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Xbox One Friends app gets detailed in video walkthrough
Are you a friend or a follower? In the world of the Xbox One, the distinction is based on reciprocation. Xbox sage Major Nelson has broken down the forthcoming console's Friends app, detailing the distinction between the two groups. As previously stated, friends are a finite resource on the app -- limited to a mere thousand -- while you can have as many followers as your heart desires. A follower becomes a friend when both parties sign on to follow each other, a process that unlocks additional information like when you're online, real-time achievements and other Xbox One related activities. As with social networks like Facebook, you'll be able to control what your followers see. Friends from the 360 will automatically be ported over, though the gaming luddites on that system will appear as grayed out, smaller icons. An activity feed on the right side of the screen, meanwhile, shows off precisely what your friends are up to in real-time. Check out a video break down of the app from the Major himself, just after the break.
Xbox One friends app tour with Major Nelson, multiplayer Xbox Live details
On this day of discovery, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has uploaded a brief walkthrough of the Xbox One's friends app. With the ability for 1,000 friends and unlimited followers, this clip gives an idea of how you'll be keeping all of those friends and devoted fans of your Ryse: Son of Rome clips in check on Xbox One. After the break, we've got another video fresh from the internets, which covers multiplayer reputation and how that fantasy of proper placement on Xbox Live may finally happen on Xbox One. No guarantees thought that the f-bomb dropping 9-year-old won't be in the family section anymore.
Carjackings overthrow duty as GTA5 takes top spot on Xbox Live
Grand Theft Auto 5 has beaten Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 for the title of most-played game on Xbox 360, according to a recent blog post by Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson. Note that this doesn't necessarily mean more people are playing GTA Online, the multiplayer component of GTA 5, as Major Nelson's data tracks how many unique users are signed onto Xbox Live while playing a game, regardless of whether or not they're using online features. Not everyone has moved onto the newest of the new though, as the top ten list also includes GTA 4, as well as Modern Warfare 3 and the original Black Ops. Meanwhile, Minecraft is still holding onto third, surrounded by guns, criminals and sports.
Microsoft shows off the first retail Xbox One box
Like a proud parent sharing pictures of their child, Xbox LIVE Director of Programming Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, has revealed the company's first Xbox One system off the assembly line via Twitter. The mystery can be sustained no longer, and we now know exactly what a retail Xbox One looks like. It's green! Surprise! Microsoft Game Studios head Phil Spencer will be bringing the Xbox One to the Tokyo Game Show, where there will also be eight Xbox One games playable on the show floor.
Play Xbox One early at a few Microsoft Stores
Microsoft's Major Nelson is embarking upon a tour of the United States and Canada, opening new Microsoft Stores and visiting existing ones in order to show off the Xbox One to the general public. Obviously we're too scared to go outside too cool for large groups, but if you live in Massachusetts, Florida or Alberta, you'll get the opportunity to play Forza 5 and Killer Instinct about a month ahead of launch. The first two events take place on September 19 and 20 at Microsoft Stores in Burlington and Boston MA, respectively. Nearly a month later, Nelson and his entourage pop into Orlando, FL on October 23 before heading up to Edmonton, Alberta on October 27. A fifth event is also planned for Scottsdale, AZ, although that won't take place until December 6. Nelson says that more locations/dates will be added to the list in the coming weeks – complete location information can be found here.
Microsoft gushes for seven straight minutes over Xbox One controller changes (video)
It's better -- in fact, we've told you as much on a couple of occasions. But for those who seriously can't manage another day without listening to Microsoft's own blood wax poetic about the Xbox One controller, there's a seven-minute infomercial video waiting for you just after the break. Oh, and be sure to take notes; there might be a quiz at the end!
Major Nelson cracks open Xbox One controller in new video
Microsoft's Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) and Zulfi Alam, general manager of the Xbox accessories group, break down the changes being made to the Xbox One's controller in a new seven-minute video. In the video, Hryb and Alam discuss the "screwless" back plate and new battery compartment, and also open the controller up to show the improved d-pad and rumble motors, two of which are located in the controller's triggers. The two also note the controller's infrared sensor, which the Xbox One's Kinect sensor will use to switch profiles when a controller is handed to another player. Major Nelson recently offered up an unboxing video of the Xbox One itself, which will launch this November for $500.
Banned Xbox One accounts will retain access to purchased games
Users banned on Xbox One will not lose access to the games they've purchased, Director of Programming Larry Hyrb (Major Nelson, colloquially) told Reddit Games during an E3 video interview. This became a popular question following an Xbox Support Twitter answer from June 13 that read, "If your account is banned, you also forfeit the licenses to any games that have licenses tied to it as listed in the ToU." The question specified Xbox One, but later, Xbox Support said this answer was in reference to Xbox 360. Major Nelson had a clear answer for future banned users on Xbox One: "Absolutely not, you will always have access to the games you purchased." As for what will happen if, down the road, Xbox One's authentication servers are shut down, Major Nelson couldn't say. "I'll get the real answer, I just don't know it yet," he said.
Greenberg teases Xbox reveal, says E3 is 'all about the games'
Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business Chief of Staff Aaron Greenberg recently stopped by the Major Nelson podcast to discuss next week's Xbox reveal event and how Microsoft will show its "vision for the future of games." "We're really going to tell one story across two events. So we're going to start on the 21st and really that's about revealing the next Xbox platform, really our vision for the future of games, the future of entertainment. We definitely have a lot of surprises planned." Greenberg then specifically called out Call of Duty: Ghosts, which will have its next-generation engine demoed during the Microsoft event. "People are going to get a great inside look at really the making of the new platform and the team that's brought it to life," Greenberg added. "I mean, to be honest it's really about the team, the people here. That's why we're inviting people to campus, we're going to bring them behind the scenes a little bit. We've never done this before and so it's really exciting to be able to do that. But I think it's a lot of laying the foundation - probably the best way to describe it - and then just a couple of weeks later we go to E3." Greenberg concluded that more will be shown at E3 and after, leading into this holiday season. "E3 is all about the games. At E3, I mean, if you're a gamer, it's going to be tons of exclusives, world premieres and obviously even beyond that we have a lot to share between then and this holiday." The Xbox event takes place on May 21 at Microsoft's Redmond campus, located in Washington state. Be sure to have your browser locked to Joystiq starting at 1pm ET (6pm UK, 10am PT) for all of the scoops, commentary and neatly organized words you've come to expect.
Xbox 360 250GB Spring Value Bundle includes Darksiders 2, Batman: Arkham City
Microsoft has announced a new 250GB Spring Value Bundle for the Xbox 360, available in "select major retail stores" and shipping out today for $300. In addition to the black Xbox 360 with a 250GB hard drive, the bundle includes a wireless controller, copies of Darksiders 2 and Batman: Arkham City (the latter in downloadable form), and a free month of Xbox Live.That's a nice deal, though you may prefer to wait until after you've heard about the next Xbox, which is expected to be announced later this year.
Microsoft apologizes for cloud save issue, doles out free month of Xbox Live
The Xbox Live service experienced some hiccups recently with its cloud save feature and now Microsoft is making amends with a free month of Xbox Live.Microsoft notes it's automatically applying a one-month extension to impacted customers. There is no need to call support if you were affected by the outage. Xbox's Major Nelson posts that the company knows who couldn't reach the cloud and will handle it on their end.Late last week Xbox Live customers reported outages and other issues, along with the cloud save file problem, which would bounce back error "0x807b0198" when trying to load a file.
XBLA countdown to 2013 daily deal: Them's fightin' games
Today's Xbox Live deal offers 50 percent off of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection, Dungeon Defenders, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition and Dungeon Fighter Live, all for XBLA. Virtua Fighter 5, Dungeon Defenders and Street Fighter 3 are each 600 MS Points, while Mortal Kombat Arcade and Dungeon Fighter Live are 400 MS Points. You could say today's deals pack a real punch.These sales mark the latest installment of Xbox Live's really long New Year's countdown, which offers daily deals on a variety of games until that big, reflective ball falls out of the sky on January 1.
Free Xbox Live Gold this weekend for pretty much everyone except Europe
Xbox owners somehow eeking out a meager existence without an Xbox Live Gold account will be given a peek at how the other side lives this weekend, when Gold features are opened up to everyone for a limited time.The promotion runs from now through Sunday and includes access to services such as online multiplayer, Internet Explorer and the like. Apps that require outside subscriptions, like Netflix and Hulu Plus, will still require their associated ancillary subscriptions to function, but will otherwise be accessible.The promotion is available for Xbox owners in "Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States," according to Major Nelson. Sorry, Europe.
Xbox Live's Black Friday-only sale chops 50 percent off selected content
In addition to its plethora of discounts across the holidays, Xbox Live has several selected downloadables going at 50 percent off today. You know, since it's Black Friday and all.The one-day-only batch includes Airtight Games' puzzle-platformer Quantum Conundrum (600 MSP) and Trendy's co-op tower defense offering Dungeon Defenders (600 MSP).If it's DLC you're after, there's also half off Arctic (400 MSP) and Raven Strike (600 MSP) for Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Leviathan (400 MSP) for Mass Effect 3, Harley Quinn's Revenge (400 MSP) for Batman: Arkham City, and the October Car Pack (200 MSP) for Forza Horizon.
Wreckateer free, half-price games in Xbox Live 10th anniversary sale
Wreckateer is now free as part of Xbox Live's 10th anniversary celebrations. The Kinect-enabled demolition-fest won't is going for nada and niente for 48 hours, Microsoft tells us.While they aren't free, several other XBLA games are going half-price. Those with costs lopped in half include Castle Crashers (now down to 600 MSP), Bastion (600 MSP), Peggle (400 MSP), Full House Poker (400 MSP), Fruit Ninja Kinect (400 MSP), and Xbox Live staple Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (200 MSP). Those games stay half-off until November 22.If you've only got eyes for Gold, Xbox's Major Nelson has got you covered there too. He's giving away 1-year subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold on Twitter today, with instructions on how to have a chance of nabbing one here. Meanwhile, we're celebrating by breaking out the Party hats and red-ringed doughnuts. Happy birthday, Xbox Live!
Microsoft rewarding longstanding Xbox Live users with free Xbox 360s
Microsoft is sending out free Xbox 360 consoles to gamers who've used Xbox Live the longest. One Reddit user received a 10th anniversary-themed unit (full image below the break) along with a code for 12 more months of Live membership. Xbox's Major Nelson then confirmed Microsoft is indeed sending out consoles to "some of the Xbox Live members who have been with us the longest."If you've been using Xbox Live since it was first available for Xbox back in November 2002, our advice is you make sure to answer your phone and check your snail mail over the next few days. Reddit user TonySki got a call last month about the anniversary, telling him he was one of Xbox Live's most valued members. A few weeks later, he gets a 360 in the post.Now, we're not exactly sure how Microsoft deems who's deserving of a new unit. Is it just about being there from the start, or are other things taken into consideration? Does it matter how many units you've seen red-ringed? Maybe your GamerScore needs to be at least six figures worth. For now, while we meditate on who really are worthy of the new 360, we can look at it in all its green-grey-and-orange glory after the break.
Xbox Live features Planets Under Attack, big board, card, and puzzle game sale this week
Yes, the majority of you will probably be playing Halo 4 or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Xbox Live this week. This we know. But just in case you're looking for something else, Major Nelson has a whole list of new content on Xbox Live this week. Perhaps, for example, the new version of Atari's Warlords, available for 800 Microsoft Points. Or one of three new Kinect Sports games, for 240 points each, or an XBLA version of Targem Games' Planets Under Attack, for a full 1200 points.There's a sale on, too: Carcassone, Catan, Magic: The Gathering, Magic 2012, Super Puzzle Fighter HD, and the two Puzzle Quest titles are all half off, for just 400 Microsoft Points each, and Ubisoft's I Am Alive is 33% off, down to 800 Microsoft Points. A downloadable course pack for Tiger 13 is as 50% off, and that's not all. Later on this week, Major Nelson says Microsoft will be hosting an "Xbox Live is 10" sale, which will include discounts on some content, as well as giveaways to some Xbox Live members "who have been with us the longest."We mean, sure, it'll mostly be Halo 4 and Black Ops 2. But just in case, there's some good deals there, too.
Microsoft announces Xbox 360 holiday bundles and $50 off promo for US market
With this year's holidays being just around the corner, it's only natural for companies to start tempting potential customers with cash-saving, too-good-to-pass deals. With that in mind, Microsoft, via the informative Major Nelson, announced earlier today its 2012 Xbox 360 holiday bundles in hopes of luring some folks in; among these are a 250GB console with Kinect, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures and one month of Xbox Live for $400, while there's also a 4GB, $300 option that comes with the same Gold subscription, Redmond's motion-tracking peripheral, Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Kinect Adventures. In addition, the Surface maker said retailers should start offering the console for $50 off MSRP, and that this limited time deal will also apply to the Halo 4 bundle which is due to come out on November 6th. Better yet, these new bundles and promos are available now -- so, for those living in the US, now could be a good time to snag one of Microsoft's renowned consoles.
Canceled NBA Live 13 noted as downloadable title, EA has 'no comment'
EA Sports' canceled NBA Live 13 was going to be a digitally distributed product on Xbox Live Arcade. The word of the XBLA release comes directly from Microsoft community guru Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb. It had been rumored before that NBA Live 13 was going to be a digital release for $20."NBA Live 13 was supposed to be today's XBLA title, but EA made the decision not to launch it today," wrote Hryb on Twitter. He then directed queries on the topic to the September 27 announcement of the game's cancellation.Checking with Hryb to confirm he meant to say XBLA and not Microsoft's retail Games on Demand section of the Xbox marketplace, he noted the information was "unclear."EA Sports responded to our request for clarification with a "no comment."EA Sports had been sketchy about NBA Live's status ever since its absence from the company's E3 press conference, finally mentioning in mid September the game had been delayed. This will be the third year in a row the company skipped or canceled its basketball game due to quality concerns. Meanwhile, Take-Two's NBA 2K series has the run of the court.Update: Added EA response.
Steal the Saints Row: The Third season pass for half-off today only
The season pass for the Xbox 360 version of Saints Row: The Third is 50 percent off today only, running 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Major Nelson made the announcement over Twitter.Normally, the season pass includes all Saints Row: The Third DLC at a 15 percent discount: Nyte Blayde Pack, Genkibowl VII, Gangstas in Space and The Trouble With Clones, and definitely not Enter the Dominatrix.Grab the half-off deal via Xbox Marketplace, but make sure to download the DLC directly from the in-game store, unless you want to be charged twice. You masochist.
