Warm yourself by the Xbox Live fireplace

by Justin McElroy { Dec 22nd 2008 at 10:25AM }

Oh, hello friends! Please, come in, we've been waiting for you. Here, let us get your coat. Dear, look at you, you're frozen! Why don't you come over here and stand by the fire. ... Go on, it's really warm. ... Oh, buttons! You've figured us out! It's not really a fireplace at all, but rather a fake fireplace created in XNA for download on Xbox Live. Sorry, we just couldn't resist a little yuletide chicanery.

... What? ... Oh, umm, 400 points. So -- so basically, yeah, five dollars. Huh? Oh, yes, we can watch the video after the break for free. ... No, you're right. That's probably ... no, you don't need to apologize. We're disappointed in us too.

&amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&amp;amp;amp;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a2d1dd9c-b5cc-46ff-8087-a4d989c0fdca&amp;amp;amp;showPlaylist=true&amp;amp;amp;from=msnvideo&amp;quot; target=&amp;quot;_new&amp;quot; title=&amp;quot;XBox 360 Fireplace&amp;quot;&amp;amp;gt;Video: XBox 360 Fireplace&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Tags: holidaze-2008, xbox-live, xna

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Brian @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:32AM

if you have the money to burn...

Ghede @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:35AM

That is future DLC. You pay 400 points, and you are given 5 singles to toss into the flame.

holyice7 @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:31AM

Couldn't one simply huddle around the Xbox itself for sufficient warmth during the Winter season?

translucntdreams @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:14AM

Zing!!!

Obie @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:19AM

Dead Xboxes are cold, cold liked crushed dreams. :(

Envoy @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:29AM

ROFL!

Marty @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:07PM

No joke - I can heat up my spare room at my apartment to a comfortable level simply by turning on my PC and my Xbox and leaving them on in there for about 30 min.

But that's why I don't see the "zing" here - any modern computer outputs a reasonable amount of heat. BFD.

Tiptup300 @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:23PM

NOTE: This is not made by Microsoft. Major Nelson just found it interesting. This is why most of the xna stuff isn't personally advertised by Microsoft employees. Microsoft gets a small chunk of the money. I personally think this is a really dumb way of using xna. Maybe if it was like a 100% VR simulation where you couldn't tell the difference, but instead of hearing cracking flames you just hear "CLAP!" Please in the mean time stop saying "ZOMG MICROSOFT RIPOFF!"

Chainblast @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:42PM

Fucking beat me to it. :P

Mindkiller @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:35AM

Hah. Saw this on Major Nelson's blog.
M$ just love to charge stupid amounts of money for intangible shit.

I know this is XNA, but come on....

NeoK-182 @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:40AM

Microsoft has NOTHING to do with the pricing of the XNA that is all up to the individual developer. so blame it all on that one guy who wanted to rip people off for this.

Marty @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:04PM

They have just as much to do with this as Apple has to do with every piece of crap iPhone App that is sold in their iTunes store.

random_guy @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:18PM

Not true i remember earlier this year (about the same time crackdown came out) i read an article that said micro$oft told developers to charge for map packs that they wanted to give for free http://www.destructoidDOTcom/microsoft-hearts-capitalism-shiny-rocks-does-not-heart-free-content-sunshine-30592.phtml

Duke @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:01PM

Oh giggle giggle..I used an "$" instead of an "s"!

Eric @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:38AM

So what does my 50 dollars a year exactly pay for?

RustyBones @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:58AM

All of the infrastructure, including the stuff that lets random (non-Microsoft) people develop community games using XNA.

You didn't pay for this, and you don't have to pay for this.

Eric @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:22AM

I know I was being Sarcastic. I was just making the observation that charging 5 dollars for this is dumb. They should just give it to you for free.= like the snow globe.

OTAM @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:36AM

Really Rusty? Because I get to use all of the "infrastructure" for free with Silver. The only part I don't get it multiplayer.

So Eric,you're paying $50 for the privilege of using your own internet connection (which you also pay for) to host games. Microsoft says thanks.

RustyBones @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:37PM

@Eric - "they" is some random developer who decided "they" could make a buck with this XNA "game". "They" get none of your $50. You haven't given "they" any money, so why should "they" give you anything for free? It's bad enough that "they" are talentless and cheap enough to make this thing - don't rag on "they" for not giving it away for free.

@OTAM - I hope you've been keeping that fanboy argument in the freezer. It was starting to smell funny back in 2005. Look at Live's competition if you want to see what the absence of infrastructure looks like.

Duke @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:14PM

Before harping on MS on this learn the difference between XBLA and XNA folks. Fireplace was made by SniperED007, and is an XNA title. XNA has set guidelines for the points based on files size:

"What are the requirements for game pricing?
Depending on the size of the game, there are two sets of prices:
Games with binaries less than 50 MB in size can be 200, 400, or 800 points.
Games with binaries equal to or greater than 50 MB in size can be 400 or 800 points."

It says the Fireplace app is 6MB in size- which means the maker could have priced it at 200 points, but chose to make it more.

OTAM @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:41PM

We aren't talking about the competition Rusty,we're talking about our $50 for Xbox Live. It gets you matchmaking aka "use your own internet to host games". It's a ripoff and they need to make Xbox Live free. If I need to play Gears of War 2 online,I just make a new account and use the 30 days of free Gold. I can't justify spending $50 for matchmaking,ever,at any point.

ravishi @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:39AM

Achievement Unlocked: You got served... again

i'm going for 200/200 on this one.

joevill @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:27AM

You can get 200/200 achievement points for downloading this?

borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:40AM

If they offered achievement points with the download, then at least it would be worth the money to someone: For example, everyone who played "Sneak King".

Marty @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:08PM

As a side note, you can pick up a used copy of Sneak King at Gamestop for $.99. I picked up one a while ago as a gag gift.

Ignatius @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:39AM

This isn't even worth free, I want my 29 seconds of life back.

nick @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:40AM

Same here, saw this on Major's blog. While it's a cool idea to have one, I wouldn't pay for it. At best, this is a novelity. To me this is in the same category as the snow globe.

MakAttack @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:43AM

You do realize anyone -- who can program and pays $99/year for a Creators Club membership, can create this and toss it up for sale. Maybe I'll write one where there's a snowy four paned window looking out on... a snowy scene. I'm sure tons of people will buy it. Especially those in the Southern Hemisphere now. That'll put 'em in the Christmas spirit! Mmmm... the seed to my money tree is germinating... ;)

Hot$auce_Magik @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:47AM

Comcast On demand has this for free. Also, there is a version that plays Christmas carols...YAY!!!

::Jabs pencils in his ears::

343 Guilty Fart @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:43PM

Comcast on demand? Try turning on any crappy local station, usually found somewhere between channels 12-18, and I'm sure you'll find this for free.

Duke @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:22PM

Yeah, Comcast Yule Log! I admit, we have watched it this month. :P

Hot$auce_Magik @ Dec 22nd 2008 1:42PM

I put it on the other night and fell asleep to it!

Duke @ Dec 22nd 2008 3:27PM

Yup, so did I. That thing is a great sleeping aid!

John Z @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:50AM

I wrote this on Major Nelson's blog, but I'll say it again here, too. It's a cash grab that's priced too high-- I don't think the developer expects anyone to buy it-- but it's at least clever and an interesting use of the community games feature.

craig64 @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:50AM

Free would've sounded a lot more holly jolly to me...

Vcize @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:52AM

As stupid as this is, it's still cheaper than the Blu-ray version of the HDScape vid that just zooms in on a fireplace with an HD videocamera and plays on loop.

People like to put stuff like this on when they have company over and just need something going in the background. Though a digital version is pretty useless, it's an XNA thing though, so just something 1 guy decided to do.

xFenixKnightx @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:55AM

Hilarious, Justin! +1

:)

samfish @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:56AM

Can you...can you shoot it..?

Skipjimroo @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:21AM

Um... apparently not.

And now it seems I need a new TV.

And a good explanation for the authorities I've just alerted...

baby sea tuna @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:57AM

$5? Seriously?! Even the iTunes App store wouldn't have the balls to charge that much for something like this.

RobLink (Alex Kidd incarnate) @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:38AM

Don't be silly, of course it would.

playwhutyalike @ Dec 22nd 2008 10:57AM

Fake fireplaces, free or not, are so white trash. Why not have a fake Mountain Dew vending machine on your screen?

borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:47AM

You got your parties mixed up there suh. If they have room, white trash goes in for actual fire (represent!); it's your average middle-upperclass folks that go in for fake flame.

Well, they'll often compromise and use Natural gas. Now for lawn decoration, you may proceed with the "fake is in" assertion. Nothing says trailer park like a pack of flamingos and other such kitsch.

samfish @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:12PM

No no no. You're confusing white trash with hillbillies. White trash doesn't have fire places — how could you have such a thing in a trailer??
But hillbillies, ahh, now THERE is where you'll find fireplaces...but only the kind that are built right onto the floor. If your fireplace is elevated slightly off the ground, it's not a hillbillie fireplace.
A hillbillie fireplace may also have a mantle, but a lack of a fireplace mantle STRONGLY suggests you have a hillbillie fireplace.

borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:51PM

Spot on with the trailer differentiation, but this statement "If your fireplace is elevated slightly off the ground, it's not a hillbillie fireplace" is not accurate.

Cast iron wood furnaces are elevated, and are most assuredly hillbilly. I don't know about Outdoor wood furnaces as they are kind of a nouveau riche hillbilly affectation.

horngreen @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:01AM

Couldn't I just find a fireplace burning in some FPS that I have, set up a offline match (PUN INTENDED!) and crawl up to it in order to fill the screen? I could just let that play for hours although the sounds of mortars in the distance might not be too christmassy!