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]
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Microsoft Wants To Turn Your Xbox Into A Cable Box
By 11.29.10
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 11.9.10
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 11.5.10
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 9.22.10
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]
Xbox Bans Man For Living In "Fort Gay." Except, That's Where He Lives.
By 9.8.10
UPDATE: Microsoft admitted they made a mistake and has updated their training policy.
Ok, now this is getting redonkulous. Xbox has been suspending gamers for some time for mentioning or otherwise referencing their sexual orientation in their gamer profiles, but now they’ve gone ahead and banned a guy because he said he lives in “Fort Gay.” Huh huh, Beavis indeed, but there is a real town called Fort Gay. It’s in West Virginia, and that’s where the guy really lives.
Xbox Suspends Gay Gamer For Calling Himself A "Homosexueller" Who "Likes Cupcakes"
By 9.2.10
Despite Xbox recently changing its policy to allow folks to describe their sexual orientation in their gamer profile, Super Street Fighter IV fan Shmoo found his Xbox Live account suspended for breaking their Code of Conduct. His gamer bio states, “Bio Ich bin ein homosexueller Mann in einer großen schlechten Stadt. Ich mag kleine Kuchen und Cheeseburgers.” Which translates from German to, “I am a gay man in a big bad city. I like cupcakes and cheeseburgers.” This, apparently, was verboten. [More]
Go Ahead, Try To Make Sense Of This Xbox Live Pricing Scheme
By 8.12.10
Did you know that “free” is basically the same thing as $10? Neither did Jer, until he went to renew his Xbox Live account. He tells Consumerist that along with his account expiration date, he discovered the most baffling pricing scheme this side of Target. [More]
Xbox Assumes Women Contacting Them Must Be Doing It For Their "Sons"
By 8.9.10
When a woman emailed Xbox support about downgrading her Xbox LIVE Gold account to Silver, they sent her back a form letter that assumed she was contacting them on behalf of her son, even though she doesn’t have a son and never made mention of one at all. Hey Microsoft! Ever hear of GIRL GAMERS? [More]
New Xbox Thingy Will Cost $150, Better Xbox $200
By 7.20.10
The Kinect, a sensor thingy for Xbox that was not received favorably at E3, will apparently cost $150, or $300 if you buy in a bundle with a newish-betterish-Xbox 360. [More]
ESPN3 Coming To Some Xbox Live Consoles
By 6.15.10
Have a Gold Xbox Live account? Want to catch the latest in bass fishing, Aussie rules football and high school volleyball? You may just be in luck. ESPN has cut a deal with Microsoft to provide its streaming ESPN3 service — which includes all of these events, as well as the latest in cricket and poker — to many Xbox 360 owners with Gold accounts. Okay, you’re not limited to just those sports. ESPN3 also has the FIFA World Cup, a selection of MLB games — and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. [More]
Best Buy Sells Used, Broken Xbox, Won't Exchange Or Refund
By 5.17.10
Reader Colin has run into something we’ve seen many times before. Best Buy sold him what we call a “Box of Crap,” in this case, an XBox that someone else had swapped out with their modded, broken one. Best Buy’s policy is to refuse a return if the serial number on the Xbox doesn’t match the one on the receipt, so unless you actually open the box and check out the item before you leave the store — get ready for a battle. [More]
GameStop Made Me Buy Cables So They Could Test My Xbox Trade In
By 4.26.10
Jason went into GameStop to trade in his Xbox 360, and experienced something odd. He says they refused to take his trade-in unless he bought new non-HD cables so they could test the system with the non-HD TVs they had in the store. [More]
Xbox Live No Longer Bans Gay People From Describing Themselves
By 3.5.10
One of Xbox Live’s more irksome policies has been that if your gamertag happens to mention that you are gay or lesbian, that’s not permitted. (Or if you use your real name, which happens to contain the letters G-A-Y in that order.) But Microsoft has changed their code of conduct, and this policy is no more. [More]
Your Wife Doesn't Know Which Console You Have So Best Buy Sells Her Non-Refundable XBOX Live Card
By 2.16.10
Reader Bang’s says his wife wanted to surprise him (on Valentine’s Day) with a game. She didn’t know what console he had so she asked Best Buy for some help. They said he “probably” had an XBOX and sold her not only a game, but a non-refundable XBOX Live subscription. When the couple tried to exchange the purchase (he actually has a PS3), they say they were told the game could be swapped but they were stuck with the unopened, unused XBOX Live card. [More]
US Airways Takes Parts Out Of Xbox To Make Flying Safer
By 1.19.10
Adam writes, “I was flying out of Logan Airport and I checked my XBOX 360 in my baggage. The agent assured me that there would be no problem with it. When I got home my I found that they had put a little ziploc bag on top of my things, and the bag was filled with tiny metal components that used to be in the XBOX. It’s broken now and they’re telling me tough luck. Any advice?” [More]
Crazy Customer Makes Death Threat In GameStop, Gets Hauled Off By Police
By 12.3.09
A man in Michigan grew so angry that GameStop wouldn’t take back his Xbox without a receipt that he threatened to kill someone and went to get something from his vehicle. The GameStop clerk called 911, and “Four Troy police officers, armed with rifles, stormed into [the] Oakland Mall store” and subdued him. He had an illegal stun gun on him but no firearm. [More]
Possible Class-Action Suit Alleges Xbox Bans Result Of Vast Redmond Conspiracy
By 11.21.09
Microsoft has declared that the owners of banned Xbox consoles have no recourse and no choice but to buy new consoles. Some users see this as unfair and a vast Redmond conspiracy, and law firm AbingtonIP is fighting back with a class-action lawsuit. God bless America.
