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Tag: Xbox Live

  • Redbox Instant’s Xbox 360 App Is Now Live

    Redbox Instant’s Xbox 360 App Is Now Live

    Another piece of the Redbox Instant puzzle has just fallen into place, as the Redbox Instant app for Xbox 360 is now available to download. Microsoft first announced the app back in February, saying that it would be coming in the “very near future.” It looks like they were waiting for Redbox Instant to come out of its beta period.

    Which is what happened last week. After a three-month beta, Redbox Instant finally launched to the public.

    Redbox Instant costs $8 a month, and that includes unlimited streaming of all 4,600 movies (no TV shows yet) in the Redbox Instant catalog, as well as a bonus 4 free DVD rentals from Redbox kiosks (which pays for over half the price itself, when you think about it). For $9 a month, you can upgrade your subscription to include Blu-Ray discs in the total package.

    As of now, this is an exclusive deal – the Xbox 360 is the only console to feature a Redbox Instant app.

    “Attention Redbox fans: the Redbox Instant by Verizon app is available on Xbox 360 now. Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers in the U.S. can sign up for Redbox Instant by Verizon and start enjoying Hollywood’s newest releases, in addition to a movie-lovers collection of popular classics available for unlimited streaming. Redbox Instant by Verizon also offers the ability to purchase and rent new releases and stream them directly into your living room through Xbox 360 without needing a subscription.” says the Major Nelson blog.

    The Redbox Instant app also supports voice and gesture control via Kinect.

    Yes, as with most streaming apps on the Xbox 360, a Xbox Live Gold membership is required. If you’re not a Gold member and you still want to check out Redbox Instant app – you’re in luck. The app will be unlocked for all Xbox LIVE members for a limited time.

  • ‘Pulp’ Launches as the First Xbox-Exclusive Movie

    ‘Pulp’ Launches as the First Xbox-Exclusive Movie

    Pulp, a british indie “comedy about comics,” debuts today as the first-ever Xbox 360-exclusive film.

    As streaming and downloading options continue to expand, this is a first for the popular console. The film’s creators cite the growing cost of theatrical distribution as a motivator for the unusual release strategy.

    “Theatrical distribution, nowadays, costs on average about £2 million per movie for marketing, prints and advertising…For a film like Pulp, that doesn’t have bankable stars with a track record, it’s a challenge for any distributor to take that gamble,” says director Adam Hamdy.

    Here’s your official summary:

    Thunder Racers, Infinite Finity, Rat Warriors. Junk Comics’ titles have been referred to as ‘the worst printed material since Mein Kampf’. Tony Leary, the nice-guy owner of Junk Comics, is gearing up for one last roll of the dice. His new superhero title, The Sodomizer, launches at the British International Comic Show, and nothing will stop Tony from making it a success. Nothing except a gang of Geordie criminals who are using a comic company to launder their dirty money. Tony is drafted by the police to identify the culprits and bring them to justice. Aided by his trusty geek sidekicks, Rick and Keith, Tony must defy the odds if he is to become a real life hero.

    Pulp is available today, March 4th, for 1120 Microsoft points or 1420 Microsoft points if you want to splurge and watch it in HD.

    You can expect more films like this – Microsoft says that they will be distributing more films via the Xbox console in the future.

    [BBC via The Verge]

  • Mars War Logs Trailer Shows Off Combat, Skills

    Last December, Spiders Studio revealed the first trailer for its upcoming Mars: War Logs. The game was billed as a cyberpunk RPG set on the planet Mars. Players will be able to take on the role of a man named Roy as he battles agains Technomancer dictators who control the red planet’s water resources.

    Promises were made that Roy will have “dozens of skills and perks” for players to adapt their play-style to be combat effective, stealthy, or technomancer-y. It’s an ambitious project for something that is slated to be released via Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network, presumably at a price comparable to other downloadable indie titles.

    Today, Focus Home Interactive and Spiders released a trailer for the game focusing on the real-time combat players will be involved in. The system appears to be similar to other other modern third-person action games, such as the Assassin’s Creed games or the Batman: Arkham games.

    The trailer also provides a glimpse at the game’s skill tree and shows off a few of the powers that can be enabled. The crafting and gear system gets a quick mention near the end, but I suspect that might need a video of its own before the game’s “Spring 2013” release date.

  • Xbox LIVE Game Sale Begins Next Week

    Xbox LIVE Game Sale Begins Next Week

    Microsoft today revealed that a huge sale on Xbox LIVE Games on Demand titles will take place next week.

    Over on his blog, Director of Programming for Xbox LIVE Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb revealed that the “Xobx Ultimate Game Sale” will begin on February 26 and run until March 4. During the sale, games could be on sale for “up to” 75% or 80% off.

    Different games will be on sale each day of the week, and Hyrb will be tweeting out each day’s sale games through his Twitter account. Hyrb listed 61 games that will be going on sale sometime next week, but suggested that they were not the only ones. The games confirmed to be going on sale include some of the biggest titles of 2012, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Borderlands 2, and Halo 4.

    What follows is the full list of titles already announced for the sale:

    Assassins Creed, Assassins Creed 2, Batman Arkham Asylum, Batman Arkham City
    Bioshock, Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Brotherhood (Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood), Call of Juarez, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Code Veronica, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements, Dead Island, Dirt 2, Dishonored, El Shaddai Ascension of the Metatron, Fable III, Fallout 3, Fallout 3 New Vegas, GRID, Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo Reach, Halo Wars, Kane & Lynch Dead Men, Left for Dead 2, Max Payne 3, Metal Gear Solid HD, Metal Gear Solid Peacewalker, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat vs. DCU, Orange Box, Portal 2, Raccoon City, Rainbow Six Vegas, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6 , Red Dead Redemption, Revelations (Assassin’s Creed Revelations), Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution, Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter X Tekken, Super Streetfighter IV Arcade Edition, TC’s H.A.W.X., Tekken 6, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, The Darkness, The King of Fighters XIII, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Tomb Raider Legend , Virtua Fighter 5 , and World at War (Call of Duty: World at War)

  • Over 76 Million Xbox 360 Consoles Have Been Sold

    The announcement of Sony’s next-generation PlayStation 4 console is less than two weeks away. Though the announcement of Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox isn’t expected until the E3 conference in June, the company this week released some numbers that show just where the company stands as the industry prepares for the next generation of consoles.

    Microsoft claims it has sold more than 76 million Xbox 360 consoles. In addition, 24 million Kinect sensors have been sold to those Xbox owners.

    Microsoft also released information and statements that make it clear the company is eyeing more than just video games. Expect the next Microsoft console to be a complete home multimedia device, with connectivity to multiple services and devices.

    “Yes, we started with video games, but we have been on a journey to make Xbox the center of every household’s entertainment,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft Interactive Entertainment.

    According to Microsoft, Xbox users watched and played 18 billion hours of entertainment last year. Usage of apps on the Xbox also grew 57%, which isn’t surprising considering the number of apps that were added in 2012.

    The catch is that using these services isn’t free on an Xbox – an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription is required to access multiplayer gaming, Netflix Watch Instantly, Amazon Instant Video, and more. Subscriptions to Xbox LIVE now stand at 46 million. Considering that subscriptions start at $5 per month, Microsoft is taking in over $230 million per month for things that Sony’s PlayStation 3 provides consumers with for free.

    “We believe that Xbox is being used by more people in the household, during more hours in the day and for more forms of entertainment,” said Mehdi. “People are using Xbox in the morning to work out with the Kinect Nike+ Fitness program, kids are watching cartoons, families are enjoying movies, and of course people are playing blockbuster games like Halo 4.”

  • Capcom Arcade Cabinet Brings Classics to Consoles

    Today Capcom announced all of the details on its upcoming Capcom Arcade Cabinet for PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE. Starting on February 19, the publisher will release one of five “Game Packs” every two weeks. Each pack will include three classic Capcom arcade titles in full HD.

    The first pack will cost $5 or 400 Microsoft Points and includes Black Tiger, 1943: Battle of Midway, and Avenger. Black Tiger will be given away for free, presumably to show off the features of Arcade Cabinet. Subsequent packs will each cost $10/800 Microsoft Points, but patient gamers can wait until May 21 to buy all of the titles in a $30/2000 MIcrosoft Points bundle. The games in each pack will be made individually available for $4/320 Microsoft Points two weeks after they are released in a pack.

    Pack 2 (March 5) will include Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Gun.Smoke, and Section Z. Pack 3 (March 19) includes Side Arms, The Speed Rumbler, and Exed Exes (Savage Bees). Pack 4 (April 2) includes Commando, Legendary Wings, and Trojan. Pack 5 (April 16) includes 1942, SonSon, and Pirate Ship Higemaru. Gamers who buy all of the titles – even in bundle form – will receive two mystery games (Street Fighter, perhaps?).

    In addition to the HD optimization, the Arcade Cabinet features a “virtual dip switch” to customize game settings, online multiplayer for games with two-player modes, and leaderboards. Also, since Capcom knows many modern gamers won’t enjoy the difficulty level of classic games, all of the games will have a “Casual Mode” that will “allow less experienced players to wade into the more difficult challenges with fun and sometimes unexpected tweaks.”

  • Redbox Instant Coming (Exclusively) to Xbox 360 in the “Very Near Future”

    Redbox Instant Coming (Exclusively) to Xbox 360 in the “Very Near Future”

    Microsoft has just announced that Redbox Instant, the company’s streaming video venture with Verizon, will be coming to the Xbox 360 as as console exclusive.

    “Today we’re happy to reveal that Redbox Instant by Verizon will be coming to Xbox 360 in the very near future,” says the Major Nelson blog. No other details were provided on the exact launch date of the new app, simply the “very near future.”

    Also adding to a vagueness is the phrase “coming days,” which is the time frame in which current Redbox Instant beta participants will receive an email with a special access code. Redbox Instant is currently in a beta testing phase, but is likely to open up to everyone by March.

    As is the case with Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, and most other Xbox apps, an Xbox LIVE Gold membership will be required to use the new Redbox Instant app. Redbox Instant itself costs $8 a month ($9 for Blu-ray), and that includes full streaming access as well as four additional physical rentals.

    Score one for Microsoft as they’ve just landed another streaming video option to tempt users into paying for Xbox LIVE Gold – even if Redbox Instant’s current offerings leave a lot to be desired.

  • Netflix Xbox App Will Be Unlocked for All LIVE Users This Weekend

    As many Xbox LIVE users know, and Xbox LIVe Gold membership is required to utilize the Netflix app on the Xbox 360. Stupid or not, that’s how it is.

    That’s all going to change this weekend – but for this weekend only. Microsoft is unlocking the Netflix app and making it available for all Xbox LIVE users, no matter their metallic status.

    “Access to the Netflix app is unlocked this weekend on Xbox! Watch every episode of the new Netflix original series “House of Cards” premiering Feb. 1. Xbox will unlock the Netflix app, so all LIVE users with a Netflix subscription can watch all weekend long. (All Netflix regions),” says Major Nelson.

    So it looks like a promotional thing for the new David Fincher/Kevin spacey political drama House of Cards, which premieres on February 1st. All 13 episodes of the new series will be available to stream at once – so you better be prepared for a marathon.

    Here’s what you can expect from House of Cards:

    Based on the British miniseries, ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Kate Mara (“American Horror Story”) and Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”) costar in the first original series from David Fincher (“The Social Network”) and Beau Willimon (“The Ides of March”).

    In other news, it’s seriously time for Microsoft to rethink the whole Xbox LIVE Gold requirement thing for apps like Netflix. Seriously.

  • Call of Duty Games Dominated Xbox Gaming in 2012

    It’s no secret that the Call of Duty franchise is one of the most successful gaming ventures in history. What many gamers might not know, however, is just how many people continue to play the older games in the series.

    This week Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, the director of programming for Xbox LIVE, announced the top 20 games on Xbox LIVE for 2012. Four of the top ten games are Call of Duty titles:

    1. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
    2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
    3. Halo 4
    4. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
    5. Call of Duty: Black Ops
    6. FIFA Soccer 13
    7. FIFA Soccer 12
    8. Battlefield 3
    9. Halo: Reach
    10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
    11. Borderlands 2
    12. Assassin’s Creed III
    13. Skyrim
    14. Madden NFL 13
    15. Gears of War 3
    16. NBA 2K13
    17. NBA 2K12
    18. Far Cry 3
    19. Grand Theft Auto IV
    20. Forza Motorsport 4

    It’s pretty incredible to see that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which was released in 2009, is beating blockbuster titles released this year, such as Borderlands 2, Assassin’s Creed III, and Madden NFL 13. It’s also pretty stunning to see that last year’s Modern Warfare 3 beat out Halo 4.

    Hryb also listed the Top 20 Xbox LIVE arcade title purchases of 2012, and there are no surprises. Record-breakers Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition and Trials Evolution led a list of surprisingly good arcade titles:

    1. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
    2. Trials Evolution
    3. The Walking Dead
    4. Pinball FX2
    5. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
    6. Castle Crashers
    7. Gotham City Impostors
    8. I Am Alive
    9. Fruit Ninja Kinect
    10. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD
    11. Trials HD
    12. Magic 2013
    13. Fez
    14. Dungeon Defenders
    15. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare
    16. Peggle
    17. The Simpsons Arcade Game
    18. REAL STEEL
    19. Toy Soldiers: Cold War
    20. Full House Poker

  • Xbox Live Account Regional Migration Now a Reality

    Good news, traveling Xbox LIVE members. Microsoft has just announced that Xbox LIVE region migration is now available to all users.

    Region migration lets users easily transfer their LIVE accounts with them if they happen to move. This means that you can move your account – including your gamerscore, achievements, and Microsoft points with you. In the past, changing regions meant losing all of your progress, which for gamers who have worked years for their accolades was more than a real bummer.

    Of course, moving regions will still trigger some hiccups. Some things that could be affected include certain subscriptions, licensed content that you’ve already purchased (think games, videos, and music), and other services. Moving to different region with different rules is going to cause some problems, so this shouldn’t be a surprise.

    There are a few restrictions to who can migrate their account to another region, including people who have already done some within the last three months and people with suspended accounts. To read more of the specifics, check the Xbox LIVE support page.

    If you want to go ahead and get started with your migration, you’ll want to head here.

    [Major Nelson]

  • God Mode “Retro” Shooter Announced

    Atlus, the Japanese game publisher famous for handheld and downloadable titles such as the Megami Tensei series and Catherine, today announced a new downloadable third-person shooter.

    The game, called God Mode, will feature what Atlus is calling “retro shooter action” with some RPG elements thrown in for players to battle undead cannon fodder in Hades. The developer claims it will have non-linear gameplay, “fast and frantic” shooting, and “hordes of on-screen enemies. As with most shooters these days, God Mode will have a four-player co-op mode. From Atlus’ YouTube description:

    “Do you like running? How about gunning? What if special abilities are thrown into the mix? Upgradable weapons? Let’s say there’re dozens of on-screen enemies to unleash this firepower on, and as your reward for dispatching them you get experience and gold to collect that can be used for character customization and new equipment–all the while playing alongside friends in 4-player cooperative play! If you like the sound of all this, then you’ll love God Mode.”

    The title will also feature customizable characters and an experience system that unlocks new weapons and abilities. If you think all of this sounds a bit similar to Borderlands 2, you’re not alone. As the trailer reveals, the developers of God Mode are also trying to capture the black humor of the Borderlands games.

    Still, if Atlus can release something half as fun as Borderlands 2 as a low-priced, downloadable title, God Mode stands a chance of being a sleeper hit in 2013. The game is scheduled to launch in “early 2013” for Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network, and Steam.

  • Vimeo Launches New Xbox 360 App for LIVE Gold Members

    Vimeo Launches New Xbox 360 App for LIVE Gold Members

    Vimeo is now on your Xbox 360. The company has just announced an all new Vimeo app for Xbox LIVE that you can download and enjoy today, considering you have an Xbox LIVE Gold account.

    The video screen on the new Vimeo for Xbox app included descriptions, credits, and related videos. Logged-in users can also like and share videos as well as follow users from inside the app.

    Oh yeah, and Vimeo HD videos are in HD. Which is one of the main reason you would want a Vimeo app on your console – so good on you Vimeo.

    Here are some of the other cool things about Vimeo’s new Xbox 360 app, according to Vimeo:

    • Vimeo in HD on your giant TV: You know, the way you watch everything else.
    • Continuous play: Turn on your feed, your Watch Later queue, or an Album of your favorites and then wonder where three hours went. Or create a party Album to play in the background during your next shindig.
    • Voice and gesture controls with Kinect for Xbox 360: Just tell your Xbox what you want, like it’s your buddy. Maybe soon you’ll be able to control Vimeo with your MIND.*
    • Connect your Xbox LIVE account to Vimeo: See your Xbox LIVE friends’ activity and stay logged into Vimeo whenever you’re on Xbox LIVE.

    For Xbox users, their video streaming options are expanding rapidly. They now have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vimeo, and more at their fingertips.

    Late last month, Vimeo launched an totally redesigned iPhone app that was faster as brought better navigation and background video uploading.

  • Microsoft Sold 750,000 Xbox 360 Consoles On Black Friday

    The holiday shopping season began over the weekend with Black Friday, and retailers are already reporting record sales. Amazon and Etsy have both come forward with announcements of record sales, and now Microsoft is joining in.

    Microsoft announced today that it sold 750,000 Xbox 360 consoles in the US alone in the week leading up to, and including, Black Friday. Unless Sony pulls out some impressive numbers, it looks like Microsoft will win the Black Friday sales race this year. Nintendo sold 1.2 million hardware units over the last week, including Black Friday, but only 400,000 of those were Wii U units. Even including its other home console, the Wii, it only sold 700,000 home console hardware units in total.

    The Xbox 360 hardware itself wasn’t the only sales milestone that Microsoft hit over the weekend. The company says that it sold 50 percent more three-month Xbox Live subscriptions during Black Friday this year compared to last year.

    Since many had time off from work and school during the weekend, Microsoft also saw increased Xbox Live usage. The company says that over 14 million people were on Xbox Live on Sunday alone, and those players racked up 72 million hours of online gameplay in just that one day. Similarly, there was a 43 percent increase in people using the Xbox 360’s entertainment options (i.e. Netflix, Hulu Plus) during the past week as well.

    The only company that has yet to announce any Black Friday numbers is Sony. The company lowered the price of the Vita and the PS3, while simultaneously offering many attractive hardware/software bundles that may have increased demand. We won’t know for sure until Sony says something, but the company’s silence does lead one to worry.

  • Karaoke Comes To Xbox 360 For The Holidays

    Karaoke isn’t as popular as it used to be. You can find a few bars that sport a karaoke machine, but they’re few and far between. In their absence, karaoke video games have tried to fill the gap. Sony has met with some success with its SingStar franchise, but Microsoft might just be the first to nail the authentic experience – hourly rates and all.

    Microsoft announced today that its partnering with The Karaoke Channel to bring a dedicated Karaoke game to Xbox Live. The game will include over 8,000 songs from just about every genre imaginable. As expected, the game will also make extensive use of avatars to add a bit of personal flourish to the activities.

    “As the owner of the world’s largest licensed karaoke library and karaoke service on TV and Internet, the KARAOKE Channel will combine its expertise with the advanced capabilities of the Xbox 360 platform from Microsoft to develop the best in-home karaoke experience ever,” says Eric Boyko, President and CEO of Stingray Digital Group Inc. “Now anyone can access our vast library and sing in a fun and interactive way right from their Xbox.”

    The game will support Xbox SmartGlass. Players will be able to queue up songs via a supported tablet or smartphone instead of taking up screen real estate on the TV screen.

    It all sounds pretty standard as far as karaoke games go, but Microsoft is being pretty innovative in one aspect. All the songs players sing will be streamed to the console via the cloud. With over 8,000 songs, it would be kind of ridiculous to expect the system’s hard drive to hold them all anyway.

    Streaming music serves a secondary purpose as well. Just like in a real karaoke bar, players will be charged by the hour to sing songs. Having to download songs would just cut into the time players have to actually sing.

    Speaking of hourly rates, Microsoft says that players can buy 2, 6 and 24 hour time allotments. There’s no price set just yet, but it should be cheaper than traditional karaoke rates. Being expected to pay $25 an hour for digital karaoke seems a bit much.

    [h/t: playxbla]

  • Xbox Live Turns 10, Microsoft Discounts Popular XBLA Games

    Regardless of your platform loyalties, you have to give it up for Xbox Live. Microsoft, with its extensive knowledge in networking, showed console gaming how online connectivity was done. Since then, Xbox Live has been the de facto online gaming service across two generations. It would be more than enough for Microsoft to pat itself on the back, but the company is celebrating the anniversary with its fans.

    Major Nelson announced today that Microsoft is going all out for the tenth anniversary of Xbox Live. The company is giving out some pretty sweet special edition consoles to Xbox Live subscribers that have been there since the beginning, but the company is also giving away a free game to every Xbox Live Member.

    The game in question is Wreckateer, a Kinect-enabled “Angry Birds-like” game that has players launching themselves into castles. You may not have a Kinect, but it’s free to everyone. Might as well grab it just in case. It will remain free through tomorrow, November 16.

    Microsoft is also offering 50 percent off discounts on a number of Xbox Live’s most popular games. The titles on sale include Castle Crashers, Battlefield 1943, Fruit Ninja Kinect, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, Bastion, Peggle and Full House Poker. The deals will last until November 22.

    As an added bonus, Major Nelson will be giving away ten one year Xbox Live Gold subscriptions every hour until 7 p.m. tonight. All you have to do is send a tweet to @MajorNelson with the hashtag #XboxLiveis10.

    Speaking of hashtags, let’s take a peek into how Xbox Live fans are celebrating 10 years of preteens using language that would make a sailor blush:

  • Microsoft is Paying MS Points For Playing Halo 4

    Competing with the Call of Duty franchise when it comes to player loyalty is hard. Microsoft’s strategy? Pay people to play Halo 4.

    Microsoft has unveiled its “Halo 4 Combat Tour Offer,” which pays gamers in Microsoft Points for playing multiplayer Halo 4. Players can start earning points once they once they hit 35 hours of multiplayer action. For that achievement (I’m not sure if there’s an actual achievement for accomplishing the feat), players will recieve 100 Microsoft Points. 300 Microsoft Points go to players who put in over 70 hours of gameplay, and players who reach 140 hours get 600 Microsoft Points.

    In addition, Microsoft is giving Microsoft Points to gamers who spend tons of money on Halo 4 content in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Players who spend 1,500 Microsoft Points on Halo 4 content will receive 100 Microsoft Points back, and those who spend 3,000 Microsoft Points will receive 200 Microsoft Points.

    The offer is only good until the end of November, so players will have to play about five hours and 23 minutes of Halo 4 multiplayer every day since yesterday to reap the largest reward. However, the offer also cryptically states that player can “get up to 800” Microsoft Points, suggesting that the deal is capped anyway. This contradicts the numbers, which suggest that players who play for 140 hours should receive 1000 Microsoft Points.

    Aside from encouraging gamers to stick with Halo 4 when Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 comes out next week, the offer is also meant to get players signed up for the Xbox Live Rewards program. Players will have to be a member of the program to receive any rewards from the Halo 4 offer.

  • Joe Biden Won the Debate If You Ask the Xbox LIVE Community

    Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that they would live-stream all three Presidential debates and the sole Vice Presidential debate via their new Elections Hub inside the Xbox 360 dashboard. But unlike YouTube, who’s simply streaming the events, Xbox is asking (Xbox LIVE Gold) members to provide feedback during the contests.

    “Throughout the debate, the Xbox LIVE community will be able to weigh in with their opinions by responding to real-time poll questions about the candidate’s performances, their responses to questions and views on issues,” says Microsoft.

    And according to a Major Nelson blog post, over 800,000 individual responses came in during last night’s Vice Presidential debate. That means that Xbox LIVE users averaged about 30,000 responses per question posed during the debate.

    Based on those reactions, Xbox LIVE can confirm that undecided voters swung heavily in favor of VP Biden.

    Here are some of the quick stats from last night:

    • Biden won the debate with Xbox Swing Voters: 44.1% of undecided voters declared Biden the winner with 22.9% choosing Ryan.
    • Biden was overwhelmingly viewed by our swing voters as being more truthful, garnering the favor of 72.2% of undecided respondents.
    • An overwhelming 70.1% of undecided voters do not consider a candidate’s religion when deciding for whom to vote.
    • 53.7% of undecided voters felt that Biden is better prepared to step in as president compared to 21% for Ryan

    When you look at the “who won the debate” question, 88.5% of Obama supporters (whether strong or leaning) chose Biden. The undecideds chose Biden, as did those who identified themselves as “other” – 52.6% to 26.4%. The only voters that picked Congressman Ryan as the winner were voters leaning Romney and those strong for Romney.

    The same breakdown exists for the question “who do you think is more truthful.”

    If you missed out on participating in the live polling on Xbox LIVE, don’t worry – you’ll have another two chances. Both remaining Presidential debates will be available on Xbox LIVE. The next one is on Tuesday, October 16th.

    And while you wait for that debate, you can check out the Xbox Elections Hub for videos and more coverage of the campaign 2012. They say that they’ve made two more additions to the content that should be appearing later this week – BBC and Comedy Central.

  • Watch the Presidential Debate Live on Your Xbox (It’s Interactive, If You’re into That)

    Watch the Presidential Debate Live on Your Xbox (It’s Interactive, If You’re into That)

    Political junkies, members of the informed electorate, concerned citizens: YouTube isn’t the only place to watch a live streamed version of Wednesday night’s Presidential debate. Those of you with Xbox LIVE can also stream the first debate of the season – and you can even participate if you want.

    Xbox LIVE members can watch the live stream via the Election 2012 Hub on their dashboards. Microsoft launched the Elections Hub back in August as users’ go-to place for streaming election content as well as some original content.

    The interactive part comes in the form of live poll questions designed to track each candidate’s performance. Here’s how it will work, courtesy Major Nelson’s blog:

    “Throughout the debate, the Xbox LIVE community (Xbox LIVE gold membership required) will be able to weigh in with their opinions by responding to real-time poll questions about the candidate’s performances, their responses to questions and views on issues. Participants will be able to view poll results of the Xbox LIVE audience throughout the evening. All Xbox LIVE participants are also encouraged to submit poll questions via Twitter – #XboxPoll. Submitted questions will be reviewed and some of the best will be asked to the Xbox LIVE community during each debate.”

    You can catch the first debate on Wednesday night at 9 pm ET. You can expect the same setup, streaming+interactive, for the other two Presidential debates as well as the Vice Presidential debate later this month.

    As a bonus, Major Nelson says that anyone who watches at least three of the four debates via Xbox LIVE will receive a free Halo 4 Warrior Armor avatar.

  • Your Xbox 360 Achievements Aren’t Totally Worthless Anymore

    If you’ve been consistently building up your Xbox 360 Gamerscore for years, you’re about to get rewarded…kind of.

    Microsoft has just launched an all new rewards program for Xbox gamers. It’s called MyAchievements and allows your Gamerscore to be used for some modest prizes.

    “You’ve been faithfully building your Gamerscore for years now. To reward you for your dedication, we’ve created MyAchievements for Xbox LIVE Rewards Gold members. The MyAchievements level that you earn – CONTENDER, CHAMPION OR LEGEND – depends on your Gamerscore. The higher your score, the bigger the reward!” says Microsoft.

    Once you join the Xbox LIVE rewards program, here’s how it will work:

    Once you hit 3,000 Gamerscore, you’ll start receiving a “special gift” on your birthday. According to fine print, that gift will retail at around $0.25. That’s the “Contender” level. When you hit 10,000 Gamerscore, you’ve become a “Champion” and will receive the birthday gift plus a 1% rebate on Xbox LIVE Marketplace purchases accumulated every month. The top tier is called “Legend” and you hit it when you reach 25,000 Gamerscore. At that level, your Marketplace rebate is bumped up to 2%.

    When you think about all the hours it takes to accumulate a 25,000 Gamerscore, you start to realize just how modest these rewards really are. But oh well, guess you can’t complain about getting something for free.

    You have to be a member of Xbox LIVE Gold to apply for the rewards program. You don’t have to start from scratch, as any achievement points you’ve earned up to this point will count towards your level.

    [h/t The Verge]

  • Microsoft Signs Former CBS Exec to Head Xbox Studio

    Microsoft this week announced that it has hired Nancy Tellem, a former president of CBS Network Television Entertainment as their new Entertainment & Digital Media president. Tellem will oversee the launch of a production studio in Los Angeles that, according to Microsoft, will develop “interactive and linear content” for the Xbox and other devices. She will also be involved in Microsoft’s efforts to turn the Xbox into “a destination where consumers can enjoy all their entertainment in one place.

    “I am excited to be a part of the continued evolution of Xbox from a gaming console to the hub of every household’s entertainment experience,” said Tellem. “The Xbox is already a consumer favorite, and we now have a tremendous opportunity to transform it into the center of all things entertainment – from games, music and fitness to news, sports, live events, television series and movies – so consumers have one destination for all their entertainment needs. I look forward to building a studio team that embraces the challenges of creating true interactive content that the Xbox platform supports and to work with talent to create content that will change the way entertainment content is experienced and delivered.”

    Tellem served as president of CBS Entertainment for 12 years, from 1998 to 2010. During that time, she was responsible for choosing the TV lineup for CBS.

    Microsoft has been transforming the Xbox into a home entertainment platform for years. At this year’s E3, the company announced its SmartGlass technology, which will sync content over multiple devices, displaying extra content for a TV show on a tablet or smartphone, for instance. Even Nintendo’s new console, the Wii U, will include software to facilitate the viewing of on-demand television programming.

    It is also not surprising that Microsoft will begin to develop its own television content. Technology companies have begun to fill in the gap traditional television industry players are leaving when it comes to the web. Yahoo this year premiered a post-apocalyptic web series called Electric City. New episodes of a series Fox cancelled, Arrested Development, will debut exclusively on Netflix’s streaming service next year. Independent production companies, such as Machinima and Geek & Sundry, are also beginning to provide regularly scheduled programming via YouTube.

  • Xbox LIVE Down, Microsoft Aware of the Issue

    [UPDATE] Xbox LIVE is back up, though Microsoft has not yet commented on the outage.

    [ORIGINAL]
    It’s not just you – Xbox LIVE is down. If you’ve called off work to nurse your Labor Day hangover and were hoping to kick back for some Xbox multiplayer action, you may be out of luck.

    The Xbox LIVE service is currently down, according to Microsoft’s own server status page. The status for Xbox LIVE states that users “may experience difficulties” signing into Xbox LIVE on their Xbox or through the xbox.com website. Microsoft is working on a fix, though. From the server status page:

    We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience

    The cause of the Xbox LIVE service disruption is unknown, and Microsoft has not issued an official statement yet. This is the same LIVE service that is set to be rolled into Windows 8 with its release, though some gamers have concerns that it could mean difficulties for indie developers.

    Note that Xbox LIVE is the only service that is currently down. The Xbox LIVE marketplace is still up, as well as the matchmaking service. No apps seem to be affected either, and the Zune service is still active, though that will probably be renamed soon, as the Zune brand is quickly being put out of its misery.

    Updates will follow if service resumes, or if further information from Microsoft is forthcoming.