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Larry Hryb, Xbox’s ‘Major Nelson,’ is leaving Microsoft
Larry Hryb, better known as “Major Nelson” in Xbox circles, tweeted today that he’s leaving Microsoft. Hryb spent many years as one of the most prominent public faces of the brand as Director of Programming for Xbox Live. He didn’t state his reasons for leaving the company but said he plans to step back and work on his career’s next chapter. The move comes as Microsoft tries to close its $68 billion purchase of Activision. “As I take a moment and think about all we have done together, I want to thank the millions of gamers around the world who have included me as part of their lives,” Hryb said.
Xbox gamers will soon be able to share gameplay clips via public links
Xbox video game clips are about to become much more easily shareable via unique public URLs on the Xbox mobile app.
Xbox Series X's game resume feature even works after a reboot
Microsoft has been gradually dropping nuggets of information about its next generation Xbox. The first Xbox Series X games will be cross-gen, the console with have a 12 teraflop GPU and -- possibly -- it will rely on one HDMI port instead of two. Now, Microsoft's Larry Hryb has revealed a feature: quick game resume following a reboot.
First Sunset Overdrive story DLC tours an oil rig turf war
Xbox figurehead Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb takes over hosting duties on the latest episode of Sunset TV to introduce the first story DLC for Insomniac's open-world mayhem hit Sunset Overdrive. Dubbed "The Mystery of Mooil Rig," the DLC sees your character following a distress signal to an oil rig off the coast of Sunset City. There you find a violent conflict between factions of well armed workers and, because developer Insomniac loves its squamous explosion effects, you'll also find a healthy complement of mutants. Since the addition takes place on a floating man-made island, the DLC grants players two new movement options: the "Water Dive" allows players to submerge for a short time, while the "Water Slam Bounce" sees players melee smash into the water, only to be catapulted to great heights. According to Hryb, the DLC also includes new weapons, traps, amps and Chaos Squad objectives, though he doesn't get into useful details, beyond saying that more will be revealed in the next episode of Sunset TV. The Mystery of Mooil Rig will be available on December 23 for $10 or as part of the $20 Sunset Overdrive season pass. [Image: Microsoft]
Microsoft kicks off gradual release of Xbox One May update
Those patiently waiting for the next software update for the Xbox One won't have to wait much longer. "The latest Xbox One system update has started to roll out," tweeted Xbox figurehead Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb. The highlight of this update is new, more granular audio controls, which allow users to determine individual volume levels for apps they've snapped onto the Xbox One's main display. To put it more simply, if you're playing a game while also chatting with people on Skype, you can turn the game down, and turn the chat up, preventing your crucial conversation from being drowned out by explosions. Additionally, the update adds a new feedback tool designed to send information directly to Microsoft from the Xbox One automatically. This program is entirely voluntary, but according to Microsoft the goal is not to snoop on players, but instead to collect audio samples which may be used to improve the console's voice recognition capabilities. Like all Xbox One updates, Microsoft plans to gradually issue this new software version to users. While some will find the update available at this very moment, others may have to wait a few hours or even a day. According to Hryb, the update should be available to everyone by early next week. Full details on the update can be found on Hryb's official blog. [Image: Microsoft]
Microsoft digs up E.T. carcass-- er, cartridge at landfill
Xbox Entertainment Studios and Lightbox Entertainment's documentary on the excavation of a New Mexico landfill where supposedly thousands of copies of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 won't be completed for some time yet, but if you want to know how the search went, well, the above image should tell you all you need to know. Yup, they found E.T. - or at least one copy of the game. Xbox spokesperson Larry Hryb, AKA Major Nelson, tweeted pictures showing the cartridge, as well as other Atari 2600 games still in shrink wrap, from the landfill. Dude. Spoiler warning next time! [Image: Larry Hryb]
No Turtle Beach headsets or Xbox One Headset Adapter until 2014
According to a press release from audio accessory (and not reptile umbrella) manufacturer Turtle Beach, the company's XO FOUR and XO SEVEN headsets for Xbox One will not be available until the first quarter of 2014, due to the delay of Microsoft's Xbox One Headset Adapter. "Microsoft has informed its partners in the Xbox One console launch that the Xbox One Headset Adapter, being built by Microsoft and provided to Turtle Beach for inclusion with new gaming headsets, will not be available until early 2014. Both companies will leverage the additional time to build supply to meet anticipated high-demand when the headsets launch," the press release states. Xbox Live won't be silent on launch, mind you; an unboxing video from Microsoft's Larry Hryb (aka: Major Nelson) showed that the Microsoft wired headset will be included with both regular and Day One Edition consoles. Prepare accordingly. The Xbox One isn't the only system with headset compatibility issues. According to a report from Game Informer, USB headsets will not work with the PlayStation 4 at launch, and the Turtle Beach support page notes that although PS4 users can receive game audio using a digital optical connection, you'll need a headset with a mobile adapter connection to chat.
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.
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.
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.
Want to test the next Xbox Dashboard update? Now's your big chance [update: it's full!]
You probably want to be one of the first people to explore the internet on your Xbox 360, right? Well, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb just posted up instructions for how to be that dude – all you have to do is sign up for the upcoming Xbox Live Dashboard update beta.Beyond the opportunity to explore the internet from the comfort of your couch, you'll also get "personalized dashboard recommendations" (whatever that means), and "enhanced category search and discovery features."Like with so many betas, participants won't be able to write about their experience or take pictures or anything like that until the required non-disclosure agreement expires. But hey, you'll be part of a super secret club, so there's something.Update: Looks like the beta's full up, y'all. Congrats to those who got in!
Microsoft skipping Tokyo Game Show and Gamescom to focus on 'smaller, more localized promotions'
Microsoft's scaling back its three-fold approach to annual gaming conventions, today announcing that it'll skip both Germany's Gamescom in August and Japan's Tokyo Game Show in September. "This year, Xbox will be focusing on smaller, more localized promotions and experiences for press, partners, retailers and customers around the world," Microsoft director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb said on his blog this morning.As a result of that "smaller, more localized" marketing focus, Microsoft's wares "won't be taking part in Gamescom or Tokyo Games Show this year." Hryb noted that "both are still important shows for the industry, and we do wish the organizers well." Microsoft is the second of the big three console manufacturers to bow out of Gamescom, with Nintendo announcing as much earlier this year. Microsoft also attended its last Consumer Electronics Show this past January, signaling to many that the company was turning to Apple-style one-off press events.The Kirkland, Washington-based publisher showed off Halo 4 and "Smart Glass" as major components of its E3 2012 press conference. The company is apparently confident enough in its already announced holiday lineup to skip the largest public game show on the planet.
Major Nelson: Xbox 360 sold out in Dec., supply tight now
According to Xbox 360 hype man Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Microsoft isn't expecting to "win" December's hardware sales battle, as depicted in the NPD's monthly report (to be released later today). "I found out we ran out of consoles at the end of the month," Hryb tweeted, with a follow-up that added, "Jan/Feb supply is tight as well." That said, he's anticipating "likely amazing YOY [year-over-year] growth numbers for Xbox." In non-business speak, that means he's expecting last month's Xbox 360 hardware sales to have surpassed the figure recorded in December 2009. While that would mean more than 1.31 million Xboxes were sold in the final month of 2010, if Hryb's prediction is correct, it would also mark the second year in a row that the Xbox was bested by Sony's PlayStation 3 in one of the year's most important sales months. Either way, coupled with the many millions of Kinect units sold last year, Microsoft likely enjoyed its holiday -- though anyone who got a Kinect without an Xbox 360 was probably feeling scrooged.
News article sparks debate among Community Managers
An article at GamePro caused a bit of a stir in the gaming industry yesterday, sparking discussion on a topic covered at this year's PAX East -- namely, that of the history of Community Managers and what their jobs entail. Now, there is a fair amount of background to AJ Glasser's article that we won't delve into, because the comment that many readers focused on was this one: "Before Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb -- who holds the ambiguous title director of programming for Xbox Live -- community managers were mostly forum moderators, people whose job entailed monitoring message boards and weeding out trolls. " Not so, said many current CMs. Familiar names such as Daeke and Aether began popping up in the comments section of the article, contending that Community Managers were much more than forum mods before Major Nelson came on the scene. The conversation began in the article's comments section and continued via Twitter with quite a few people in the industry lining up to join the debate. The discussion offers several varying opinions and is definitely worth following if you've got an interest in the role of community management.
PAX East: Podcasting (f)or PR
If you're interested at all in starting up a podcast or want to know more about what goes into creating one, the PAX East panel hosted by Gamers With Jobs' Julian Murdoch and attended by podcasting professionals Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Insomniac Games' James Stevenson, Irrational Games' Ken Levine and Shawn Elliott, and EA's Jeff Green is a pretty enlightening listen We were anxious to hear what the group had to say on the subject of using podcasts for promotion -- and we recorded it because, well, you might be interested too! For the full, unedited (and very NSFW) audio, click on the play button below. Highlights include outlining the value in podcasting, being on the front lines of PR when something bad goes down and answering questions on how to get a podcast off the ground and cultivating an audience. Feel free to give a listen below.
Microsoft's Major Nelson Gamercard cracked by hacker [update]
Microsoft podcaster and Xbox spokesperson Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb's Gamercard has fallen victim to a hacker (or hackers) sometime this evening. A quick check on Xbox.com reveals the account is still being affected right now (though we have to imagine someone over in Redmond is hard at work on a fix) has been fixed. Hryb's account info was altered to reflect some ... rather offensive pejoratives, and images from Kotaku reveal an odd spam statement ("ANY ACCOUNT $100 PAYPAL!!!!!!!!"). A website by the name of "LiGHTzz" has a video that proclaims responsibility for the hacking and even offers up a YouTube video advertising his services to others -- the name Yasiel Rodriguez, a resident of Miami, Fl., is registered to the domain name in question. We've contacted Microsoft regarding the matter and will keep you updated on a response (discussed a bit by Xbox's Stephen Toulouse on Twitter, in the meantime). Proceed with caution after the break to see the NSFW image if you wish -- we'd suggest against it.
PAX East: Tour Microsoft's N.E.R.D. Cambridge office with us
click to New England-size Just because you don't live in the Northeast (or couldn't afford to hop on a bus/train/plane/cattle cart to PAX East 2010) doesn't mean that you can't tour Microsoft's New England Research & Development Center with us. Sure, you might not be here in the physical sense, but our hi-res gallery below should assist you in achieving a semblance of the zeitgeist in Cambridge yesterday morning. Xbox's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse, Laura "Lollipop" Massey, and Eric "E" Neustadter ate breakfast with us (and two or three hundred of their closest friends), handed out some prizes, and even gave everyone a chance to check out a Surface. If you're so inclined, flip through the gallery below and tour N.E.R.D. with us, won't you? %Gallery-89140%
Microsoft phasing out memory units and 120GB hard drive
Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has confirmed the inevitable to Joystiq: Xbox 360 Memory Units and the 120GB hard drive are being phased out. Acknowledging what's been in the stars since February, the Xbox spokesman stated that "the channel is being drained" of the storage options. The same goes for Memory Units, which, after today's official announcement of USB support, makes the MU even less useful. This makes the $130 250GB HDD the primary option ... well, at least until this fall, if the Xbox Slim comes to pass.
Xbox 360-branded 16GB drives from SanDisk coming in May
This morning at the PAX East Microsoft breakfast, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb revealed the 16GB Xbox 360-branded Flash drive from SanDisk. Available in May, the not-yet-priced device comes pre-installed with the April 6 Dashboard update for those who shun the connectivity of Xbox Live. In a conversation with Joystiq, Hryb informed us that all data will be transferable to the USB device, except for installed games -- users will need to re-install those directly to the USB device once more. He assured us, however, that, "If you've got a 16GB and you only want to use 8, you can use the UI and throttle it back." Further, he reiterated to Joystiq that while this branded device is certainly one option, other Flash drives (including those larger than 16GB) will work in the same capacity.
