About Xbox Live
Xbox™
Live is the first and only worldwide online game service
fully dedicated to intense, always-connected broadband
gaming experiences.
Xbox Live allows our diverse gamer community to play
multiplayer Xbox games with other gamers around the globe
on the Internet via a broadband connection. With a
built-in hard drive and Ethernet port, the Xbox console
was built from the ground up to be an online gaming
system so there's no need to buy additional peripherals
or upgrade the console.
Xbox Live enables all gamers to find their friends
easily; talk to other players during game play through
the Xbox Communicator headset; download current
statistics, new levels and characters to their Xbox hard
drive; and play online.
Xbox Live Availability:
The Xbox Live community is rapidly expanding and now
spans 11 countries with players meeting and competing
globally from the United States, Canada, Japan, Belgium,
France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden,
and the United Kingdom.
Xbox Live Requirements:
To play Xbox Live, gamers need an Xbox, an online-enabled
game (available at retail); a broadband connection
(available from any broadband service provider); and the
Xbox Live Starter Kit. The Starter Kit includes a year's
subscription to Xbox Live, a Xbox Communicator headset
that plugs into the Xbox controller and facilitates all
voice communication with other players, and two pack-in
online trial versions of "Tetris Worlds" and
"MechAssault" (Demo edition).
Xbox Live Service:
With its service approach, Xbox Live delivers the most
seamless, easy-to-use and consistent online gaming
environment for gamers, developers and publishers alike.
It was designed by gamers for gamers and includes
features such as delivery of real-time scores and
statistics so gamers can compare themselves to the best
players in the world; quick and easy game launches; fast
downloads; the ability to find friends online across
games with only one click; and the ability to maintain a
single identity across all games with a single password.
Microsoft built four data centers — in Seattle and
Tukwila, Wash., Tokyo and London — in order to run a
scalable, secure and gamer-friendly service. Xbox will
assist publishers by managing the hosting, networking,
security and billing so that game creators can focus on
creating awesome game content.
Xbox Live Key Features:
Xbox
Communicator - Voice communication is required to
ship with all Xbox Live multiplayer games,
enabling teammates and opponents to speak to one
another during games. Key elements of this
feature exclusive to Xbox include voice masking,
global muting and parental control.
Ability
to download content to the Xbox hard disk -Only
Xbox enables console players to download and
permanently store both free and fee-based content
that can include new levels, characters, missions
and statistics.
Friends
list - Using the Gamertag's, players will be able
to find their friends online and invite them to a
game, no matter which Xbox Live game they're
playing.
Matchmaking
- QuickMatch allows players to enter a multiplay
experience with a single button click, and with
OptiMatch, an Xbox Live exclusive, players will
be able to select games and opponents based on
similar skill levels
Gamertag
- Players have a single identity across the
entire global gaming service. Similar to one's
"handle," gamertags are one's call sign
or alias. Players only get one gamertag per
account, so their reputation's on the line.
Xbox Live
Since Launch
Xbox Live now hosts a community of over 500,000 gamers
worldwide.
The Xbox
Live community will continue its global trek with
launches anticipated in 9 new countries– for a total
of 20 Live countries -- over the next year, including
Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Denmark, Finland,
Norway, Switzerland and Ireland.
Xbox Live will continue to evolve over the next year:
In the next 12 months, we'll be focusing on three key
areas:
Expanding the Content
Xbox Live already supports over 20 Xbox Live-enabled
games: "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" from
Activision, "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon" and
"Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" from Ubi Soft
Entertainment, "Unreal Championship" from
Infogrames Inc.; "Midnight Club II" from
Rockstar Games, "Phantasy Star™ Online",
SEGA Sports™ "NFL 2K3," SEGA Sports™
"NBA 2K3", SEGA Sports™ "NHL®
2K3", SEGA Sports™ "NCAA® Basketball
2K3" and "ToeJam and Earl™ III: Mission
to Earth" from Sega®; Star Wars: "The
Clone Wars "from LucasArts Entertainment Company,
"MotoGP", "MotoGP 2" and "MX
Superfly Featuring Ricky Carmichael" from THQ;
"Capcom® vs. SNK 2: EO" from Capcom®;
"Whacked!™", "MechAssault™",
"Inside Pitch 2003" and "NFL Fever
2003" from Microsoft Game Studios.
Upcoming Xbox Live titles include "Tom Clancy's
Rainbow Six™ RavenShield™" and
"XIII" from Ubi Soft® Entertainment;
"Counter-Strike," "Midtown Madness®
3," "Halo 2," "Project Gotham Racing
2" from Microsoft Game Studios
Worldwide, Xbox has 60 companies committed to developing
more than 50 Xbox Live games by the end of this year.
Xbox Live has incredible support from our partners around
the world. In Japan, 40 publishers are planning to bring
47 Xbox Live titles to market. •
Many more games will include downloadable content,
allowing gamers to continue to extend their game
experiences for months.
Expanding the Community
Xbox
Live Alerts: We deliver the ability to get a game
invite on your PDA, cell phone or PC with instant
messenger – something only available through
Xbox Live.
Xbox
Live Web: Live stats and friends lists will be
available to view through a new Xbox site that
links to the service – something only
available on Xbox Live.
Xbox
Live Aware Games: More games will let you be
"logged on" while playing, even if
playing single player so you can receive invites,
and keep up with what your friends are
doing.
Expanding the Competition
Live
Now: This is the place where gamers meet and use
voice chat to determine where to begin their
gaming experience. Decide which game to
play, how to team up, and wrap up after the
game. In addition, there will be expanded
real time information about who is online, your
rankings, messages from other gamers and events
in the Live community.
Team
& Competition features on Live make it is
easy for gamers to form teams with friends, and
create and participate in structured competitions
on the web and within games.
Xbox
Live conducts regular competitions and
tournaments for its members, so if you're a
legend the whole world will know and respect you.
This year at E3 we're holding the Ultimate
Championship where four semi-finalists who have
played online meet in person in the Arena at the
Xbox. The Ultimate Champion will have to be
victorious in three games: Star Wars Clone
Wars, Castle Wolfenstein and Midnight Club 2, to
take the ultimate crown. Xbox Live will be
hosting regular tournaments of all sizes, all
exclusively for its members
Xbox Live
Pricing:
In the United States, the Starter Kit is currently
available for $49.95. For the estimated retail price of a
single game, gamers receive a year's subscription to Xbox
Live, an Xbox Communicator headset that plugs into the
Xbox controller and facilitates all voice communication
with other players, and two pack-in online versions of
"Tetris Worlds" and "MechAssault (Demo
Version)!".
Next fall, Xbox Live will be available at the following
prices
$49.99-
Xbox Live one year
renewal/subscription
$5.99-
Xbox Live monthly
rate
$29.99-
Xbox Live Voice
Communicator
$69.99-
Xbox Live Starter
Kit
Participating
games will ship with a two-month free trial.
The starter kit offer will include the Voice
Communicator, one year's service and some fun pack-in
games, is the perfect all-in-one choice for those wanting
to experience the thrill on online gaming. Over
$100 in value, the starter kit is all anyone needs to
begin playing any Xbox Live game with players all over
the world.
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