Until now, Microsoft made it difficult for those living on military bases to game online, refusing to accept Military State codes such as AE (Armed Forces Europe), AA (Armed Forces of the Americas) or AP (Armed Forces Pacific) as options for Xbox Live members to list their credit card billing addresses. [More]
Clunky Version Of Hulu Plus Hits Xbox Today
By April 29, 2011
Microsoft is releasing its long-in-the-making Hulu Plus app on the Xbox 360 today, providing a subscription video streaming alternative to Netflix. [More]
Wave Hello To Netflix Control Via Xbox's Kinect
By April 15, 2011
Back in November, when Microsoft released Kinect — its motion and voice sensing Xbox 360 add-on — it lacked compatibility with the Netflix streaming app. Now Microsoft has finally gotten around to (sort of) correcting that shortcoming, releasing a free downloadable update that lets Kinect owners to yell and wave at their videos to get them to pause, play and rewind. [More]
Hackers Seize Control Of Xbox Cop's Site
By April 4, 2011
Xbox Live rule enforcement comes with its risks. A Microsoft employee who serves as director of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live suffered an apparent attack from hackers who seized his personal site and Xbox Live account. [More]
Microsoft Investigates Indie Games Ratings Abuse
By March 31, 2011
When most people think of downloadable Xbox 360 games, they think of Xbox Live Arcade, which boasts the work of major publishers. But there’s also an indie games economy, in which “garage developers” compete with one another for attention and royalties. The indie games section doesn’t get much play on the Xbox dashboard, and the odds appear further stacked against some indie games in light of charges that a group of online users manipulated the Xbox.com ratings system to elevate certain games while burying others. [More]
How Game Consoles Suck Money Out Of Your Wallet
By February 25, 2011
A video game console may seem like a reasonably inexpensive entertainment proposition at first glance, but it actually becomes a black hole of disposable income, gobbling up your funds to purchase accessories, memberships, extra controllers, downloadable content and games. [More]
Teen Arrested For Sending Out School Threat Via Xbox Live
By February 11, 2011
Authorities arrested a Maryland teenager who is charged with making threats of a mass shooting at a high school. He’s accused of impersonating another student while sending a threatening message to more than 100 people via Xbox Live. [More]
Mom Admits Autistic Son Cheated On Xbox Live, Meriting Label
By January 31, 2011
After complaining to a Seattle news station that her autistic 11-year-old son was unfairly labeled a cheater by Xbox Live, the mother has admitted that her son solicited help in racking up his copious achievements, meaning Xbox Live was right to reset his Gamerscore and affix a “cheater” label to his account. [More]
Xbox Live Assigns Scarlet 'Cheater' Label To Autistic Boy (Updated)
By January 27, 2011
UPDATE: The boy’s mother admitted that her son solicited help in racking up the achievements, meaning Xbox Live’s labeling of the boy as a cheater was correct. The original post follows; [More]
Xbox Live Dies Because I Used Prepaid Card While On Auto-Renewal Plan
By January 18, 2011
Nathan tried to save some money on his Xbox Live subscription by buying a prepaid $50 card to avoid having to pay the recently increased annual fee of $60. While he did so, he failed to replace his expired credit card on file with a valid card. [More]
Resetting My Xbox Live Password Was An Exercise In Futility
By January 10, 2011
Reader P bought a new Xbox 360 after his old console descended to Red Ring of Death hell. Having forgotten his Xbox Live password, P endured the arduous process of attempting to recover the password through Microsoft. The way P describes it, doing so was as simple and user-friendly as spinal surgery. [More]
Microsoft Tells Me I Qualified For Free Online Cash, Then Takes It Away
By January 6, 2011
Scott tried to take advantage of an Xbox Live promotion that would net him 800 points ($10) of bonus money if he spent 2400 points ($30) in a set amount of time. He spent the required amount of money, then received a message from a Microsoft customer service rep that said he’d get the 800 points if he kept waiting. [More]
Some Say Kinect Is Breaking Old Xboxes
By January 6, 2011
Some Xbox 360 owners are complaining that the Kinect is driving their consoles into the grave, inflicting them with the Red Ring of Death. [More]
My UPS Driver Feels My Xbox Red Ring Of Death Pain
By January 3, 2011
Oscar says a UPS driver scrawled the pictured note with on the box containing his refurbished Xbox 360. As a middleman between irritated gamers and Microsoft’s repair/refurbishing machine, the driver no doubt has much experience in swapping out dead consoles for refurbished units. And as the note reveals, he has his share of hands-on heartbreak with the notorious Red Ring of Death. [More]
Motorola Tries To Stop Microsoft From Selling Xbox 360
By December 24, 2010
At the request of Motorola, which claims Microsoft is violating its wireless technology patents, the United States International Trade Commission is conducting an investigation that Motorola hopes ends with Microsoft forbidden to import Xboxes. [More]
How Sears Drove Me Away To GameStop To Get Kinect
By December 21, 2010
Bryan wanted to get his hands on the Kinect motion-sensor controller for the Xbox 360, and ordered it on Sears.com, expecting it to come well before Christmas. That was a week ago, and Bryan has a Kinect now, but no thanks to Sears, on which he gave up due to broken promises and poor customer service. [More]
