Joystiq

Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer, Last.fm available to silver subscribers this weekend

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:15:00 EST

Microsoft has officially confirmed that the previously European-only Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer event for silver members will now also occur in the US. The promotion begins this Friday, January 15, at 9AM Pacific and runs (screaming in horror) for 72 hours. During that same time, Last.fm will also be available to silver members.

Now, if one does take advantage of this event, we have a suggestion: Please put on the Morrissey station on Last.fm and contemplate why you own Left 4 Dead 2 with a silver account? No need to answer now, just take your time and listen to some introspective tunes before answering.

Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer, Last.fm available to silver subscribers this weekend originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft reveals usage stats for Facebook, Last.fm

Xav de Matos — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST

According to Microsoft, nearly two million Xbox Live users logged into Facebook through the console's new built-in social media applications. Based on a vague estimate provided by Microsoft, it appears that around ten percent of all Xbox Live Gold accounts used the application within its first week of availability; however, it's possible many of those users only logged in to see the new feature in action.

Microsoft also stated the addition of Last.fm -- a music streaming service currently only available for US and UK gamers -- prompted nearly one million new profile activations. In its first week, Last.fm users streamed "more than 120 million minutes" of music to their Xbox 360 consoles. If we've learned one thing from these numbers, it's that people love to click on shiny new boxes.

Microsoft reveals usage stats for Facebook, Last.fm originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Live preview 'wave 1' invites out now

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:45:00 EST

The "wave 1" invites to the Xbox Live update preview program are out now, according to Major Nelson. If your dear console has been invited to participate, there should be a prompt upon sign-in. A "wave 1" invite implies that more waves are incoming, so don't get too sad if ya didn't catch the first one, Moondoggie. Grab that board and prepare to ride a future wave to all that upgradedness.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Xbox Live preview 'wave 1' invites out now originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pachter: Project Natal will cost $50, 'Sphere' no more than $100 [update]

David Hinkle — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EST

Over at IndustryGamers, everyone's favorite video game predicterer (we're still working on that one) Michael Pachter has taken the reigns of the site and offers his own extensive diatribe on the future of Sony and Microsoft's upcoming new tech: Project Natal and the PlayStation Motion Controller (rumored to be called Sphere). Pachter's assertion is that price will be Natal's biggest selling point and Microsoft will try to expand upon its market of established Xbox 360 owners by offering the device for $50. For Sony's doodad, Pachter says the company is "trying to create an answer to the success of the Wii."

Pachter even likens the future state of a Natal-enabled Xbox 360 to the current state of the iPhone -- with features like Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm and Facebook inside Microsoft's box and its intuitive interface, he says casual or non-playing members of Xbox 360 households will become interested. And then when it's bundled with all new Xbox 360s, he says that'll expand Microsoft's reach even more.

For the motion-controlled competition, Pachter says he'd be surprised if Sony's asking price was over $100, and stresses that both Microsoft and Sony need to keep "the consumer's cost relatively low in order to achieve broad penetration."

[Update: Corrected Pachter's belief that the motion controller would be no more than $100. We sincerely apologize for the misinterpretation and the consequent misinformation.]

Pachter: Project Natal will cost $50, 'Sphere' no more than $100 [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Dashboard update demo'd on video, hilarity ensues

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:58:00 EST

Out of the bajillion self-involved Tweets which were released unto the internet yesterday, one 140 character dispatch in particular pierced the din -- "I'm tweeting from Xbox Live," exclaimed Andrew Yoon, our correspondent from a future where such technology is within the realm of possibilities.

Fine, he's not from the future -- he was actually tweeting from a Microsoft Open House event where the Fall Xbox Dashboard Update was previewed for a number of outlets. Check out the above video (shot by our cohorts at Engadget) to see the new Facebook, Twitter, Last.Fm and Video Marketplace functionality in action. Make sure you stick around for the last minute, in which the conversation breaks down in a hilarious, Comedy of Errors-esque manner.

Xbox Dashboard update demo'd on video, hilarity ensues originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on: Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune Marketplace on Xbox 360

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:35:00 EST

"Xbox comes from a gaming heritage, and is expanding into a broader entertainment brand," Microsoft's Robbie Bach told us earlier today at its first Open House event in New York. Powering Xbox's expansion into "broader entertainment" is the upcoming Dashboard update, scheduled for beta release later this month. Four services included in the update will expand the 360's social networking and multimedia capabilities: Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune Marketplace.

While each individual service may not offer the same value that Netflix did when it debuted with the NXE last year, it's hard to ignore the breadth of added functionality offered by this new Dashboard refresh. Yes, it's true that the Xbox isn't the most ideal platform to tweet from. And yes, it's unlikely that you'll spend hours sitting in front of your TV listening to online radio. However, each service adds new reason to stay connected to the Xbox ... and adds more purported "value" to that Xbox Live Gold membership.

Continue reading Hands-on: Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune Marketplace on Xbox 360

Hands-on: Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune Marketplace on Xbox 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox 360 system update preps Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm

David Hinkle — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:42:00 EST

If you're playing hooky from work or school today to get in some quality time with Halo 3: ODST, you know that a mandatory system update is putting a pause on your action. Major Nelson reports that the new system update doesn't bring any immediate changes to the Dashboard and only prepares some backend support for the upcoming additions of Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm to Xbox Live later this year.

Oh, and if you do decide to link up your Twitter and Facebook accounts to your Xbox 360 when that update launches, be careful about faking sick when the next Halo rolls out. We'd hate for your boss or principal to find out you're all too well "pwning n00bs!"

Xbox 360 system update preps Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pachter: Last.fm, Twitter the most important features of E3

Richard Mitchell — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EST

What was the biggest news of E3? Was it the PlayStation Motion Controller? Project Natal? The triumphant return of Samus? According to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, it was none of the above. As part of the Gamasutra Analyze This feature, Pacther stated that he believes the biggest announcement was actually Microsoft's injection of Last.fm, Facebook and Twitter into the Xbox 360 dashboard.

Pachter states that Microsoft's announcement was "far and away the most important one of the show," and one that the media failed to latch onto. Pachter says that Microsoft's ultimate goal is to solidify the Xbox 360 as "a functioning computer that happens to be located in the living room and is connected to the television." The Facebook, Last.fm and Twitter applications open the Xbox to the internet -- if only in a limited way -- moving it one step closer to the mythical, do-everything set-top-box we've been hearing about since the days of WebTV.

The analyst makes this point in reference to Apple, which hasn't managed (successfully) to do the same thing with AppleTV. Granted, that doesn't make much difference to gamers, but from a pure business perspective, we can see Pachter's point.

Pachter: Last.fm, Twitter the most important features of E3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup

James Ransom-Wiley — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:45:00 EST

E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted.

We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.

Continue reading E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup

E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pandora would 'love' to be included on Xbox 360

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:25:00 EST

With the announcement last week of Last.fm for Xbox 360, we couldn't help but wonder if Pandora was going to show up to the party. The other radio program of the tubes has become an internet darling, but first we wanted to find out if Pandora was even interested in getting it on with Microsoft's console, like it already does with our computers, mobile devices and other home electronics.

"We'd love to include game consoles like the Xbox 360 as part of this story at Pandora," Jessica Steel, SVP of Business Development at Pandora told Joystiq. "It is technically possible, and we're glad that our listeners are helping us with that effort by making their preferences known."

So, let your preferences be known to Microsoft:

View Poll

Pandora would 'love' to be included on Xbox 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here's what Last.fm on Xbox 360 looks like

David Hinkle — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:30:00 EST

Click for the first of many Last.fm images

One of the more interesting questions that arose from Microsoft's keynote during last week's E3 was just how Last.fm would be implemented. Well, let Joystiq help clear the air of confusion, as Microsoft has dished out some screens depicting the interface for the soon-to-be Xbox 360-compatible music service. It looks pretty streamlined, if we may say so, with easily identifiable links to tags and artists similar to what you're currently listening to.

What we didn't know, however, is that Last.fm will also be a bridge between the Xbox 360 and its closest competitor, Sony's PS3. See the "Play Station" above? When the service releases, you'll be able to play Infamous on your Xbox 360. For reals!

Gallery: Last.fm (Xbox 360)

Here's what Last.fm on Xbox 360 looks like originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last.fm service coming to Xbox Live

Randy Nelson — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:51:00 EST

The internet-based "social music community," Last.fm, is coming to Xbox Live later this year. Microsoft has announced that Last.fm functionality -- which (among other features) recommends bands and songs to users based on the music they misten to -- will be integrated into the Xbox 360 dashboard, and that it will carry no additional charge for Live users. (It's not clear yet if this will be a Gold Member-only feature.)

Last.fm service coming to Xbox Live originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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