're in the UK just head to your Xbox LIVE blade and you can access the new edition of Inside Xbox. This feature will be coming to other countries in Europe over the next couple of months.

Xbox LIVE Status Update

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:35:21 GMT

I've been getting hammered with messages and questions about Xbox LIVE over the past few days, and I've noticed some slowness myself. Major Nelson looked into the problems overnight with the technical teams over in the USA and he posted the following:

"You may have noticed that the LIVE service has been having a few issues over the past few days. This includes things like signing in, matchmaking and account recovery. Not everyone has had problems, but I know some of you have and I wanted to give you and update. While the service was never completely offline, problems like this are not acceptable. The entire LIVE team has been working day and night to ensure that you can have a great LIVE experience. While we’re not done yet, I wanted to let you know that things are getting better each hour and that no one on the team is going anywhere until the job is done. Thanks for your patience."

I would like to reiterate Major's comments that this is not acceptable and we're very sorry for any inconvenience it has caused you. Thanks so much, as always, for raising the alarm and letting us know that things are not quite right, and thanks for your patience while we sort these problems out.

Another Video Store Update

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:20:22 GMT

Just wanted to let you know that the team has been continued to work hard over the weekend on Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store, and any reported issues should be all but cleared up. If you do continue to have any problems please call your local Xbox support team and they’ll be delighted to help you out. Also, I’d love to hear your experiences of Video Store over the weekend – if you’ve been using it please let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks again for all your patience and great feedback. It’s so helpful to everyone at Xbox when you tell us your experiences and thoughts, so keep ‘em coming!

Inside Xbox - 13/12: New Edition Up!

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:00:03 GMT

Well, we got there! Today marks the first full edition of Inside Xbox for the UK, and it's live now on your Xbox LIVE blade. Just click on the flashing icon and check it out - I'd love to hear what you think. If your icon is not flashing try running a network test to flush your cache.

Few of things to note:

We thought about using some of the video that was on the US version of Inside Xbox, but eventually we decided that we wouldn't. That was either because it was a little outdated - like the Update intro movie - or because it was a little too US-centric. That said, we do have plans to do some UK-specific video in the future, but we want to make sure that when we do it, it really lives up to your expectations.
There's a fair bit of content in there right now, and over the coming weeks we'll be expanding on that with regular features, more community-focussed stuff, and more stuff that's uniquely relevant to the UK.
From now on Inside Xbox will be updated every Thursday morning in the UK.
And finally, I'm going to try and get that image of me redesigned :)

As always, your feedback is HUGELY important - this is an ongoing process and we want to make Inside Xbox what you want it to be. Thanks!

Getting An Error Message From Video Store?

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:26:13 GMT

A few people have told me that they're getting an error message (Status Code: 8015000a) when they try to preview or download content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store. I've asked our support team about this - they know about it and it's being worked on. Here's the word:

"Xbox LIVE users may experience intermittent issues while attempting to access content on the Video Marketplace. This issue is currently under investigation and we apologize for the inconvenience."

Keep an eye on http://www.xbox.com/en-gb/support for the latest info.

Inside Xbox Update

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:35:08 GMT

Hey! Sorry I've been quiet for the past couple of days. First of all, wanted to say thanks for all the feedback on Inside Xbox. I want to make the point that we are not happy with the HUGE difference in quality between the North American and UK implementation of the feature either. We've had a couple of issues - one was a technical problem that meant we couldn't implement the full suite of content that we had planned for launch on Tuesday. I don't want to make this out to be such a big deal as clearly the US team were able to overcome any problems that they faced, and we've learned from our problem and shouldn't be faced with it again.

The other issue is an unfortunate but factual one - we don't have the same level of resources to apply to Inside Xbox here in the UK and Europe. That's why we had to make the decision to run Inside Xbox only once a week, and initially only in the UK. It also means we can't create as much bespoke content for the feature.

However - we're committed to making sure that features like Inside Xbox live up to your expectations, we're disappointed that Inside Xbox hasn't done that, and so for the past couple of days we've been working out ways to make sure that your feedback is heard. Our plan as it stands - and I would love to get your opinions on this - is that we draw as much content as we can from the North American Inside Xbox and present it weekly - kind of a 'best of' collection of the content. I can't promise that we'll have everything (especially as some of the content may not be relevant to the UK and Europe) but we'll try to put together a nice package of stuff. We'll also start thinking about how we can add to that with locally relevant content.

I would love to say that we'll be creating tons of original content and update the section every day, but unfortunately we can't do that right now. That said, I do want to apologise that the UK service wasn't as good as it could have been when it launched on Tuesday, and I also want to commit to making it as could as it can be from here on in. As always, your feedback, thoughts and opinions are golden to me and the Xbox team - on this issue and on everything else.

I'll try and keep you updated on what we'll be putting together for next Thursday's edition of Inside Xbox. Thanks for your patience and enthusiasm!

I'm Inside Your Xbox...

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:57:20 GMT

AHM INSIDE UR XBOX, WRITIN MA COLUM! Honestly, I actually am. If you're in the UK and you click on the shiny new Inside Xbox button on your post-Update Xbox LIVE blade you'll be greeted with the wonderful sight of my cartoonified face and some words what I wrote. Inside Xbox is going to be a new weekly news update (likely updated every Thursday) delivered directly to your Xbox 360 Dash, and we've kicked it off today.

To be totally honest this first Inside Xbox is a little light - we're still working out how we can use the tool and deliver cool content, but we've got some good ideas and I know the team over in the US are doing some quality stuff.

Go and take a look and let me know what you think - and thanks to those of you who have already noticed it and mentioned it!

Oh, and if you're not in the UK Inside Xbox will be coming to your country next year. Hold tight!

Xbox LIVE Video Store Coming to France, Germany, Ireland and UK on December 11!

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:48:21 GMT

We've been waiting a while, but the news is finally here - the Xbox LIVE Video Store will open for business in the UK, Ireland, France and Germany on December 11! WOOT! Movies will be priced from 250 MS Points for standard def and from 380 for high def, and here's a selection of launch flicks for each of the countries:

UK/Ireland

300
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
ZODIAC
MATRIX, THE
MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, THE
MATRIX RELOADED, THE
OCEAN'S ELEVEN
PERFECT STORM, THE
SWORDFISH
THREE KINGS
TRAINING DAY
FUGITIVE, THE
RISKY BUSINESS
SPACE COWBOYS
EYES WIDE SHUT
ANALYZE THIS
DEMOLITION MAN
ERASER
EXECUTIVE DECISION
LETHAL WEAPON 3
LETHAL WEAPON 4
LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
MARS ATTACKS!
CLASH OF THE TITANS
SUPERMAN III
DEAD CALM

France

THE GOOD GERMAN
MATRIX, THE
MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, THE
MATRIX RELOADED, THE
OCEAN'S ELEVEN
PERFECT STORM, THE
SWORDFISH
THREE KINGS
TRAINING DAY
FUGITIVE, THE
RISKY BUSINESS
SPACE COWBOYS
EYES WIDE SHUT
ANALYZE THIS
DEMOLITION MAN
ERASER
EXECUTIVE DECISION
LETHAL WEAPON 3
LETHAL WEAPON 4
LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
MARS ATTACKS!
CLASH OF THE TITANS
SUPERMAN III
DEAD CALM
TAXI 4
ARTHUR ET LES MINIMOYS
TAXI 2
ONG BAK
FIGHTER IN THE WIND
MICHEL VAILLANT
MICHOU D'AUBER
WASABI
TIGER BLADE
HAUTE TENSION
RIRE & CHATIMENT
15 AOUT

Germany

300
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
MATRIX, THE
MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, THE
MATRIX RELOADED, THE
OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001)
PERFECT STORM, THE
SWORDFISH
THREE KINGS
TRAINING DAY
FUGITIVE, THE (1993)
RISKY BUSINESS
SPACE COWBOYS
EYES WIDE SHUT
ANALYZE THIS
DEMOLITION MAN
ERASER
EXECUTIVE DECISION
LETHAL WEAPON 3
LETHAL WEAPON 4
LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
MARS ATTACKS!
CLASH OF THE TITANS
SUPERMAN III
DEAD CALM

More details on Xbox.com - French and German news stories coming soon.

IMPORTANT: Xbox.com Forum and Dashboard Update Issue

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:09:50 GMT

The Dashboard Update has just gone live - all you need to do is turn on your console to get all the new goodness - but I've been made aware of an issue that might affect you if you use the Xbox.com Forums and want to change the Windows Live ID associated with your GamerTag. Here's the deal, straight from Xbox.com Forum queen TriXie:

"Hey everyone—we’ve discovered an issue with the Xbox LIVE Dash Update.

If you change the Live ID associated with your gamertag (as the Dash update allows you to do), you will lose all of your forum posts, CUL and icons. All your posts will appear as ‘anonymous’. We’re hard at work on a fix, but despite the team working on it all weekend, we don’t have a fix ready to go out with the update.

If you are particularly attached to your Community User Level or forum icons please DON’T change your Live ID until we deploy a fix. It should only be a few days, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We will let you know as soon as it is safe to change your Live ID and keep all your forum goodness."

Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll let you know when this issue has been fixed up. Thanks for your patience!

Dash Update Video FAQ

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:10:50 GMT

Got questions about the new video playback features coming with the Dash Update next week? Well, the team that worked on the Update have answers. Head to the Xbox Team Blog for enough video stats to melt your eyeballs.

Worth adding this blog to your RSS feed - it's not updated very often, but when it is it's always really, really interesting stuff.

Video Marketplace And The Dashboard Update

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:33:17 GMT

If you're wondering/worried/raging that the European launch of Xbox LIVE Video Store hasn't been mentioned as part of next week's Dashboard Update - and I know lots of us are - then relax. I've asked about what's going on and the word is:

“Beyond what was already announced at E3, no announcements have been made about the Canadian or European launch of the Video Store. Video Store is a standalone service, so it’s launch won’t be part of the Fall Update. We’re absolutely still committed to launching the service internationally this year, so stay tuned!”

So no firm answers yet, but keep an eye out for more details...

GamerScore Blog Tours the Dash Update

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:09:02 GMT

The 'lovely and talented' team over at GamerScore Blog (their words, not mine...) have put together a brilliant video to demonstrate how the Dashboard Update that goes live on December 4 looks and feels. It's a great watch, but here are a few things to note:

The Update is being demoed on the US Live service, and thus there are some things different to what you'll see on your Xbox 360's Dashboard next week.
The Inside Xbox feature will only be available in the UK from Tuesday, with other European countries coming online soon.
Chris Paladino is such a man that he can wear shorts in the depths of Seattle November and not feel the cold.

Watch GamerScore Blog's Dashboard Update video here.

And if you're interested in finding out more about how the Update will affect child accounts and also some info on changing Windows Live ID association, check out Major Nelson's informative post here.

UPDATED: Dashboard Update Details

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:03:40 GMT

It's back! The next Xbox LIVE Dashboard update goes live at 10am GMT / 11am CET on Tuesday, December 4, and we've just released all the official details on what's coming down the pipe. No doubt you've heard plenty of rumours, but this is the real deal - the following are highlights, if you want the full gory details click the link at the bottom of this post:

"MORE DOWNLOAD OPTIONS:

• Xbox Originals – With this new service, announced on Nov. 13, consumers can download-to-own full original Xbox games that were previously only available at retail. The digital shelves will always be stocked with classic titles, such as “Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex” “Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge,” “Halo,” “Fable,” “Fuzion Frenzy,” “Psychonauts,” and more as the catalogue grows over time, at 1200 Microsoft Points per game.

• Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits – On Xbox LIVE Arcade, the Arcade Hits program kicks off where some of the best selling Xbox LIVE Arcade games will become available at permanently reduced prices, making it easier than ever for everyone to build a library of downloadable games! The first games to become Arcade Hits will be “Bankshot Billiards 2” and “Lumines LIVE,” which will be available for 800 Microsoft Points each, and “Marble Blast Ultra,” “Small Arms” and “Zuma Deluxe,” which will be available for 400 Microsoft Points each. With free trial downloads for every game and over 100 games to choose from, Xbox LIVE Arcade offers something for every member of the family.

NEW WAYS TO KEEP UP TO DATE AND CONNECTED:

• Enhanced online profile – Members interested in sharing a few more details about themselves will have the option to go beyond their motto and further personalize their profile with an expanded bio. The extended bios will be visible to “Friends Only” or the entire Xbox LIVE community. Go to www.xbox.com/fof to select your setting.

• Expanded Friends List access – A quick and easy way for gamers to expand their personal community on Xbox LIVE, members will be able to see the Friends Lists of other Xbox LIVE members, boosting their social networking experience on the service.

ENHANCED OVERALL EXPERIENCE AND CONTROL:

• Enhanced Parental Controls – Family Timer, a strong and flexible new addition to the Xbox 360 Family Settings, enables parents to set the amount of time their Xbox 360 can be used on a per-day or per-week basis by their children or other members of the household.

• New video features – The convenience of full-screen movie previews and enhanced video codec support further expand the options when it comes to the Xbox 360 entertainment experience.

• Easy-to-use navigation features – With several noteworthy changes in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard, from the new Game Store button to the Video Store button to enhanced visuals and descriptions in the video library, Xbox LIVE members can find what they want, when they want it."

I'm particulalry inteested in the Friends of Friends feature - I think it'll be really interesting checking out your mate's Friends Lists like you can on Spaces or Facebook or MySpace. Of course, you can decide how much this feature affects you. If you go to www.xbox.com/fof you can decide whether you want to block this altogether (ie no-one can browse your Friends List), set it to Friends Only, or leave it open to everyone, which is the default option.

Look out for the Dash Update on Tuesday, December 4. As always you'll just need to turn on your Xbox LIVE-connected Xbox 360 to download it.

UPDATE: IRB points out that there's an extensive list of all the features in the Update here.

Find New Friends From The Friends of Your Friends!

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:16:01 GMT

You can never have too many friends, eh? Well, when the new Xbox Live Dashboard update goes live on December 4th you'll be able to explore the friends lists of your Xbox Live friends, opening up a whole new world of potential pals. Here's the deets:

"Expand Your Xbox LIVE Network of Pals by browsing the Friends lists of other Xbox LIVE members
New Experience to be made available on December 4th with the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update

Microsoft is making it even easier to expand your Friends network on Xbox LIVE, starting with the Fall Dashboard Update on December 4th. Members will now be able to check out the friends lists of fellow Xbox LIVE members right from the Dashboard. With this new feature, members can find old friends or connect with new ones within the community of more than 8 million people on Xbox LIVE around the globe and send messages and game invites, as well as compare games and Achievements.

With the prevalence of social media websites such as MySpace and FaceBook, this type of capability has largely come to be expected from consumers as a means to relate in an online community. Xbox LIVE continually seeks new ways to better serve the expectations of its members, which often result in enhancements made available for free through the bi-annual Dashboard updates.

When the Fall Dashboard update is distributed on December 4th, the new default setting on Xbox LIVE will be active enabling members to see the Friends lists of other Xbox LIVE members. Members who would like to keep their friends list private can take the following steps to change their settings beginning today:

Everyone (only available to members 18 and older)
Friends only (available to members 13 and older)
Blocked (available to all members, and automatic for anyone under the age of 13)

Stay tuned for more information about the Xbox 360 Dashboard Update later this month."

More details on exactly what will be in the Dec 4 Dashboard update very soon!

Happy Birthday Xbox Live!

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:56:27 GMT

AARRGH! I'm so busy just now, and I'm not just saying it to make myself sound busy. Things are mental around here with Xtival '07 coming up, all the big games coming out, and all the stuff we're working on for next year. Really sorry about the lack of posts - hopefully things will level out in the next couple of weeks. I miss you guys...

But I should point outthat today is a very special day - it's Xbox Live's fifth birthday! Don't they grow up quick? Too much cool stuff going on to list here, so hop on Xbox Live, download Carcassone for free, then check out the Live is Five area on the Dash for all the details. Don't eat too much cake though, you'll make yourself ill.

The cake is a lie.

UPDATE: IRB just reminded me that if you have been on Xbox Live since the start of the service you will be getting an email soon telling you how to claim your 500 MS Points. If you're in this elite group thanks for your support and loyalty, and here's to the next 5 years!

Xbox Live Presents Xtival '07: Live In Your Living Room From November 23-26

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:59:21 GMT

Are you ready to joing the biggest free gaming festival in history? Yesterday we exclusively revealed to our Xbox Community Network sites across Europe that for 72 hours between November 23-26 Xbox Live Gold memberships will be free to everyone as part of Xtival '07!

Competitions, events, exclusive downloads and whole lot of online gaming will bring the wonders of Xbox Live Gold membership to everyone - for a strictly limited time!

For Xbox Live Silver members and those who haven’t ever plugged a broadband cable into their Xbox 360, it’s the perfect time to get involved, make new friends and discover all the amazing things that happen on Xbox Live.

And for existing Xbox Live Gold members there’ll be loads of cool events and activities with some exclusive opportunities – these ‘headline acts’ at Xtival ’07 will be announced very soon.

I'll have more news on this soon, but in the meantime pack your tent, stock up on toilet rolls and pull on your wellies for the best free gaming festival in history - it's happening from November 23-26, it's called Xtival '07, and it's all live in your living room!

Live Account Sharing and Gamesave Glitching: Just Say No!

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:48:48 GMT

I think it's fair to say that we're mostly GamerScore fiends on this site, and the AceyBongos GamerScore Challenge deinfitely showed the lengths we'll go to so we can boost our scores. But you can go over the line, unfairly boosting by sharing your Xbox Live account, glitching Achievements or using game saves. While these things generally just aren't cool, they could also land your Xbox Live account in trouble, as Major Nelson explains:

"I strongly urge you not to tamper with your Gamerscore and Achievements. If you decide to employ some nefarious techniques to artificially increase your Gamerscore or obtain achievements by manipulating the Xbox software without playing the game, bad things will happen. What type of bad things? For one thing we may remove the entire Gamerscore for an account that contains manipulated gamerscore. Let me be more clear: If you use tampered gamesaves to boost your Achievements and Gamerscore, you may sign in to Xbox LIVE one day and discover that we have removed your Gamerscore. Once we do that, you will never be able to re-earn those achievements on that account. Even worse, you might have your account and/or console banned from Xbox Live."

Read the full post from Major Nelson here, and take heed. Having a big GamerScore is great, but getting it from glitching and cheating definitely is not. Plus, where's the fun in that...?

UPDATED: Xbox Live, Xbox.com Back

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:58:25 GMT

You may or may not have noticed, but Xbox Live and Xbox.com are down at the moment. The clever people who deal with this type of thing are aware of this and are working like furious beavers to get it fixed. Will update when I know more, and thanks for your patience!

UPDATE: Xbox.com and Xbox Live are back. Thanks for your patience!

Xbox Live Downtime

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:01:58 GMT

Hello! I'm back! And in honour of my return the Xbox Live team has decided to shut down Xbox Live for a short while!

Actually, it's nothing to do with me at all, but Xbox Live, and My Xbox on Xbox.com will are down today from 1000 BST to around 1400 BST (1100 - 1500 CET). You will also not be able to post on the forums on Xbox.com, but you will be able to read them.

It's maintenance downtime, so don't expect new features when it comes back up. Thanks for your patience!

Wondering What The Best Selling Xbox Live Arcade Game of 2007 Is?

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:39:51 GMT

Some quality statage:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 is the best selling XBLA game of 2007.
Street Fighter II is the best selling XBLA game ever.
Gamers play Jewel Quest for longer sessions than any other XBLA game.
More minutes have been racked up playing UNO than any other XBLA game.
XBLA games, on average, take only 35% of their total revenue in the first two months on sale and then have steady sales in the months that follow. Apparently this kind of steady selling is very different on the way retail games sell loads immediately and then drop off.
Trying to get the 1,000,000 Points Achievement in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved makes you 38% balder.

And finally, the average number of friends on a Xbox Live Friends list is 23. I've got 99 - how many have you got? Oh, and I made the one about Geo Wars up. Although I definietly am 38% balder since I got that Achievement...

From Gamasutra.

UPDATED: Xbox Live Marketplace/Auto-Update Issues

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:42:54 GMT

We've heard that there are sporadic issues with connecting to Marketplace and also with some game auto-updates. All the relevant people are aware of the problems and working on them, so thanks for your patience!

UPDATE: The issues appear to be fixed. Phew! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to download Track & Field tonight...

Xbox Live System Update

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:43:46 GMT

If you've had your Xbox 360 signed into Xbox Live over the last little while you'll have noticed that a new system update has gone live. Major Nelson has details, but essentially all the update is adding is support for the wireless guitars that you'll be able to rock out to Guitar Hero III with later this year.

You'll be able to scoop up the update next time you sign into Xbox Live.

Making LIVE A Fairer Place To Play

Fri, 18 May 2007 09:40:48 GMT

Personally, I've never understood why someone would hack their console to help them cheat while playing games over Xbox Live, but then some people just can't deal with a level playing field. From now on, however, they won't have to - because if someone with a hacked, modded or chipped Xbox 360 tries to play any game over Xbox Live they'll have their console blocked. For good. And for all games.

Here's the details from GamerScore Blog's BIGVIP, aka Aaron Greenberg, Xbox's Group Product Marketing Manager, on this victory for honest Xbox Live players:

"One of the great things about LIVE and the unified community is that we work hard to create a level playing field for all gamers and have a no tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior like hacking or cheating. As part of our commitment to our members, we do not allow people that we have detected to have modified their console to connect to LIVE. This is an important part of our efforts to try and maintain a fair gaming environment for the large majority of gamers that play by the rules. This topic is more important than ever given the recent release of the Halo 3 beta. As a result, some consumers that try to login to LIVE who we detect have illegally modified their console will get an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D) when trying to connect to the service. These users will not have their account automatically banned from LIVE, but they will no longer be able to access the service from the console they modified.

We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce this rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users."

Cheating has forever been a blight on the Halo Xbox Live landscape and Bungie - themselves champion wielders of the banhammer - have an interesting take on the developments:

"We are continually fighting the good fight to keep modders and jerks out of the Halo 2 online population (and now Halo 3) but we can all sleep easier at night knowing that the Xbox Live team has their own group of agents working towards the betterment of the online community.

Major Nelson and Gamerscoreblog posted reminders today that people who log onto Live using modified consoles are being dealt with. As more and more people pour into the Halo 3 Beta, please take this warning to heart. Using modified content and hacked boxes is against the Terms of Use for Xbox Live and doing so will result in your console being permanently banned from the service. Forever. For all games.

If you get an error message "Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D" it means you are done playing Xbox Live on that console. Congrats.

To all of the upstanding members of the Live community - we salute you and look forward to fun times throughout the Halo 3 Beta and beyond."

Great news for the vast majority of honest, decent Xbox Live players out there.

Spring Update Messenger FAQ

Fri, 11 May 2007 08:45:48 GMT

Another quality bit of question-answering spotted over on Major Nelson - this time it's a FAQ on Xbox.com about Messenger integration. Check it out to address your questions about child accounts, USB keyboards and keyboard shortcuts.

Read the Spring Dash Update Messenger FAQ here.

Spring Dash Update LIVE!

Wed, 09 May 2007 09:37:58 GMT

It's alive! ALIVE! Go get it now!

Here's an important tip - if you've been powering your box off and on to try and catch the update and it's not coming up, try running a Network Test. It should come up after the test has finished. If it gives you an error message, go back to the Dash and sign in with your Xbox Live profile and it should all work fine.

Can't wait to get home and try it all out...

Spring Dash Update Imminent!

Wed, 09 May 2007 09:17:48 GMT

It's coming! Major Nelson reports that the Spring Dashboard Update should be going live sometime after 2am Pacific time, which is basically now UK/European time. I'll post when it's up for definite, but there shouldn't be too much longer to wait.

But since you've got some time to kill... Here's the press release we just sent out with more details about the new features the update will bring. Oh, one other thing - the stronger Xbox Live Marketplace border controls that the update will bring in should go live something like 24-48 hours after the actual Update itself. I'm still waiting for confirmation about some of the issues connected with this, so thanks for your patience.

"Starting tomorrow more than 6 million members of Xbox LIVE can instant message with people on PCs and mobile phones, one of the hundreds of enhancements coming with the Xbox 360 Spring Update

Beginning May 9th, Xbox LIVE, the most interactive gaming and social network available, is once again expanding with the arrival of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360. This new feature, available as part of the Xbox 360 Spring Update, will connect people across Xbox 360 consoles, Windows PCs and Windows Mobile devices. Xbox LIVE members will be able to socialize with people on their unified friends list, including their contacts from the more than 260 million Windows Live Messengers across the world. With Instant Messenger, Xbox LIVE members will have the ability to:

Chat via instant messenger with up to 20 contacts in a single conversation, and have up to six different conversations at the same time with people on PCs, mobile phones and other Xbox 360 consoles.
Instant message while playing games, listening to music or watching movies or TV shows downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
View at a glance if friends on Windows Live Messenger have gamertags and add them to a unified friends list.
Utilize the virtual keyboard on the Xbox 360 to text chat or connect a USB keyboard to the console.

Launching later this summer, the Xbox 360 text-input device accessory will connect directly to the controller to support instant messaging.

In addition to the availability of Instant Messenger on Xbox LIVE, the Xbox 360 Spring Update will bring with it hundreds of other features and enhancements to the console. Here are just a few:

On-screen pop-ups that immediately display the name and gamerscore value of a just accomplished Achievement, allowing gamers to see their progress without leaving or pausing the game.
An even safer way to communicate through Xbox LIVE with enhanced family settings that enable different default settings for video chat and voice chat.
A new, standalone Xbox LIVE Marketplace blade houses all Xbox LIVE Marketplace content in one easy to navigate space.
Xbox LIVE Arcade enhancements that showcase what games friends are playing directly from the friends list. Boasting about high scores, comparing progress and checking out leaderboards are all easier now as well.
Faster access to free, trial version of Xbox LIVE Arcade games through an improved Auto Downloads feature.
The ability to fast-forward, pause and rewind video as it is being downloaded on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Owners can now set their consoles to turn off after downloading content from Xbox LIVE Marketplace to help save energy, and download speeds have been increased.

The Spring Dashboard Update is free to all Xbox Live members."

We're constantly checking to see if the Update has gone live - will let you know when it does!

Spring Dashboard Update, Er, Update - And MP Videos

Tue, 08 May 2007 10:03:50 GMT

I've had loads of people asking me when the Spring Dashboard Update is going live (and trust me, I kept turning my console off and on again yesterday and this monring to see if it would pop up). First thing to note is that when we announced the update we said it go live during the week commencing May 7. Which is this week. So that's a good start.

Latest update is that the update should go live sometime in the early morning tomorrow GMT. So don't expect it today, but hopefully when you turn on your Xbox for the first time tomorrow it'll be there waiting for you with a smile on its face and arms wide open for a hug. Oh, and Messenger Integration too.

You can find out more about the Spring Dashboard Update here.

Also, I've just heard that two videos explaining the update and walking you through all the new features are available now for free, on Marketplace. They're in the Media and Entertainment section and they've been put together by GameTrailers.

UPDATED: Marketplace Border Control Q&A

Fri, 04 May 2007 21:04:17 GMT

UPDATE: Clarified that only licensed content will be affected by the changes.

Evening everyone. Thanks so much for your patience - I know you've got loads of questions about the changes that are coming to Xbox Live accounts, and apologies for not being able to address them sooner.

So... I managed to grab some time with Michael Newey, Group Product Marketing Manager for Xbox Europe, to try and get as many answers for you as possible. I'm aware that not all of the posers you have will be answered here, and I'm continuing to draw up a list of your requests. But hopefully this will go some way to helping. If you have more questions or comments, stick them down below and I’ll see what I can do – but no promises! Here we go:

Q: First of all – why is Xbox doing this?

Michael Newey: The issue here is that when we add new gaming and entertainment content to Xbox LIVE we sign a contract with the content provider. In that contract it tells us which country or countries the content is licensed in. It then becomes a legal requirement for us to ensure that the content is only available for to people in the countries in which it is licensed. If we don’t do this it makes it really difficult for us to get new content providers to put content on Xbox Live, which in turn means Xbox Live members don’t get the content they want.

A good example is the TV and movie content available on Video Marketplace in the US. This content is not available in other countries because it is not licensed for them. However, we know that some Xbox Live members who live outside of the US have been signing up for a US Xbox Live account so they can access this content. When they do, it means Xbox is breaking its contractual agreement with the content provider, so we have to stop this.

Q: Some of these Xbox Live users are just keen to get cool content that is not available in the country where they live. Why are we stopping them from doing that?

Michael Newey: We understand that, but unfortunately we are legally required to ensure that all content on Xbox Live is only available for download in the country in which it is licensed. If we don’t we may not be able to continue providing quality content. We’re not trying to stop people getting the content they want – we’re trying to ensure that we can continue to provide great content on Xbox Live, and bring that content to other countries in the future. I should also point out that licensing agreements like this are standard practice in the entertainment industry.

Q: So when will Xbox Live members in Europe get the chance to download the kind of cool content that is, for example, available to US Xbox Live members on Video Marketplace?

Michael Newey: At the moment we have made no announcements about Xbox Live Video Marketplace for Europe. However, Europe is very important for us, and we will be making announcements in the future. Stay tuned...

Q: We know that some Xbox Live members have been downloading licensed Xbox Live content from countries different from where they live. What will happen to that content?

Michael Newey: If you’ve downloaded content using an Xbox Live account from outside your own country and that content is stored on your hard drive or a memory unit, you will keep that content. The important point is that you will not be able to download any more licensed content using that account in the future.

Q: What happens if a user tries to re-download licensed content they’ve purchased in the past using an Xbox Live account outside of their country?

Michael Newey: They will not be able to. From the launch of the Spring Update onwards we have to make sure that users cannot download any content that is not licensed in the country in which the console resides, even if they have downloaded it in the past.

Q: So what happens if I have an Xbox Live account registered in a country other than where I live? Will it get shut down?

Michael Newey: Your account won’t get shut down. If you have created an account for a region other than where you and your Xbox Live, the account will still be active. However, you will no longer be able to download Xbox Live content licensed only for that country.

Q: How will Xbox know when an Xbox in a different country is trying to download content that is not licensed in that country?

Michael Newey: We will know from the location of the Xbox. It’s important to note that it is the location of the console itself in conjunction with your Xbox Live account that will dictate which content you can download. Therefore if you have a US Xbox Live account and live in the US, but take your console on holiday to Europe, while you are in Europe you will not be able to download content from the US Xbox Live Marketplace. But, conversely, if you have a UK Xbox Live account and take your Xbox to the US, you will not be able to download content from the US Xbox Live.

Q: What if I live in a country like Greece that does not have Xbox Live, but I have an Xbox Live account registered to another country?

Michael Newey: While we do not advise or condone this since a user who does this is technically breaking a contractual agreement, users with this type of account will still be able to use it. However, they will not be able to download licensed content from Xbox Live Marketplace.

Q: What does this have to do with games that are not available on Xbox Live Marketplace in Germany, like DOOM?

Michael Newey: Nothing. The German government has restrictions which regulate the distribution of certain content in Germany. We take these regulations very seriously indeed, and therefore certain content will not be available for download in Germany.

Thanks for your time Michael!

Right, hope that’s a little bit clearer. Again, I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to answer any other questions you may have. Stick ‘em in the comments below.

UPDATED: Important Spring Dash Update Info - Xbox Live Marketplace Content Control Beefed Up

Fri, 04 May 2007 00:11:00 GMT

UPDATE: Clarified that only licensed Marketplace content will be affected by the changes.

You’ll probably be aware that the Spring Dashboard update is set to go live soon – it’s currently scheduled for the week commencing May 7. It’ll bring with it a heap of new features including Messenger integration (for a fuller list of the new additions, click here) and it will also bring in some new behind the scenes stuff.

That’s what I want to talk about here – If you have signed up for an Xbox Live account is a country different from where you live you should make sure you read the following info.

Even though you’re technically not supposed to do it, it’s no secret that since the Xbox 360 launched it has been possible to sign up for an Xbox Live account in a different country to where you actually live. For some people that means they’ve set-up a second Xbox Live account in a country like the US or the UK so they can download Xbox Live Marketplace content that’s not available in their own country. In particular, I know loads of people have signed up for an Xbox Live account in the US so they can access TV and movie content from Video Marketplace.

I should point out that this is not endorsed or advised by Xbox, and (without being too dramatic) it’s actually illegal for someone to do this. The reason for that is that when you set up an Xbox Live account you are asked to agree to the terms of the contract which says that the details you have given (ie where you live) are accurate. That said, no one’s going to get arrested...

BUT: If you have signed up for an Xbox Live account in a country different from where you live you need to read the following carefully. When the Spring Dashboard Update goes live we’re making some big changes to the way Xbox Live accounts work. Within around 24-48 hours after the Spring update hits you will no longer be able to access Xbox Live Marketplace content that is not licensed in your region. That means that, for instance, if you live in the UK and you want to download content that is only licensed in the US and not available in the UK, you will no longer be able to do it.

This is because when that content goes up on Xbox Live Marketplace in only (for instance) the US, it is ONLY licensed for the US. That means that if people outside of the US can download it Xbox is breaking its licensing agreement with whoever provided the content. Therefore, we need to stop this from happening, because if we don’t it will jeopardise the quality of content we can deliver through Xbox Live Marketplace - in every country - in the future.

I understand that there’s often great content that you, me and my cats want on the US Marketplace (like Video Marketplace) that isn’t on any of the European Marketplaces – but if people are able to download content in countries that it’s not licensed for, people get upset, content gets pulled, cool new content doesn’t get uploaded to Marketplace, and everyone ends up unhappy.

So, just to reiterate, what does this actually mean? Within a couple of days of your console being updated with the Spring Dashboard update you will no longer be able to use a foreign Xbox Live account to download licensed Xbox Live Marketplace content from a country different to the country in which you live.

One important thing to note – if you have in the past downloaded licensed content from an Xbox Live Marketplace in a country different to that in which you live, that content WILL remain on your hard drive. It’s yours for keeps. But you will not be able to download any more.

And another important point: If you do have an Xbox Live account registered in a country other to that in which you live, that account will not be closed down. It will continue to exist and work and you will need to keep paying any pending subscription fees. The only difference is that you will no longer be able to download licensed content from that country’s Xbox Live Marketplace.

I know you’ll have lots of questions about this, and hopefully I'll have a good in-depth Q&A for you very soon. Until then I hope this all makes sense. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments box and I'll see what I can do.

Major Nelson Tries Out Halo 2 On Games For Windows Live

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:19:00 GMT

Still a bit confused about how Games For Windows Live will actually work? Me too, but Major Nelson has put together a great little blog post about his experiences firing up Halo 2 on PC for the first time, logging into Live, and then doing all the things we know and love on Xbox Live through his PC. Makes the whole thing a lot clearer.

The Major unlocked his first Halo 2 Achievement (Cairo Station for 30 GP - click here for a full list of Halo 2 PC's Achievements courtesy of Achieve360Points.com), connected his wireless Xbox 360 controller and headset to his PC, had a voice-chat with someone on his Live friends list who was playing Gears on Xbox 360, and all manner of other exciting cross-platform trickery.

Check out Major Nelson's experiences with Halo 2 PC and Games for Windows Live here.

Halo 2 will launch on PC on May 18. To play it on Games For Windows Live you'll need to have Windows Vista installed on your machine. I haven't had a chance to play it unfortunately, and even if I do get my hands on a copy I think my laptop would take one look at it, cough up some circuit boards, and then collapse.

Grapple On Live With the Stars of the WWE

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:59:50 GMT

All those gags about sweaty men wearing lycra bashing each other in the ring have been done so many times before, so I'm going to avoid them completely. Especially since the WWE's biggest stars are in London this weekend to put on the Monday Night RAW show. One bad pun and I could have some ridiculously big blokes beating my door down.

Anyway, reason I'm on about this is that on Monday afternoon two of the WWE's hottest rising wrestlers, Johnny Nitro and Benjamin Shelton, are going to be on Xbox Live playing contenders for the Heavyweight World Championship of WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW 2007. The evnt will be taken place from 1pm to 3pm GMT, and will give you the chance to ask the guys some questions, talk some smack, and hopefully teach them a few moves they can use in the ring for real.

To be in with the chance of playing Johnny or Benjamin, all you need to do is send an mail with your name, age, nationality and GamerTag to WWEWrestlers@GameWithFame.net. Then watch your mailbox for news about whether you have been selected to take part!

Random wrestling fact: I saw an interview with wrestling legend Mick Foley yesterday on Sky Sports and he picked Johnny Nitro as one of the young wrestlers he reckons has a bright future. So get on Live and beat a future champ!

Benjamin Shelton is a real high flyer...

And you'll get a real kick out of playing Johnny Nitro.