Updated Xbox Live dashboard release date revealed

The new Xbox Live Dashboard update will arrive on Aug 11 for everybody!

What does this Xbox LIVE Update include?

Netflix Updates

Now you can watch movies with your friends no matter where they are and manage your queue from the comfort of your couch.

• Movie Parties – Xbox LIVE Gold members can sit together in a virtual theater with up to seven friends no matter where they are while your Avatars watch a movie, flirt or even throw popcorn at each other.
• Manage Your Queue – Browse the Netflix Instant Watch video catalogue, choose from the most popular movies and genres and add to your queue all from the comfort of your couch – no computer required.
• Enhanced Playback Experience – Enjoy a smooth viewing experience when your internet bandwidth fluctuates.
• Friends Info – Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are doing.

Avatar Marketplace

Express yourself! Deck your Avatar out with the latest clothing and props from the top brands and game franchises. Please note that only limited content is currently available in the preview.

Clothing

Download premium items, including branded apparel from your favorite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games such as “Halo.”

• Props – You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.
• Awardables – The ability to earn Avatar clothing and props as rewards within games has been added. Please stay tuned for an update on supporting titles.

Games on Demand

Please note that Games on Demand will be available in the preview beginning early August.

Enjoy 24 x 7 access to a growing online library of popular full game titles on Xbox LIVE whenever you want them, in the comfort of your living room.

• Purchase Options – Browse and download a great selection of full Xbox 360 games using Microsoft Points, direct debit, or credit card.
• Game Manuals – Game manuals for Games on Demand titles can be viewed, downloaded or printed on Xbox.com.
• It’s Yours Forever! – As with other Xbox LIVE content, Games on Demand titles are linked to your Xbox LIVE account, so you can delete and re-download anything you have already purchased to the same console or another console.

User Ratings

User ratings help you find games that other people think are awesome!

• Rate it – You can now rate every game on the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace using a 5-star system.
• Sort and Find it – Now you can easily find the games that everyone’s been raving about by visiting the Top Rated games in the Browse All category of Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace.

Xbox LIVE Parties

Everyone loves to Party! Check out the new and improved Xbox LIVE Party features.

• Party Reconnections – If you are accidently disconnected from your party, Xbox LIVE will automatically reconnect you.
• Streamlined Party Invites – Invites are now just one click away! No need to click through multiple screens to get all your friends together.

Video Display Options

We’ve made it easier for you to see your entertainment in the highest resolution possible on your TV using an HDMI connection.

• Display Discovery – Make sure you can see and hear your entertainment in the highest resolution and sound quality possible with the option to override and select audio and video formats independent of the information your television sends to your Xbox 360 console.

Other Improvements

We’re always listening to you for feedback, and this Xbox LIVE update will include numerous dashboard updates.

• Gold Member Veterans – Xbox LIVE Gold members get to show it off with a stamp on your Gamer Card that tells people how long you’ve been a Gold member.
• Indie Games – Xbox LIVE Community Games has been renamed Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles.
• Achievement Browser – We’ve revamped the Achievements browser so it’s now easier to read through all the achievements while playing a game. You can now also launch a game directly from the browser.
• Achievements Tracking – A new view inside the profile panel which includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played, and shows of all your completed games.
• Streamlined Navigation – Streamlined navigation, including new entry points in the dashboard for Active Downloads, redeeming codes, recovering Gamertags and more.
• Voice Messages – No more blank voice messages! When recording a voice message, a warning will pop up if no audio is detected.
• Friends List Sorting – It’s now easier to find your friends! Find and sort your friends by activity, Gamertag or online status by pressing the Y button while viewing the friends list in the Guide.
• Memory – Time stamps now appear in the memory area, which particular handy when managing saved games.

Account Management

We’ve made some changes to make your life easier.

• Subscription Notification – If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE.
• Updates for Invalid Windows Live IDs – If the Windows Live ID you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.
• Account recovery – We’ve enhanced the account recovery process to make it faster and more reliable.

What does this Xbox LIVE Update not include?

The following features will be coming in future Xbox LIVE updates, which we’ll be sure to let you know about.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Zune video and 1080p Instant On
• Last.fm

Source: @Microsoft_Xbox

Xbox Live host booting gone wild

Some people just piss me off.

The Xbox Live host booting stuff seems to be well spread amongst the kids now, was the host of a gamebattles.com match last night and got booted from Xbox Live during the final round on the third map (3-1 to us, one guy left on their team).

Games (Best of…):3
Game 1 Map: Pipeline – Search and Destroy
Game 2 Map: Showdown – Search and Destroy
Game 3 Map: Crash – Search and Destroy

The guys were lag switching on the first map which obviously made sure that they won the map without any problems, see below:

I’m sure the lag switching is in direct violation of the XBL AUP, problem is that the “File Complaint” function doesn’t allow you to send screenshots or videos as proof of what actually happened. If we could, SLappY, JajJ, Mason and Bossman would surely be enjoying a minimum 24 hour ban from XBL for this stunt.

After this, we demanded the host and I loaded up the lobby. Second map was Showdown, generally a boring map where the team that lags the most has the most to gain by moving quickly – which they did.

They were good players, I have to give them that – but I have no idea what mental disorder that made them do this to avoid being beating by a better team.

Final picture that I got before I got booted off Xbox Live during the 3-1 round.

Yes, I actually got booted off Xbox Live.

Signed out.

Kicked from the Live service.

I do keep a close track of my internet connection, and it had no issues what so ever yesterday – and still, I all of a sudden got back to the presentation screen with a popup saying I have to be logged into Xbox Live to play online matches, just as we were about to win.

This might sound like a network glitch or something that might have something to do with the Xbox Live service – but check this out.

First map, they were lag switching.
Second map, they were simply playing better/lagging more.
During the third map on the 3-1 final round, one of the guys in the opposite team was saying to ultimate spear … “hey, ultimate. we won.”, and 3 seconds later, I was booted from Xbox Live.

Coincidence? No f*cking way.

I spent an hour yesterday googling for information on threshold values for the Xbox Live service port (88/3074), but found nothing that would help me setup any anti ddos stuff.

What I would like to find is …

1) Subnet of the Xbox Live servers I need to be allowing traffic to/from to stay signed into Xbox Live. Could sniff it for a week or so, but I simply have better things to do, and I’m sure somebody out there has this information already.

2) What kind of traffic (bps/pps) can I expect from each IP running CoD4 in a private match? All depends on the number of players obviously, but the data that one client *sends* to the host at most would help to estimate the necessary numbers.

This information would help me configure my firewall to make sure no “host booting” tools would work ever again, as traffic to the XBL servers would have the highest priority, and I would allow traffic ONLY for the IPs involved in the private match being played at that point.

Let me know if you experienced something simular, or if you have the information I’m looking for!

1 vs 100 on Xbox Live UK/DE/FR

Yay,

Microsoft / Xbox Live will be launching 1 vs 100 beta in UK on the 10th of July, and France/Germany on July 12th.

I’m really happy to see this game type moving into Europe, especially since I’ve done the 1vs100 US/CA beta for some time during my nights of insomnia, but this text kinda makes me wonder why it has to be locked down to each specific country!

When this game launches globally, I really hope I will have the option to play against a global (or atleast european) crowd – and together with my friends. Being limited to swedish people only, if it would ever come to Sweden, would be a setback for anything that Xbox Live has given the Xbox Live community so far.

I wouldn’t mind having the option for .SE only, but I don’t want it limited to that.

Then again, I’m certain some of the awesome techies Microsoft/Xbox Live has on their payroll has a solution for this.

I’m only hoping that it will be implemented and not get shot down.

More UK details here: Xbox.com | 1 vs 100 for Xbox LIVE.

Xbox Live information resources!

Okey,

It seems like the Xbox Live Operations team finally got together and launched (another) blog where they will post updates about what is happening. Hopefully, this will stick around a bit longer than the old one that stopped updating back in 2007.

There are a bunch of Xbox Live resources as of where one can find information about what is going on. These are:

• Xbox Live Operations Blog

• Major Nelson – Larry Hryb, Xbox Live Director of Programming.

• AceyBongos – Graeme Boyd, Community Manager, Xbox EMEA, London.

• @AceyBongos – AceyBongos on Twitter.

• @majornelson – Larry Hryb on Twitter.

• @thevowel – e on Twitter.

Other interesting people that I tend to look to in case of other problems or cause I’m curious:

• Robert Bowling – fourzerotwo at Infinity Ward.

• @fourzerotwo – Robert ‘fourzerotwo’ Bowling on Twitter.

• @teamxbox – teamxbox.com on Twitter.

• @feliciaday – Felicia Day on Twitter, known from The Guild and the Facebook/Twitter presentation on E3.

Intresting interview with Shane Kim / Project Natal

Q: Do you have a window for release that you’re targeting?

Shane Kim: Yes – not 2009. That’s the only thing we’re saying.

The interview with Microsoft’s Shane Kim can be found here.

Xbox 360 – 1 vs 100 – good fun!

Monday again, dead tired after being up since 2 am (again). The only upside of being up at those hours is being able to make good use of my american Xbox Live account, for example the new 1vs100 show that is currently in US/CA beta!

http://www.torontothumbs.com/2009/05/22/1-vs-100-canadian-beta-ends-this-weekend/ :

So far, thousands of players have logged in to test their trivia knowledge against each other as they vied for spots in The Mob or as The One. At the same time, they’ve been testing the servers that run the live videogame quiz show. The first weekend of the Beta things were exceptionally buggy, which is to be expected of any early build of a program. But as the weeks went by, things have seemed to stabilize and although I’ve still experienced some disconnects, the experience has been a positive one overall.

It’s been alot of good fun playing it, and the single fact that Microsoft has a LIVE HOST for this game, interacting with the players, is awesome and gives a really positive spin to the entire primetime experience that Microsoft is pushing into all american and canadian living rooms.

I really hope that once the 1vs100 US/CA beta is completed and evaluated, Microsoft will start looking at releasing this awesome primetime game play onto the european market. I really hope AceyBongos can push for this!

Xbox LIVE wins a Guinness World Record

I just found out that Xbox LIVE has earned the Guinness World Record !

They have won the following award: Online Console Gaming Service With The Most Users.

Here is notwen and Major Nelson accepting the award:

Xbox Live – what seems to come in the fall update!

Intresting news!

Announced during the Microsoft E3 2009 press conference was Facebook and Twitter support, possibility to buy and download full retail games using a credit card while at your console, Project Natal (see below), last.fm connectivity and opening up the Video marketplace from 8 to 18 countries. Oh, yeah, all HD movies being upgraded from 720p to 1080p – streamable, ie no download needed.

Microsoft has not yet revealed which ten countries they will add, but I’m hoping Scandinavia/Sweden will be included -  however, some yet unconfirmed sources are saying “All of Europe, except Portugal”. Update:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/events/e3/centerstage.htm says:

“Microsoft announced it will more than double the number of markets where Xbox LIVE offers its TV shows and movies, growing from eight to 18, by adding Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Xbox LIVE members in these markets will have access to instant on 1080p video.”

I’ve compared my swedish Xbox Live account with my American, and the difference in content and possibilities is insane. If Microsoft would ever make sure they released all features globally, I’m certain Sony and Playstation would be out of business in no time.

Some videos to enjoy:

Modern Warfare 2 gameplay:

Facebook & Twitter:

Halo 3 ODST and Halo REACH announcement.

Metal Gear Solid – Rising for Xbox 360:

Left 4 Dead 2 announcement:

After a few days with Vista SP2 …

… I am actually quite happy to have installed it. The initial system crash seems to have been something completely independent of the upgrade, and I’ve noticed only positive things with both my own and As laptop running Vista since the install.

Faster response and less heat generated are two very good things, especially considering this seems to become a very warm summer.

It would be intresting to run Ubuntu or Mint on this laptop, but I still don’t see Linux as the superior operating system on the desktop (yet).

Server side – completely different story!

Xbox 360 2009 E3 Briefing

Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE’s Major Nelson, reports LIVE from the E3 2009 Microsoft Press Briefing.

Date: Monday June 1, 2009.
Time:10:30 AM PDT (19:30 CET)

Site: http://majornelson.com/e3.aspx

I for sure will not miss this – will be very intresting to see what they will announce during this press briefing. I’m hoping for some intresting new features to come for the Xbox Live fall update. Some of you might remember that they revealed NXE during E3 2008…

.. and my hopes are that they will reveal something atleast half as exciting this year!