After his Xbox Live account was stolen, Josh had to file a Better Business Bureau complaint in order to make MIcrosoft pay attention to him and restore his account access. After three months, he was delighted to log back in to his account, but surprised to learn that he had been banned for a “code of conduct violation.” What did his account do to get banned? It was trying to steal other accounts. Imagine that. [More]
Kinect For Windows Doesn't Mean You'll Be Playing Dance Central 2 On Your PC
By January 12, 2012
When Microsoft announced earlier this week that it would be selling Kinect for Windows starting in February, a number of people envisioned a near future where they would be moving the cells around on their Excel spreadsheet by waving their hands, or finally getting quality motion controls for PC games that have never been ported to the Xbox 360. But neither of these situations is really what Kinect for Windows is about. [More]
How Not Having Home Internet Access Makes Xbox Live Problematic
By January 12, 2012
It’s difficult to imagine such a rustic, primitive existence, but Dustin doesn’t have broadband Internet access at home. He seems to manage, though. Except when it comes to his Xbox 360. When he downloaded a game expansion, a Microsoft representative gave him bad advice, instructing him to put his hard drive in the console of a friend who does have broadband at home. The representative left out a step, and the game expansion license now belongs to Dustin’s friend’s account. No one at Microsoft is able to help him get the content back under his own gamertag so he can use the content he paid for. [More]
Microsoft Thinks You Stole $67.50 From Your Own Xbox Account
By December 15, 2011
In recent weeks, we’ve heard from quite a few Xbox Gold customers who report that points have been stolen from their accounts, but Microsoft doesn’t seem terribly concerned about it, or about stopping the account breaches. Today’s example: reader Jesse, who loaded several cards on his account before a move, for some reason assuming that the points would be safer in his account (in the cloud!) than packed for his move. Not so. Someone spent those points on content that Jesse never downloaded, and Microsoft isn’t giving him those points back. [More]
Here's A Way To Block Ads On The New Xbox Dashboard
By December 9, 2011
Earlier this week, Microsoft rolled out its rootin’-tootin’ motion-sensin’ new dashboard interface for the Xbox 360. And along with the host of new features came a most unwanted companion — ads. Luckily, for those willing to tinker a bit, there may be a way to stop Chuck Norris from showing up on your Xbox dashboard. [More]
Microsoft Makes Gamers Promise Never To Sue It After Xbox Update
By December 8, 2011
It turns out that shiny new mandatory Xbox 360 update was something of a Trojan Horse that allows Microsoft to twist gamers’ arms and make them agree never to sue the company. [More]
Man Dies From Pulmonary Embolism After Spending Hours Playing Xbox
By August 1, 2011
If you’ve been sitting in the same position for hours at your computer, stand up now and stretch or do some jumping jacks: A 20-year-old man addicted to gaming has unfortunately been killed by that same dedication to Xbox, falling victim to a pulmonary embolism after sitting for hours playing online games. [More]
No One At Microsoft Knows How To Recover Your Xbox Live Child Account Password
By June 9, 2011
Pete wanted to share the joy of muliplayer gaming with the rest of his family, and so opened up a Family Gold account. All was well until he used some of his own points to buy downloadable content for his stepson. The system prompted him for a password that his stepson didn’t have, Pete didn’t have, and no one at Microsoft has the power to recover. [More]
Man Uses Consumerist Tips To Gets Xbox Repaired For Free
By June 2, 2011
Reader Ben was sad. His Xbox was doing the ol’ Red Ring of Death. He thought that was quits for his trusted gaming companion but then he started doing some research on Consumerist. Perusing our archives, he realized from some of our old posts that included in the price of the repair to the machine he had done not too long ago was a one-year warranty extension. Huzzah! Here’s what he did next: [More]
Thoughtful Xbox Buys Owner An Unusable Present That Microsoft Can't Refund
By May 6, 2011
Christopher did something very, very stupid yesterday. Well, that, or one of his Xbox controllers did something very thoughtful and bought him a present on its own, even though it’s not Christmas or Bill Gates’ birthday or anything. Unfortunately, the gift was a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops that there isn’t even room on his console to download, and the Xbox used his Live account. Some present. This is the reason why you shouldn’t leave anything on top of your controller that will keep hitting “accept.” [More]
Study: Active Video Games Are Good For Kids
By March 8, 2011
Two new studies may provide some ammo for kids that want to get more time in front of the Wii or Kinect. According to researchers at Brigham Young University and University of Massachusetts, “exergaming” for 10 minutes can result in a workout as stimulating as walking three miles on a treadmill. [More]
Gamers Stationed Abroad Can't Buy Live Console Subscriptions
By March 3, 2011
Nick is stationed in Germany with the U.S. Air Force. After a long day of serving his country, he likes to play Xbox. But online play is difficult for military gamers serving abroad because of the way that payment systems at Microsoft and Sony are set up. For those whose credit card billing address is their APO address, the system just won’t accept their addresses and go through. Can’t anyone help the fine, brave gamers of the military? [More]
The Red Ring Of Death Affects A Very Occasional Xbox Player
By January 6, 2011
Here’s the thing with warranties: they’re limited not by how many hours you’ve used an item, but by how long you’ve owned it. Usually, this works in our favor as consumers, but not in Nathan’s case. He writes that his little-used Xbox 360 has failed after three years, presenting the dreaded Red Ring of Death. He wonders: since this is the same problem that more frequent Xbox users see after less time has elapsed, why can’t Microsoft offer him a repair even though his warranty has expired? [More]
Microsoft Has Different Instructions Every Time I Call About My Brand-New Broken Xbox
By December 2, 2010
Peter tells Consumerist that in early November, he purchased a new Xbox 360 with Kinect. His new system didn’t waste any time–it started breaking down that very night. Bringing it back to the store wasn’t an option, since he had transferred all of his licenses. His only choice was to contact Microsoft for repairs or a new box. [More]
Microsoft Wants To Turn Your Xbox Into A Cable Box
By November 29, 2010
Whether it’s through the Zune Marketplace or Netflix, you can already watch movies and other video content on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. But a new story says the company is looking to expand its offering to what could end up turning Microsoft into your cable company. [More]
Kid Gets Kinect-Clocked In The Face
By November 9, 2010
There’s a reason why the instructions on the Xbox Kinect, which allows you to play video games by sensing your gestures, tell you to clear the playing area and make sure you have plenty of elbow room, especially when you are playing with two people. The reason is this video. [More]
Who Is The First Moron To Break His TV With The Kinect?
By November 5, 2010
All those shattered TVs and cut-up hands that resulted when the Nintendo Wii first came on the scene sorta made sense. People were flailing their limbs around holding a plastic controller with a flimsy strap. But the new Kinect motion-sensing system for the Xbox 360 should have cut down on at least some of the damage done by removing the controller completely. And yet, some moron in Arizona has already ruined a perfectly good TV with his recklessness. [More]
Xbox Live Marketplace Card Already Used, Even Though It Was Opened Only Moments Ago
By September 22, 2010
Tyler says that on four different occasions now, the Xbox Live points and subscription cards he’s bought have been invalid when he redeems them. He had a friend at Gamestop help him out with the invalid subscription card, but he’s stuck with useless paper when it comes to the points cards. [More]
