Microsoft beta testing Avatar awards
by Xav de Matos 
{ Jun 27th 2009 at 6:00PM } 
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
Gallery: Avatar Marketplace
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Snowblind @ Jun 27th 2009 6:07PM
Love the remote control Warthog. It's great that we're finally getting this feature, but I'd rather see more costumes based on the characters, like Master Chiefs armour, rather than just Halo themed t-shirts.
Obie @ Jun 27th 2009 6:20PM
But 320 points for that? Are you kidding me?
Snowblind @ Jun 27th 2009 6:37PM
Wow, never even noticed this stuff was priced. So I guess this is just stuff for the actual Avatar Marketplace, and not the achievement unlockables.
yolarrydabomb @ Jun 27th 2009 6:11PM
Nice! at least we wont look the same anymore...
MaliceMajorE15 @ Jun 27th 2009 6:15PM
alright!(gigitty)
Masker @ Jun 27th 2009 6:26PM
Giggity giggity.
Debikul @ Jun 27th 2009 7:54PM
So you trying to say us avatars all look the same? You racist or something?
Giggity. Gi--gah..I just pooped a little.
yolarrydabomb @ Jun 27th 2009 9:53PM
No I not racesit. their avatars for christ sakes
I was actually talking about LAME clothes.
drumwiz86 @ Jun 27th 2009 10:29PM
wow, sense of humor much, yolarrydabomb?
zourskittles @ Jun 27th 2009 6:21PM
I know, I know, we're not being forced to buy anything. But seriously Microsoft, four fucking dollars for an in game remote control car. What the fuck you guys?
Obie @ Jun 27th 2009 6:21PM
Kinda cool, but this stuff needs to be cheaper than 80points for a virtual(!!) shirt, I mean this is horse armor all over again.
Rhamsey @ Jun 27th 2009 6:38PM
Want now.
David @ Jun 27th 2009 6:40PM
Did anyone notice Michale Jackson, in between two other celebrities, in the lower left square of the second photo in the gallery?
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Jun 27th 2009 8:11PM
yea i see it too. god rest his soul. greatest pop star i've ever heard.
Dowse @ Aug 11th 2009 7:03AM
Yeah, slash is next to him
Arctrick @ Jun 27th 2009 6:41PM
Yeah... dosen't seem worth it to me. Hopefully theres some free stuff.
lee williamson @ Jun 27th 2009 6:45PM
so cool imagine some of your video game characters outfits to wear youeself
The Dark Wayne @ Jun 27th 2009 6:58PM
320 points for a fucking remote control warthog? 80 for a t shirt? Fuck that shit. This is retarded, i cant believe it, even if they had purchasable batman avatar outfits this shit wouldnt be worth it
Debikul @ Jun 27th 2009 7:47PM
But the fact remains that people will buy it and thus the point of charging for things that we know should be free in the first place. I guess it goes to say "make a buck where you can make a buck".
I'm not buying any of that bullshit. But for every person like me I'm sure there is someone that feels the exact opposite and will buy it.
Obie @ Jun 27th 2009 8:39PM
Go to the avatar HQ's and batarang those bastards!
The Dark Wayne @ Jun 27th 2009 9:34PM
better yet ill just buy the fuckers out and make them a subsidiary of Wayne Industries!
edt.man @ Aug 13th 2009 9:59PM
u gotta remember that the stuff we buy goes towards microsoft. thats why ps3 getts that sh!tty wand nd we get the only body motion sensor for consoles. xbox has a good reason to price these things kuz if it was free we wouldnt have half of these options
WiredKnight @ Jun 27th 2009 7:02PM
I would be happy if they'd just let us use the logos of achievements we've unlocked as our user icon.
PSN: John-Paul-Jones @ Jun 27th 2009 7:04PM
Meanwhile PS3 users still have the same shitty avatars since it was first released years ago. Fuck, I'm jealous!
deanb @ Jun 27th 2009 7:17PM
They've added a few within the last year cos when they changed the way account management was handled I had a look and there was definitely a few more.(still kept my Crash avatar though)
Still would be nice to be able to use our own like we can with wallpapers n themes.
Jling84 @ Jun 27th 2009 10:14PM
Uhh.... Sony did this a long time ago, MS is just catching up now. I've already unlocked avatar clothes and items in RE5, SF4, and Singstar. It's about time MS did this already.
megapenguinx @ Jun 28th 2009 12:18AM
@Jling84 He meant the avatars on PSN. I'd actually like them to let us use our own photos
Petebot330 @ Jun 27th 2009 7:07PM
Unlockable Avatar clothes=Awesome.
Purchaseable Avatar clothes=Beyond retarded.
Debikul @ Jun 27th 2009 7:52PM
I know at WalMart you can find deals on t-shirts that they aren't going to carry anymore in the clearance isle for $1-$5.
Let me see. Buy a shirt that I can actually put on my back or buy a shirt for my avatar? I think I'll take the actual shirt.
inteller @ Jun 27th 2009 10:20PM
I wish they could back post some avatar awards. I'd like to get in on some stuff for older games like Conan.
K1LLER HORNET @ Jun 27th 2009 11:14PM
FFS, talk about ripping off the consumer.
320MS Points for a virtual toy for a virtual representation of yourself - RIP OFF!
Anyone who buys this overpriced content deserves to be shot,
Its only gonna get worse if ppl buy into this.
MarkHawk @ Jun 28th 2009 3:37AM
Its better then wasting my money on a Picture Icon pack. At least these useless items are getting better then the past. Plus developers can make extra cash which is good for them. If I am buying a shirt of a game chances are I like it.
Also it does take a slight amount of money to get an few items up on the marketplace. Cheer up mate. Were are at least moving forward with useless virtual toys :D.
shamon @ Jun 28th 2009 12:38AM
This is a really cool idea can't wait .
speedmetaldemon @ Jun 28th 2009 9:40AM
I guess Microsoft figures if you're willing to put up with a yearly subscription fee, 30% console failure, 100 dollar wi-fi and 60 gb HDD, then you'll be willing to pay for a virtual remote-control car. Funny, Playstation home is free and has tons of free games...
mcchicken2003 @ Jun 28th 2009 1:17PM
Home is also clunky, boring, and zero fun. There's a reason it's free, because no one would ever pay for it. (Yes, I have a PS3, I love it, and Home is by far the last thing anyone should be pushing forward as an example of what Sony can do)
Brazell @ Jun 28th 2009 2:09PM
I like this addition a lot... at last, all of my friends can recognize my hard work collecting Vault-Tec Bobble Heads.
Rocketboy @ Jun 29th 2009 8:57AM
Can I has horse armor too?
Adam @ Jul 31st 2009 11:49PM
im one of the testers and the stuff is tight but they need to explain all of theis new stuff to us
Seasick Pirate @ Aug 11th 2009 6:52PM
Is there any word on when the general public might be seeing these 'awards' available?
I'm considering purchasing some items, but don't want to yet until I find out if I have something better already that needs to be unlocked.
Nero @ Aug 10th 2009 6:07PM
This is just getting worse all the time, its not like other people can even see the remote control worthog, you only see it in the avatar bit next to starting up the disc, i loves my xbox 360 and the games for it but this is just a joke, sure they should charge for some things like a full suit of master chief armour, stuff like that, but even for that 80msp would be way too much for something thats not used in games (i know some games have your avatar in them but theres only like 3 or 4 of them and thats been a long time avatars have been out). Not only that but theyre coming out with a new advertisement strategy, which i admit is great cus you get free stuff for watching the advertisements happen in a virtual world, or answering quizes. But the ads should pay for the xbox live gold membership. £35 isnt much for a year compared to mmo games like WoW's £10 a month, but come on this is just a joke.
As for the PS3's Home and PSN, they are free because they know themselves that nobody with more brain cells than a sheep would pay to use that pathetic excuse for a community.