Joystiq

Microsoft announces game invite tool for XBL, dubbed 'Beacons'

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:35:00 EST

Rather than taking a queue from Hothead Games and going with a bacon-themed title, Microsoft instead chose to name its new Xbox Live notification tool "Beacons." So close! General manager of Xbox Live Marc Whitten detailed the new service in a post-E3 conference letter to the gaming press, explaining that the service will act as an alert system, pinging users with information about friends playing/watching a specific piece of content.

Confused? We are too. From what we can decipher in the brief blurb provided, it's essentially a more direct way of knowing who's playing what and being able to tell when they're playing it. A more serious way of stalking your XBL friends list, if you will. We'll be sure to grill Microsoft about Beacons at our first chance.

Continue reading Microsoft announces game invite tool for XBL, dubbed 'Beacons'

Microsoft announces game invite tool for XBL, dubbed 'Beacons' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Kinect beta testers can keep sensor, get free Kinect Adventures

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:45:00 EST

According to an image sent to Joystiq by an anonymous tipster, it looks like Microsoft is rewarding all the participants of the Kinect beta program. A letter, purportedly written by Xbox Live VP Marc Whitten, is offering to let testers to keep their Kinect sensor now that the beta program is over. In addition, testers will also receive a code to redeem a free download of Kinect Adventures. We're attempting to verify with Microsoft, but it certainly makes sense. After all, it stands to reason that some testers won't want to part with their sensor and be reticent to send it back to Microsoft. It wouldn't be a stretch for people to suddenly "lose" their sensor either.

We'll update this post if we receive word from Microsoft.

Gallery: Kinect beta test letter: Keep your sensor

Rumor: Kinect beta testers can keep sensor, get free Kinect Adventures originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Live Code of Conduct updated: sexual orientation terms now permitted in Gamertags and profiles

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:06:00 EST

The times, they are a-changin'. In an open letter to Xbox Live members, Microsoft's Marc Whitten has announced that the Xbox Live Code of Conduct has been altered to allow members to "more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles." Looking over the updated code, it appears that the major change directly affects references to sexual orientation. Specifically, the terms "lesbian," "gay," "bi," "transgender" and "straight" are now allowed in both Gamertags and user profiles. According to Whitten, the change has been made as the result of customer feedback.

Early last year, something of a controversy erupted when an Xbox Live user was allegedly banned from Xbox Live for identifying herself as a lesbian in her Xbox Live profile. The report brought to light an ongoing conversation on the matter between the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Microsoft. At the time, Microsoft claimed that it didn't allow users to express any form of sexual orientation -- including heterosexuality -- in an effort to prevent player harassment.

Obviously, Microsoft's stance on the matter has changed, though the company is still wary of possible harassment. Whitten states as much in his letter, noting that the new Code of Conduct also includes "increased stringency and enforcement to prevent misuse" of the newly allowed terms. Whitten concludes his letter by stating, "I truly believe that our diversity is what makes us strong: diversity in gaming and entertainment options, and diversity in the people that make up this amazing community."

Xbox Live Code of Conduct updated: sexual orientation terms now permitted in Gamertags and profiles originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Live service for Xbox 1 games to be discontinued on Apr. 15

Ludwig Kietzmann — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST

[Image: Bungie]

Microsoft is pulling the plug on the Xbox Live services that still cater to the original Xbox. As of April 15th, all Xbox 1 games -- including those playable on Xbox 360 or via the Xbox Originals service -- will be severed from the online realm. "I want to start by saying this isn't a decision we made lightly," Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten said at the start of a letter to Xbox Live members, "but after careful consideration, it is clear that this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community."

Whitten added that in continuing to "evolve the service," Microsoft requires changes that are "incompatible" with the previous console's games. "We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities."

According to Major Nelson's most recent list of top Xbox 1 Live titles, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Counter-Strike players will be hardest hit. Well, sure, Halo 2 is still the most widely played game, but at least those guys will have some consolation when they leave the house and discover that ~~two~~ three more Halo games have come out since 2004.

By the way, if you have anything terribly important to say to your clan mates, we suggest you say it now.

Continue reading Xbox Live service for Xbox 1 games to be discontinued on Apr. 15

Xbox Live service for Xbox 1 games to be discontinued on Apr. 15 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's Marc Whitten sees Natal replacing television remote controls

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST

Speaking to a room full of executives focused on "the business of online video" at this year's Streaming Media West trade show, it's easy to understand how Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten could fall into hyperbole regarding the implications of Project Natal. "I believe that this will be the largest leap of TV experience since the remote control," Whitten said on the subject, reports Yahoo Tech. "With the flick of my wrist I can change a channel ... with the power of my voice I can start a movie."

Aside from the more obvious implications to television using technology that can interpret voice and motion, he sees a future where Natal will recognize individual voices in a room and allow for a variety of human input - from "laughter" to "the number of people in a room" and everything in between. "Watching a movie is a passive input, but a TV should understand what you're trying to do." We don't know about you, Marc, but we're a bit worried about the implications of our television understanding what some of us are trying to do.

[Via Edge]

Microsoft's Marc Whitten sees Natal replacing television remote controls originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whitten: Xbox Live banning 'a cat and mouse game'

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

Speaking to VentureBeat, Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten discussed the recent round of Xbox Live bans. According to Whitten, banning users from Xbox Live is "a cat and mouse game." Said Whitten, "These were people that were pirating software." He added that Microsoft looks at banning users "from a safety and anti-cheating perspective" and that the company looks out for its partners. Responding to the widely reported story that Microsoft banned over a million Xbox Live users, Whitten said that the figure is inaccurate. "I cannot explain to you why people would think it was a million people," said Whitten, then adding quite succinctly, "It wasn't a million people."

Whitten went on to state his belief that Microsoft does "a really good job" of monitoring the activity on Xbox Live, specifically in terms of piracy and online harassment. He concluded that the company is "committed to making [Xbox Live] better and better."

The interview also covers the recent integration of Facebook on Xbox, the effect Modern Warfare 2 had on Live activity (hint: a big one) and whether or not we'll be playing Facebook games on our consoles anytime soon. Don't expect a straight answer on that last one though, as the closes Whitten gets is, "In the future, they will move much closer together."

Whitten: Xbox Live banning 'a cat and mouse game' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook and Twitter coming to Xbox Nov. 17

Justin McElroy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST

Xbox owners: You have five days to start thinking of your lives and the lives of others in trivial, 140-character chunks. Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten has told Fast Company that the Dashboard update containing Twitter and Facebook integration will officially arrive on November 17.

If the date seems familiar, you're not losing your marbles: The specific timing for the update was revealed and reneged last month. Now, you'd better hurry up and beat the Chatpad rush at the store.

Facebook and Twitter coming to Xbox Nov. 17 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft announces Avatar Marketplace, unlockable apparel

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST

During Microsoft E3 2009 Blogger / Enthusiast Luncheon -- you know, this one -- Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten announced the Avatar Marketplace for the Xbox 360. The Avatar Marketplace, unsurprisingly, will allow 360 owners to download new apparel for their Avatars. Players will be able to browse game specific storefronts. Yes, storefronts, so don't expect all the apparel to be free.

In addition, Whitten also announced Avatar Awardables. Awardables, as their name implies, are articles of clothing that can be awarded by Xbox 360 games for completing certain tasks. "I think you're going to see a ton of new content that comes from that," said Whitten. The apparel won't be limited to things like shirts and shoes either, as the ODST Avatar above illustrates, it's conceivable we could see little Alan Wakes and Raidens running all over Xbox Live soon.

Whitten didn't announce any release date for Awardables or the Avatar Marketplace, but given the ODST apparel, we'd say Fall 2009 is a good bet.

Microsoft announces Avatar Marketplace, unlockable apparel originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PrE3view: Monday, June 1, 2009 (Day 2)

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST

Okay, so E3 proper won't technically start until tomorrow, but that doesn't mean we have a dearth of journalistic activities lined up for today. We've got a few huge press conferences to attend today, including the first appearance of one of the Big Three. Will Microsoft unveil its oft-rumored motion camera technology? Is Metal Gear Solid 4 coming to 360? Will we hear shocking revelations about the Zune HD? Will J Allard bite the head off a live chicken? We'll find out in just a moment.

Here's our schedule for the day! Make sure you hang around for teh scoops, and what have you.

Monday, June 1, 2009 (Presented in Eastern Standard Time)

1:25 pm -- Microsoft Media Briefing (get your Bingo cards out, folks!)
3:15 pm -- Xbox Live Panel with Marc Whitten
4:00 pm -- EA Press Conference
7:00 pm -- Ubisoft Press Conference
12:00 am -- Guitar Hero Special Event (with special, secret guests)

PrE3view: Monday, June 1, 2009 (Day 2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive Q&A with Marc Whitten on Microsoft DRM tool

Christopher Grant — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:08:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

Maybe it was our constant pestering, week after week, month after month, asking everyone at Microsoft what was going on with the DRM situation on Xbox Live - read: some consoles which had been repaired or replaced had lost the ability to play certain XBLA games or view some Xbox Live video content without being signed into Xbox Live - but sometime after announcing the pending release of the DRM tool, we were given the opportunity to speak with Microsoft's Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live, about some of the outstanding questions we had. Anything we missed? Leave your own questions in the comments and we'll try and get the best ones answered.

Joystiq: What took so long? And how long has Microsoft been cognizant of the problem and did the RRoD situation exacerbate this situation?
Marc Whitten: This update is in response to the requests for this from our community. Xbox LIVE members have been asking for an easier way to transfer licenses, and we've been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen. We know the license transfer process has been difficult... I experienced it first hand when I upgraded to an Xbox 360 Elite, but we think this new DRM tool will be great and worth the wait.

How does the tool work? Can we reauthorize content from console to console, or enable on multiple consoles (ala PS3)? If so, how many consoles?
The process is really easy. The Xbox.com DRM tool lets you consolidate all of your downloaded content licenses to one console. So let's say you downloaded UNO from Xbox LIVE Marketplace and an episode of South Park from the Video Store on your Xbox 360, and then upgraded to an Elite down the line and downloaded more games and videos on the new console. In this scenario your content would be licensed to two consoles, and by using the DRM tool you could then download your older content licenses to your new console. With this tool you can transfer licenses from multiple consoles to a single console.

Continue reading Exclusive Q&A with Marc Whitten on Microsoft DRM tool

Exclusive Q&A with Marc Whitten on Microsoft DRM tool originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fix your XBLA DRM mess! Microsoft DRM tool now available

Christopher Grant — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:07:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

In lieu of your regularly scheduled "Spring" Dashboard update, Microsoft promised to release a DRM tool that would "allow you to better consolidate your licenses for downloaded content to a single Xbox and allow you the freedom to be able to play your content both online and offline." In other words, this is for the sad saps whose Xbox 360 red-ringed, only to have it returned with Xbox Live Arcade titles that required you to be signed into Live to play. Now instead of jumping through a series of customer-service related hoops, this new tool - available immediately at Xbox.com - will allow you to quickly manage that content.

If you're looking for some more info on how the DRM tool works, check out our exclusive Q&A with Microsoft's Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live.

Fix your XBLA DRM mess! Microsoft DRM tool now available originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox.com 'tool' to fix XBLA DRM fiasco next month

Christopher Grant — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:21:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

After literally years of skirting around the problem, Microsoft is finally ready to properly address the DRM-issues that have plagued their Xbox Live Arcade service since 2005, and were only exacerbated by the RROD epidemic. In a jam-packed interview with Next-Gen, Microsoft's Marc Whitten says that, while there won't be a traditional "Spring" Dashboard update, "the team will be releasing a new digital rights management (DRM) tool next month that will allow you to better consolidate your licenses for downloaded content to a single Xbox and allow you the freedom to be able to play your content both online and offline." Well, that's all well and good, but what's that mean for Joe Gamer?

If you've had your Xbox 360 replaced, or if you've upgraded to an Elite and used the inelegant Xbox 360 Hard Drive Transfer Kit, you may have found yourself with a handful of XBLA games that were tied solely to your gamertag and not to your console. That meant you couldn't play them offline or on another account tied to your system. This new tool purportedly solves this dilemma by giving consumers much finer control over the content they've purchased (go figure!).

Xbox.com 'tool' to fix XBLA DRM fiasco next month originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 May 2008 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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