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Show your college pride with Avatar university apparel
Disruptive Media announced today that it has released new university Avatar apparel on Xbox Live. The clothing covers thirty different universities, with apparel ranging from 40 ($0.50) wrist bands to 250 ($3) varsity jackets. Unfortunately, if you happen to root for -- or have attended -- one of the universities that isn't on the list, you're out of luck (no OU? Seriously?). The press release does mention "plans for collegiate expansion," so you might consider holding onto your money until then. Or, you know, you could spend it on games. Up to you, really. Browse the University Collection on Xbox Live Marketplace
Left 4 Dead 2 getting Avatar rewards
Over on the Steam forums, there was some hullabaloo earlier about potential Avatar awards for the Xbox 360 version of L4D2, all stemming from uncompressed files found on a dedicated server for the PC demo. Well, we're glad to inform you that Valve has confirmed Avatar awards will be included with the game (via G4) and that there will be a total of nine different Avatar rewards, six of which we currently know about. These awards will run the gamut from a med kit backpack to a frying pan prop right down to Rochelle's Depeche Mode shirt you see above. And, unlike some other Avatar awards, you won't need to max out Gamerscore to get 'em; L4D2 Avatar awards unlock after you've completed more manageable tasks, such as winning ten games of Versus or killing 10,000 infected. If you want to see some of the items in the flesh, head past the break for a virtual tour courtesy of G4.
Avatar Halloween costumes have scary prices
In the spirit of the season, Microsoft has released some Halloween costumes for Avatars. There's quite a spooky selection to choose from, including ghosts, cowboys, werewolves, vampires, wizards, witches and Frankenstein's monster. For good measure, Microsoft even threw in a skeleton and a mummy. All of the outfits cost 240 ($3), but you'll need to pay another 80 ($1) if your outfit of choice features a hat. Perhaps the most frightening of all is the male Sheriff's outfit. It's something about the combination of the incredibly tight fit, coupled with the standard, effeminate Avatar pose. It just don't look right.
NFL jerseys hit Avatar Marketplace, wallets
Is everybody ready for some pricey Avatar football jerseys? Microsoft hopes you are, having launched men's and women's tops for all 32 NFL teams at 320 ($4) a pop on the Avatar Marketplace. Just for comparison, national soccer (or football for most of the world) jerseys are ... oh, that's right, they're free. Most licensed game shirts sell for 80 ($1). We can only imagine the extra $3 in this case gets divided up between the NFL, the teams, EA and the Coalition for Expensive Avatar Clothing. It wouldn't be quite so bad if purchasers could actually pick their jersey number, instead of feeling like a total zero.
Avatar Marketplace update: Mass Effect dress shirt, Mako RC
Click image for massive size We thought we had a grasp on this month's Avatar Marketplace content, but some late arrivals have just popped up, namely the two Mass Effect items listed in the title of this very post! If you're playing catch-up on what's in the Avatar Marketplace, check out our extensive look at its launch on Xbox Live. Mass Effect Alliance Dress Uniform - 160 ($2) Mass Effect Mako RC - 240 ($3) [Thanks, James!]
New 'Urban Culture' Avatar clothes available
Some brand new clothing options have appeared on Xbox Live Marketplace. Dubbed the 'Urban Culture' collection, the clothes range from loose fitting jeans to sweet hats to golden pumps. There's also a nifty shirt with what appears to be a pair of "Kanye" shades hanging around the neck. They range in price from 80 ($1) to 240 ($3) and are available right now. [Via @MajorNelson]
PAX attendees can grab free Avatar shirt, angelic glow sold separately
If you're in attendance at PAX 2009, make sure to head over to Microsoft's special Xbox table on the 4th floor of the North lobby and grab a redemption code for a free Xbox Avatar PAX shirt. Supplies are limited, but Microsoft will be handing out codes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Pacific) on Saturday, in case you missed today's giveaway rounds. Sure, it isn't as awesome as proclaiming your D&D skills ... but it's a great way to make your online friends jealous that you made it to the sold-out Seattle event.
Penny Arcade gear available for your 360 Avatar
Even if you can't make it out to Seattle for the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend, you can show some solidarity with the new selection of Penny Arcade gear that's now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for a buck per shirt. In addition to the stars' trademark looks, you'll also find some clothing inspired by the strip's secondary characters. Also, just FYI, we came up with a pretty hilarious gag about PAX standing for Penny Arcade eXploitation that we weren't able to work in. All apologies. [Thanks, Jimmcq]
Net a free Avatar shirt with the purchase of The Beatles: Rock Band
Specially marked boxes of the upcoming music title The Beatles: Rock Band include a unique bonus: an exclusive Avatar shirt. The freebie marks the first (and hopefully not the last) time Avatar apparel has been given away alongside the launch of a game, giving extra incentive for users to pick up a copy of the Xbox 360 version. Coincidentally, it'll make for a hilarious image when your Avatar shows up in Guitar Hero 5 donning a Rock Band promo t-shirt -- if Avatar apparel is able to show up in game, that is. Of course, this news only matters if your Avatar's dress code includes wearing band logo shirts. Our Avatar dress code allows only suit and tie, because we're gentlemen. Make sure to check out Major Nelson's Flickr page for details on how to spot the free bonus at retail.
Dress up your Avatar with these Mass Effects
BioWare's Pinnacle Station DLC for Mass Effect landed this morning on Xbox Live, and along with it came a mess of new Avatar items to play dress up with clothe your virtual self. The 14 items range in price from 80 ($1) to 320 ($4) and encompass everything from regular ol' t-shirts to full-on (and terribly adorable) N7 Armor. With the sudden appearance of the new DLC on Xbox Live, the premium theme that went up for sale yesterday, and all this new Avatar accoutrement, all we need now is a downloadable Mako in which to drive our virtual friends around.
Guitar Hero 5 content walks this way to Avatar Marketplace [Update]
Update: The price of almost all the Guitar Hero 5 content has doubled.If (for whatever reason) you think your Xbox Avatar is starting to reek from a lack of fresh clothing and you're a fan of rocking out, Guitar Hero 5 content is now available on the Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace. From torn shirts to plastic controllers, the Guitar Hero 5 Game Styles section has a varied selection of new Avatar items. Also, with most of the content modestly priced at 80 ($1 USD) a pop, the Guitar Hero 5 styles are a long way from attacking gamer wallets (we're looking at you, $5 Lightsaber). Ignore the previous statement, this content is now as overpriced as the rest of the Avatar Marketplace. A full list of the new content and (new) prices can be found after the break.
Let's go shopping in the Avatar Marketplace!
You'll find screenshots of every single item that's purchasable via the newly launched Avatar Marketplace conveniently placed in a few galleries below. Not only did we diligently snap photos of each and every item, but we also catalogued each item's name and pricing information and even put together a text-based list of all collected information. We were bored, okay?Feel free to browse the virtual clothes racks, take a gander through our hand-picked 20 Most Interesting Avatar Items and (if you're daring) navigate through photos of all 190 Avatar items. Fun fact: if you were to purchase every single item available, the total damage would amount to about 17,680 24,720 or roughly $309. [Update: We've added an additional 58 female-only Avatar items to both our screenshot and text-based catalogs.] 20 Most Interesting Avatar Items Gallery Avatar Marketplace - All Items Gallery Avatar Marketplace - All Items List %Gallery-69789%
PSA: Xbox Live Update is ... live
This one is for all the unlucky souls that didn't make it into the Xbox Live Update preview program: Your wait is over! The Xbox Live Update is finally here, and it's here for everyone. That's right, now everyone has access to the update's many riches and wonders, including better (and "exclusive") Netflix functionality, Avatar Awards, Games on Demand, User Ratings and more. And let's not forget you can also purchase clothing for your digital doll.Getting the update is easy. Just turn on your Xbox, connect to Live and BAM, instant update. For a quick look at some of the new features, check out the video above, and find a Netflix video tour after the break.
New dash update enables color choices for select Avatar apparel
click to super-duper sizeAfter having the weekend to explore the upcoming Xbox 360 dashboard update, we came across a very welcome addition to select Avatar clothing: the choice of color!Within' the new dash update, the classic Avatar "Power Tee" (which is currently available in both green and red flavors) can now be color customized. A small color palette icon can be seen attached to the tee and, once chosen, offers the option of nine different colors. Don't believe us? Check out the video footage of the color choosing process, embedded after the break.From what we can tell, the "Power Tee" is the only item that offers a color choice, but we hope more items (if not all) will receive this option in the future. Having the ability to change the color of Avatar clothing has been a popular request among the community and is a feature that adds an extra layer of customization. We encourage Microsoft to keep these color options coming!%Gallery-68760%
Video tour: Xbox Live Update, Netflix and Avatar Marketplace
You may have noticed that Joystiq managed to get its grubby mitts on the latest Xbox Live Update a little early. Now, we could have been super selfish and kept it all to ourselves, but that's just not how Joystiq rolls. Thus, we bring you this video tour of the major new features introduced by the upcoming update. Above, we have an overall video tour of the update, which shows off the new Achievement browser, Friends list sorting, Avatar Marketplace and the new-and-improved Netflix application.After the break, we have more detailed looks at Avatar Marketplace and Netflix. You can also check out some screens of the new features in the gallery below. Enjoy!%Gallery-68685%
A fashionable look at the new Avatar Marketplace
Seeing as we just got our mitts on the new Xbox 360 dashboard, we figured we'd share the dash love with a preview of the upcoming Avatar Marketplace. Click through the gallery to experience Avatar shopping, view the stylish pirate apparel and, if you're daring enough, take a peek after the break for a look at Avatar cotton swabbing. Yes ... cotton swabbing.%Gallery-68679%
Possible pictures of new NXE features emerge
GameCinema HD is hosting some images of what could be some of the new Xbox 360 features announced at E3. In the screen above, you can see sections for both the Avatar Marketplace as well as a space for Avatar Awards. Other shots show off these areas themselves, though they are understandably empty right now. The screens also include new Xbox Live Marketplace entries for Games on Demand and Indie Games (no shots of the inside of either of these areas, unfortunately).We find it a bit strange that someone willing to leak images of the new features would fail to edit out their own gamertag, though -- you'll notice it's in the upper left corner, clear as crystal. A quick check reveals that there is no Hobbtao gamertag listed on Xbox Live, which could mean a couple of things. One, these images are from an Xbox 360 dev kit, meaning Mr. Hobbtao is probably in violation of a Microsoft NDA. Two, the images are fakes.Regardless, we're talking about menus here, which aren't nearly as exciting as what they contain.[Via VG247]
Microsoft beta testing Avatar awards
Joystiq tipsters -- and Xbox.com regulars -- have noticed a strange Beta 2009 icon appearing on some Xbox 360 'Played Games' profiles. While speculation (or hopes and dreams) was that the icon was related to something important, sources tell Joystiq that Microsoft is internally testing Avatar awards. Sorry, no megatons here.From what we've been told, the test is an executable built for Beta users to play with the awards program before it launches. Avatar awards are triggered by in-game achievements: when a player unlocks an award -- clothing was the only specific award mentioned -- it is made available in the Avatar customization menu of the NXE. Select Xbox 360 users are already sporting fancy new threads, which are presumably related to this beta test.Avatar awards were one of the many new features coming to the NXE revealed at E3 2009 -- including the smart evil idea of charging users for the real "cool" stuff.%Gallery-65338%
