AT&T finally dates U-verse on Xbox 360, coming Friday

congrats Microsoft! you actually managed to charge for an option nobody really wants (or uses)

Wait, so U-verse customers actually have to pay for this service? And if your XBox red-rings then you'll need to pay another $55 install fee to get them to come back?

It's AT&T that is screwing you on this one. Why the hell can't you send me a disc to install the software? Why do I have to pay someone $55 when I already have my Xbox hooked up to my TV and using my Uverse internet already? So I don't have to pay a monthly fee, great, but you're charging me the same cost it costs for you to buy a receiver from your manufacturer. I will admit, I was super pumped for this, but they sure know how to kill that in a heart beat!

Yeah... Thanks but no thanks. There are many other ways to get streaming TV and this isn't one that I'll be using.

Seems like a lot of hoops to jump through just to watch tv on your xbox.

@ben linus

Dude, don't make a request like that when PedoJokerBear posts here.

Cool Idea, but too expensive.

@ben linus

My dear son,

Shut up and do your homework.

Looks like U-verse...

*Puts on sunglasses*

... took a wrong turn.

That is more than you'd pay for an additional receiver. What is the point? So you can get Xbox Live invites while you are trying to watch some TV in peace? That isn't my idea of a good feature; I'd like to be left alone while I'm watching television.

Having said that, I had to pay like sixty dollars in fees to self install my own cable internet service, so this is definitely in line with (awful) industry standards.

I think I'm just going to use the threat of switching to U-Verse to get my cable company to lower my rates, instead of actually making the switch. This story, and what someone else said about only being able to tape two HD streams at a time, has broken the deal for me.

So wait, is there no DVR option on this? Is it just a receiver?

I guess if you were planning on staying with U-Verse long term, it might work out ($99 + $55 vs. $5 a month forever)...

They do it to cover the financial asses. When doing the projections that stock holders see, they look into the future and count on money from subscribers. Well, now one of those income flows is being removed, ie the $6-9/month charge for renting the extra terminal. So if you already own an Xbox or two, when signing up for U-Verse you can save money in the long-term by doing something like this. However, if you only plan to use the service for a year or so, then its obvious not a "smart" move, unless you've got money to blow.

Wait

AT&T Still exists?

Remote, dongle, and CD? So the user interface for IPTV on a 360 isn't the 360's interface? What genius came up with that plan?

IPTV seemed like a decent idea, where I'd get content not available otherwise. Making it difficult is NOT helping...

What exactly is U-verse anyway? is it just fancy DVR and internet browsing on your tv?

My 360 is sitting right next to my U-verse receiver, so...yeah, not gonna be doing this.

I'm going to laugh at how many older xboxes red ring because they are on all the time for tv.....

"receive chat and game invitations from friends through Xbox Live while watching live TV."

^^AND THAT folks looks to be the most annoying feature created for a console/ TV this decade.

*plink!* ((B3aSt UNL3@sh3D wants to play Modern Warfare: 2))

- me: " GODAMIT IM WATCHING DANCING WITH THE STARZ!"

I already watch tv on my xbox via. windows media center. The xbox is a great windows media center extender and it's natively built in. This is a cool first step, any move toward iptv is a move forward.

I'm all for additional features, but holy crap that sounds like a waste of money.

One more example of cable/dish companies not understanding why people are dropping cable and going all internet. We like freedom, not their oppressive charges and installations.

So does U-Verse offer anything an my existing networked Media Center PC doesn't? Seems like a crap-ton of service charges & fees if not...

Can't you just wait for the software on the disc to hit 'teh internets' and burn it to a disc to install on your 360?

I'm kind of pissed. I was really looking forward to getting rid of my reciever and freeing up an HDMI port on my tv. $155? For software needed to run a service I'm already paying too much for? You're joking.

They should have just canned this all together. screww AT&T. Thay've been screwing everyone since the the iphone was released.

Being completely honest, its a shame that this is the best the MS could get AT&T (or any service provider) to agree to. This is going to completely flop for 360 owners and not expand the userbase of U-Verse in any notable fashion.

Sad that between this and Game Room, new 360 services this year have really disappointed. Was Netflix as good as its going to get?

I'm sorry you want me to pay $100 for a firmware update that was delivered over the wire to BT customers? I've been evaluating switching connectivity providers and was waiting until I got the final details for U-Verse/Xbox 360. Looks like I'm going to be going with Xfinity instead.

That image is from a sales memo. We just got info here on the tech side.
-The dongle is an HPNA-Ethernet adapter for those who not have their 360 online. It is not necessary if you can connect to XBL.
-The remote is not required to use the setup. You can use the 360 controller or even the media remote with it. The ATT remote is really for those people that can't grasp the concept of a controller and really have no need for this setup. It also lets you turn on your TV and Xbox with the push of a single button.
-There is software to install. Unfortunately, I have no word on if this is going to be disc-only or if it will be downloadable from the Marketplace in the future like the iPhone/Blackberry/Android U-verse Mobile app.

My experience so far has not been stellar. To Avoid the $150.00 activation fee since we were an existing customer, we changed the name on the account. In the process we are going to save $500 over the next twelve months, and that is after the $100.00 installation charge for the Xbox (New Customer).

Firstly, the Xbox Kit is such BS. My home is wired with Ethernet due to a recent remodel. So everything ends up in a wire box with 2 ethernet switches and the Uverse router. No TV is connected via Coax, CAT-5 all throughout.



*Uverse Customer Service is not familiar with the Xbox set up at all. I was almost charged a box rental fee until I pointed out that I own the equipment. On top of that, the guy told me I would have to go buy a wireless adapter for my xbox. Which was not true if you already have it connected via ethernet.



*The only thing needed out of the Xbox kit was the disk. Nothing more. No switch. No remote.

-In addition to this, the installation guy said he doesn't even carry the remotes and the switches are only for when needed. I'm interested to see if this installation charge shows up on my bill.



*You are limited to one xbox per household. I have the disc and decided to try on a second console anyways. It connect to the Uverse service but a error pops up saying that your box is not authorized and tells you to call customer service.



*Where the Uverse Tile is placed on the Xbox Dashboard is not logical at all. It is to the almost far right of the "My Xbox" menu. One would think they would give it a slot of its own or place it under "Video" next to Netflix and Zune.



**My biggest complaint is just the utter greed of AT&T and the installation fee they have that is noted as "required" when in fact it is not. I can maybe...big maybe..Understand if a switch is needed. (Coax to Ethernet) But if you have a set up like I do and all that is required is 1 single disc (That should have been downloadable to being with.) the fee is completely ridiculous; especially after finding out you are limited to one console.



ATTFail
.....