New information on Microsoft's still free for now Xbox Live-based game show 1 vs. 100 has been a bit on the light side since the game's initial release so many moons ago. The official 1 vs. 100 Blogs have detailed some new features of the game's second season.

For one, rather than Avatars amorphously apparating on-stage, "The One" will strut down a central staircase right after dropping a fancy pose on the plebeians below. Players in the hot seat will also have their Xbox Live statuses automatically set to "Busy," so as not to knock their concentration from the mind grape squeezing at hand. No details were revealed on when we might actually get to play more 1 vs. 100, unfortunately.

[Via Destructoid]

Speaking at the First Annual Microsoft Open House in NYC, Robbie Bach, president of the company's entertainment and devices division, was touting the strength of the 360 platform. Along with the impressive news that the results of 425 million games had been crunched for matchmaking, Bach also said that Avatar clothing had been changed more than 150 million times. When you divide that by the 20 million Xbox Live users the company's claiming, that's ... more than 7 changes each. We're a bit worried about some of you.

Gang, please, keep your dignity intact: Set it once -- walk away. It's the only sane thing to do. Of course, Bach also said that 200,000 games of 1 vs. 100 were being played every weekend, so maybe you guys are just trying to get spiffed up for Chris Cashman. We hope it was worth it.

Microsoft had a good summer, according to the company's summary of Xbox Live events. 1 vs. 100 reached nearly 3 million gamers during its beta season by Microsoft's estimates, and the Summer of Arcade Xbox Live Arcade promotion enjoyed a reported 200 percent growth in revenue over last year's sales.

While Microsoft has already relished in Metroidvania success, a press release claims that Trials HD and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 also performed well in first-week sales; and both titles join Shadow Complex in the top five bestselling week-one XBLA games of all time. Sales were no doubt boosted by a cloudy economy that kept folks indoors and looking for inexpensive entertainment. Microsoft capitalized, too, by raising the average price of its Summer of Arcade titles.

During last year's promotion, three of the five Summer of Arcade games were priced at $10, but this year, only two of the five were $10 -- the other three costing $15 apiece. (It's unclear if Microsoft counts Battlefield 1943's sales toward revenue growth; the $15 title was not technically part of Summer of Arcade this year.)

Microsoft also saw success in its bold, new free entertainment department. 1 vs. 100 averaged more than half a million users during each of the game show's live sessions. According to Microsoft, the game's near "three-million" downloads within its 13-week availability places 1 vs. 100 within the top ten downloads in Xbox Live history. If we've learned anything on this gloomy fall morning, it's that people like summer gaming and Microsoft has way too many "top" lists cluttering up its offices.

Xbox Live's 1 vs. 100 has a unique premise among console games. Rather than charge Xbox Live members for the ability to play, the "show" is supported by advertisements, which occasionally break up the gameplay. In some ways, it's a perk of being an Xbox Live Gold member, as Silver members are locked out of the virtual studio. That said, it looks like Microsoft might be reconsidering the strategy behind the game.

A Joystiq tipster sent us the image seen above, which was supposedly taken from a survey on MyThoughtCounts.com. The survey asks quite simply, "If 1 vs 100 were not available as part of your Gold Membership account, how likely would you be to purchase 1 vs 100 for $15 per season (13 weeks)?" If the survey is genuine, 1 vs. 100 might not be free after all. Is this what the Season Pass was all about?

We're not sure what would trigger such a change of heart: perhaps the prize model isn't as viable as Microsoft had hoped, or perhaps the number of viewers is lower than expected. Of course, it's only a survey, and it certainly isn't a confirmation that 1 vs. 100 will see any significant changes at all.

We've contacted Microsoft regarding the possibility and will update this post with any new info.

Update: We've heard back from Microsoft, which -- unsurprisingly -- didn't directly address the survey or potential pay-to-play model for XBL Silver members. You can read the full MS statement after the break.

The first season of the Xbox Live game show sensation that's sweeping the nation is drawing to a close -- if you've yet to check out 1 vs 100, Microsoft is pulling out all the stops during its last week on the air (August 22 - 29) to try and suck you in. Among the attractions is a free chance for Silver subscribers to try the game out during its last weekend run, and guest appearances by Shadow Complex creative director Donald Mustard, GamerchiX, Major Nelson and internet nerd darling Felicia Day.

Microsoft also released a number of statistics regarding the game's success -- more than 2.5 million people across the globe have downloaded 1 vs 100, and more than one million Microsoft Points have been handed out to the game's participants. None went to us, though. We tend to crack under interrogative pressure.

Penny Arcade's Mike "Gabe" Krahulik has announced that he and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins will be special guests on Xbox Live's 1 vs 100 this Friday evening. During the live show, set to begin at 7pm PT / 10pm ET, Gabe and Tycho will be online along with the usual host, Chris Cashman. Krahulik notes that the show will include some Penny Arcade related questions and players will be able to call in with questions for the webcomic creators. Also, given the timing, we're fairly certain there will be at least a little PAX talk.

Who knows, with the Penny Arcade crew on deck, maybe we'll see a few episodes of Penny Arcade Adventures given away as prizes. Speaking of, might we suggest you call in and ask when we can expect Episode 3?

Sure, we could sit up here and do our usual Xbox Live Top 10 thing: Major Nelson posted the Xbox Live activity for last week. Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty: World at War and Gears of War 2 were winners, and XBLA's most-played game was Battlefield 1943. All is as we expect with the world. However, we feel the Xbox Live Top 10 has a much more notable characteristic this week: 1 vs 100!

Major confirms that Xbox Live's game show will now be incorporated into the weekly lists. We're anxious to see if it will perform better in the future -- not that seventh place is a bad debut.

Microsoft has sent word that 1 vs 100 will once again be accessible to Xbox Live members with Silver accounts this weekend. From July 17 until July 19, the game will be open to Silver members in the US, Canada, UK, France and Germany. Players in the US and Canada -- excluding a few states and Quebec -- will also earn entries toward the 1 vs 100 sweepstakes for every question they answer.

So, all you Silver members out there, we suggest you grab some friends and give it a try. Be sure to snag a friend that's really quick on the draw with Google, too. You know, so you can look up the phone number of the nearest pizza place.

Microsoft has confirmed the news from Friday that the 1 vs 100 beta marches on; meanwhile, skill-based prizes for the mob and "The One" (up to 10,000 / $125) will begin this Friday, July 10, in the US and Canada. There is also a second sweepstakes going on for an HDTV and Zune, where players win an entry for "every question they answer" in the Live show and during Extended play.

A company rep also informed us that the beta season is "scheduled to run for 13 weeks and began on June 1." By our Roman calendar calculations, that means the "real" season begins in September.

Addendum: Once again, prizes aren't available for residents of Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Vermont, and the great province of Quebec.

Xbox European Community Manager Graeme Boyd tweeted word that 1 vs. 100 will begin its beta in the UK on July 10, with France and Germany joining on July 12. There is currently no information about 1 contra 100, 1 contro 100, 1 tegenover 100, 1 против 100 nor any other territories.

The US version is also currently still in beta, but begins offering "skill-based prizes" on July 10 (this Friday). Oh, and a word of advice for our European friends: Never trust "The Brain!"

• UK beta details
• German beta details

What's that, Chris Cashman, host of Xbox Live's 1 vs 100? Oh yeah, "skill-based prizes" start next week, July 10, specifically. Great! Unfortunately, though, what we heard from Mr. Cashman during tonight's game of 1 vs 100 wasn't all good news.

He continued, saying that while the prizes will start next week "for the mob," the game will be staying in beta. Guess that means this isn't part of the first "season" of prizes? We're not so sure, but we are sure of this -- given the whole fireworks thing going on this weekend, we're probably not going to hear more news on the subject until at least Monday.

Update: Near the end of the episode, Cashman also seemed to mention that "the one" would also be eligible for "skill-based prizes." We're currently following up with Microsoft about getting more concrete information about the prizes, the new sweepstakes announced last night and how long the show plans to stay in beta. We'll be sure to update as soon as we hear back.

OK, if you have an Xbox 360 and live in a participating country, it's time to check out the 1 vs. 100 beta. Remember, Xbox Live silver members are good to check out the game now for a limited time. The live shows are definitely solid times for trivia buffs, but the real fun is watching the mob lose way more members than it should through ridiculous or easy questions. Some of the best moments so far: the 50 people knocked out who didn't know that Bell invented the telephone and the infamous question about Jessica Simpson's hair extension brand. Check out the live game tonight and tomorrow, if you can. Oh yeah, one more thing, don't take the money!!! There is none!

Here's how it works: Xbox Live Primetime's initial offering, 1 vs 100, will be free to Xbox Live Gold members (translation: the ones who lay down $50 a year for the service). We're still not sure how (or if!) free-but-limited Xbox Live Silver members will be able to play the title short of upgrading to Gold. Sure, we caught an errant "Buy Season Pass" option in the menus, so that could be one option. Also: how about free-to-play weekends?

Microsoft let us know that this weekend – from Friday June 26 (that's today!) to Sunday June 28 – Silver members "can enjoy the 1 vs 100 premium entertainment experience reserved exclusively for Gold members" for a limited time only. We're going to assume that most of you on Xbox Live are Gold members so consider this an opportunity to get some gaming in with those Silver members taking up space in your friend's list. Not a Gold member? Give 1 vs 100 a shot and see if it's an effective gateway drug.

There's going to be some drama when folks really start to catch on, so let's get it out of the way now: residents of Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Vermont, and the great province of Quebec, are not eligible for Xbox Live Primetime's 1 vs.100 prizes. This isn't spite on Microsoft's part, because, according to the company there are laws.

The statement from Microsoft's lawyers is that "due to gaming laws, which vary from state to state, '1 vs 100 skill-based prizes' cannot be offered in every state." The response neglects to provide any concrete reasoning why those four states and Quebec were unique, but does mention that players can participate through a sweepstakes.

We contacted Joystiq's Law of the Game columnist, Mark Methenitis, to see if he could give us a clearer explanation regarding the exclusions. The attorney -- who just happens to have gambling law as one of his practice areas -- explained, "When you see restrictions like these, it's either because Microsoft's legal department or the contest administrator isn't comfortable with some aspect of the state law. Taking Iowa as an example, their laws are such that many scholars believe participation in a game for any property of value would be illegal gambling. There's also a provision that if, for a fee, anything of value is delivered, and given that this is limited to Xbox Live Gold members, it may be the wording of the statute that leads them to believe the paid membership plus the game may be problematic."

Methenitis expresses that it's difficult to conclude why Microsoft chose those particular locales, but that it's "the direct result of the patchwork legislation among the states." If this seems unfair, then might we suggest contacting your congressman or, um, member of parliament? Something spooked Microsoft's lawyers into excluding those particular states. Find the full statements from Microsoft and Methenitis after the break.

[Thanks, Justin F]

We all know 1 vs 100 is supposed to be free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers, but while cruising around the game's menus last night, one of our more observant readers spotted something out of whack. As you can see in the images he snapped in our gallery below, an odd "Season Pass" option popped up in one of the game's menus. When trying to download it, the content was oddly labeled as "1 vs 100 Show GB," and even though our tipster could get through the download process, doing so yielded no viable results, as the content would only give an error message. But, what puzzles us more is thig "GB" business. What could it stand for?

True, the seasonal approach is something we knew about 1 vs 100 already, but it's supposed to be free. Could Microsoft be looking to monetize the upcoming Primetime Channel game a bit more? We heard the company likes money, but we put in word for clarification just in case. We'll get back to you when we get a response.

[Thanks, Josh!]