Xbox 360 Fanboy

With yesterday's release of the Xbox 360 Fall Update, Xbox Live got hammered. No, not drinking hammered the kind of hammered that happens when millions of gamers clog Xbox Live's network causing all kinds of clunky things to happen. We confirmed with Major Nelson and his Xbox Live ops crew that there were Xbox Live network issues going on last night, but they've since been fixed and everything should be cleared up by now. So, know that it wasn't the Fall Update that was making your console and Xbox Live to act funny, it was simply Xbox Live getting hammered. Now go, enjoy and embrace your new Fall Update without a drunken Live dragging you down.

While we were busy marveling over all the fabulous additions in the Fall Update, others out there were eager to check out said features in new and exciting ways. First and foremost, the folks at Siliconera were keen to try out the Xbox Originals available to Japan. Knowing full well that gamers with Japanese accounts can download Japanese demos such as the Eternal Sonata demo released in May, they figured a similar method would work for Xbox Originals. With this in mind, they set out to download Magatama, only to discover an error message claiming the game wasn't available in their region (i.e. the U.S.). After a quick console restart, the option to download the game had disappeared, though the free content like themes and pics was still available.

So there you have it kids, your dreams of downloading wacky Japanese Xbox games have been crushed (unless you live in Japan, of course).

Doubtless everyone out there has already nabbed the Fall Update, but it is our responsibility, nay, our duty to inform you that it has arrived. We've been messing around with some of the new features and so far we're pretty pleased with what's on display. The "twist" navigation is very nice, and saves many steps in the Marketplace process. The Inside Xbox feature is pretty nifty as well, and even includes a video with Major Nelson explaining all the fabulous new features in the update. Xbox Originals are up, and we have a powerful urge to buy Psychonauts, and urge we have so far resisted. Also, we're not positive, but the actual Guide interface seems a tiny bit faster and smoother. Naturally, we haven't tooled around with everything yet. We've yet to add our Bio or change our LiveID, for example (you should think twice about changing yours, by the way ... for now at least). Overall, the changes seem fairly small, but welcome.

So, now that we've all had a chance to mess around with the update, what's your favorite new feature? Have you found anything that Microsoft hasn't already mentioned?

[Update: A Twitter post by Microsoft's TriXie informs us that the Inside Xbox feature is currently available only in the US, UK, and Japan. Other territories will follow in the months ahead (thanks, DjDATZ).]

We've just been informed via Gamertag Radio and Xbox.com's TriXie that the Fall Update is releasing with a minor bug related to the new Live ID switching feature. Specifically, when you download the Fall Update and change the Live ID you have associated with your gamertag, a bunch of Xbox.com issues arise. Problems including all your Xbox.com forum posts being deleted, your community user level will go bye-bye, your icons will be erased and your gamertag will be replaced with with an "anonymous" name. The Xbox 360 dashboard team is trying their darnedest to get a fix in place and should have a solution available in the next few days. Until then, DO NOT change your Live ID that is associated with your gamertag until a fix is announced. You've been warned.

[Thanks, DjDATZ]

With the release of the Fall Update a few hours away Major Nelson wanted to remind everyone about setting their Friends of Friends preferences before the update goes live. The Friends of Friends feature defaults to allowing "everyone" to see your friends list, so if you want some privacy or only want your friends to see it then you have to be proactive. To change who can view your friends list, head on over to Xbox.com and make your decision. And yes, you'll be able to change the Friends of Friends preferences via the Xbox 360 dashboard after the Fall Update releases, but we're all about being prepared and organized. So what will it be? Everyone? Friends? Blocked? The decision is yours.

Sad news fellow fanboys. We know you and pretty much the entire Fanboy community was excited to hear that the Fall Update would allow for deletion of XBLA game trials from your recently played history. But, according to the tech heads over at Xbox Team's blog, this deletion feature isn't what we thought it to be. Instead, the Fall Update will get "support to not write trial-version Arcade games to user's played games history (this is only for newly downloaded games after the Dec'07 update is released)". See the key words there? The 360 will not write XBLA trials to the games history after the update gets released, but anything prior to Tuesday's update is set in stone. So, no deletion option, it's just an enhancement that will stop future XBLA trial games from appearing on the your games played list. Sad ... we thought we were finally rid of our old XBLA trials.

[Thanks, xenocidic]

Hey kids, heads up! We just revealed what new goodies will be headed our way when the new Fall Update releases next Tuesday, but reading about it is only half as fun as seeing it in action. And that's where the Gamerscore Blog comes in. They just posted a nine minute video showing off and showcasing the impending Fall Update's features and demoing everything in an easily consumable YouTube video. Get excited, get watching and take it in all. The Fall Update has a lot to offer. Oh, and by the way. We're digging the new dashboard navigation and re-organization ... much love to that.

This is it folks, the complete and official reveal of the new features contained in Tuesday's Fall Dashboard Update. All the things we've discussed before are in there obviously, but there are a few new and scrumptious nuggets to digest as well. Here's everything in a nutshell.

• Xbox Originals: download original Xbox titles directly to your Xbox 360. The first games available will be Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Halo, Fable, Fuzion Frenzy, and Psychonauts for 1200 points each.
  
• Xbox Live Arcade Greatest Hits: best selling Arcade titles will be available for permanently reduced prices. The first games available are Bankshot Billiards and Lumines Live for 800 points, and Marble Blast Ultra, Small Arms, and Zuma Deluxe for 400 points.
• Inside Xbox: a direct feed of news directly from Xbox.com to your 360
• Enhanced online profile: share info with Live members using a new bio feature which can be made available to everyone or locked to friends only. Also, you can include your real name in your profile
  
• Friends of Friends: browse the friends lists of your friends and other Live members
• New Family Timer that lets parents (or wives) limit game time
• New navigation system for the Dashboard with the Game Store and Video Store buttons
• New codec support including DivX and Xvid (yes, you read that correctly)

Finally, Major Nelson informs us of another new feature not mentioned in the press release: the Xbox Live child account problem has been fixed. For those unfamiliar with the problem, many Live members are stuck with a child account even though they turned 18 long ago. After the Fall Update, the account management section of the dash will have a "Promote Child Account" option. Yes, it does exactly what it says it does. Finally, as thank God effing finally!, the Fall update brings with it the ability to change the Windows Live ID associated with your Xbox Live Account. Have you been saddled with a crappy Hotmail address you don't use anymore just because your Live account is stuck to it? Not anymore. So there you have it kids, cheaper Arcade games, more networking, DivX, and some much needed problem fixes.

Head over to Joystiq for some more details.

Mini-update: find a comprehensive list of updates at the Xbox Team Blog.

Coming straight out of a Microsoft Japan held press conference are new details about what features will be included in the December 4th Fall Update. All the information is in Japanese (and we forgot our Japanese translator at home), but thanks to Engadget Japan's own Ittousai we've got all the goods. And yes, there's more to the Fall Update than just Xbox Originals and Friends of Friends. Click through to the break to get learnified ...

Major Nelson just informed us that the always anticipated Fall Dashboard Update will be arriving next week on December 4 (just in time for Xbox Originals, what a co-inky-dink). Far more interesting than the revelation of the actual release date is the newly revealed Friends of Friends feature. With this new feature, players can browse the Friends list of anyone on their own Friends list. You can see if you have friends in common, send messages, send game invites, and even add Friends directly from another friend's list. Even better, the feature is available both on the Xbox 360 and Xbox.com.

No doubt you've heard your friends talk about the great time they had with someone else, or perhaps you've heard podcasters like us telling tales of great gaming sessions. Removing the hassle of looking up a gamertag -- which includes the pitfalls of proper spelling and remembering where the spaces are -- is definitely welcome.

So, starting December 4, you'll find a new "Friends" option on the Dashboard and Xbox.com. From this option players can choose to have their friends list open to everyone, friends only, or blocked from prying eyes entirely. We should probably note that the "Everyone" option is only available to gamers eighteen and older. Those thirteen and over are stuck with "Friends Only" or "Blocked," while those under 13-years-old will be defaulted to "Blocked" though the "Friends Only" option is available.

If you'd like to change your setting now, you may do so at the Friends of Friends page on Xbox.com

Well that didn't take long. Microsoft has issued a press release confirming reports from earlier today that original Xbox games will soon be available for download from Xbox Live Marketplace. The games -- referred to as "Xbox Originals" -- mentioned explicitly by Microsoft were Halo, Crimson Skies, Fable, and Psychonauts, though it's unclear if all of these titles will be available on the day the service launches. That day, incidentally, is not December 2 as previously reported, but rather December 4. As noted by the press release, "This new service will launch with an array of blockbuster titles spanning the most popular genres from action-adventure to classic role-playing games." Classic role-playing games on the original Xbox? Really? All three of them? Anyway, the games will be available for the previously reported price of 1200 MS Points ($15). Whether or not the launch lineup that was reported earlier is accurate remains to be seen.

Microsoft also added some announcements about the fifth anniversary of the launch of Xbox Live on November 15. In celebration, Microsoft will be offering a free download of the Xbox Live Arcade game Carcassonne (Hexic 2 in Korea) starting at 12:01am EST November 15. The game will be free to all subscribers for 48 hours. Also, all subscribers who have been a member of Xbox Live since 2002 will receive 500 MS Points for free.

And here we were hoping our favorite console was going to learn how to make julienne fries. Alas, no. Instead, the Fall Dashboard Update for the Xbox 360 brings with it the ability to download original Xbox games. The news comes from Official Xbox Magazine (by way of CVG, whose article has since been pulled), which reports that the update will be available December 2nd. The first round of Xbox titles up for grabs are Halo: Combat Evolved (duh), Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex, and Burnout 3.

Microsoft apparently plans to make as much of the original Xbox catalogue available as possible (can we get to work on Panzer Dragoon Orta, please?). Games are expected to cost 1200 MS Points ($15 U.S.).

Of course, there are still some unanswered questions. How much space will the games take up? Will they be upscaled to HD (we're betting yes)? Will Halo: Combat Evolved fans finally get Live enabled multiplayer? All the games on the list have 360 sequels already out or in the works except Crimson Skies and Indigo Prophecy. Is this a hint that the rumored Crimson Skies sequel is real? Is Indigo Prophecy getting a much deserved sequel? Only time will tell, but at least you shouldn't have to wait too long.

[Via Joystiq]

During a recent earnings report presentation, DivX CEO Kevin Hell might have revealed a bit too much regarding DivX support on the Xbox 360.

JP Morgan analyst Paul Coster asked Hell about DivX support that was added to Microsoft's Media Extender and if that foreshadowed a release to the Xbox 360. Hell's response was an enthusiastic "Yes!" followed by a semi-awkward, backpedaling clarification that went something like ... "that, uh, we're in discussions with Microsoft on that at this point in time, so I can't go into any great detail on that. Um that is not a certified, that is not a certified or licensed product at this time."

His response may not sound like confirmation of DivX headed to the 360, but simply reading the quote doesn't paint the whole picture. According to those who attended the conference, it was how he answered the question thta was most revealing. Hell was very enthusiastic at first when he answered "Yes!" and then he quickly tried to backpedal and change the subject. Was it a slip of the tongue or a simple misunderstanding? No one is certain, but we wouldn't be surprised to see DivX support added to the 360 this December.

[Thanks, Evan Walsh]

Ahh yes, we finally get a Fall Update feature out in the open, exposed and bared to all! Or we should say an "alleged" feature. We should also say we don't think it's the most exciting Fall feature ever implemented, but it's Fall Update news so we shall divulge.

According to a post made by JasonX1 over on the Xbox.com forums, he spotted some potential Fall Update facts on the back of his recently purchased Guitar Hero III keychain. More specifically, the keychain text hints at a new family timer and reads ...

Family Timer
- A simple tool that lets you manage how much time your kids spend on their Xbox 360.
- Manage time in daily or weekly increments. Easy for parent to suspend or add time.
- Available in December 2007 only through Xbox Live.

As you can see, the text doesn't solely mention family timer options for GHIII and instead uses the broad "Xbox 360" label. Interesting stuff. Oh, and don't count your Fall Update releasing in November chickens just yet, we have a feeling our update eggs will hatch this December.

[Thanks, Hector]

Update 2: Microsoft has responded to our screenshots saying that this isolated IPTV incident is not part of the Fall update and was accidentally exposed during repair. Learn more here.

Update: We just learned that Aaron just got his 360 back from Microsoft repair this week. We also know that his dash version isn't any different than the one that is already out (2.0.5787.0) leading us to believe that his 360 doesn't have the Fall update. But the new options are definitely related to the IPTV service as more options were discovered in his 360's settings. Need proof? Check out the two new screenshots we just added.

If the sweet, juicy, rumor friendly screenshots that we just received via our tipster inbox hold any water, then everyone can look forward to IPTV being part of the Fall update. Though, remember kids, this is all filed under the "rumor" tag ...

The two four screenshots you see in the gallery below were sent to us by tipster Aaron, who says that he turned on his Xbox 360 today and noticed a new TV icon with four text squares in his media blade and was wondering if we knew what it was all about. We investigated and noticed that this new TV icon option wasn't normal and replaced the "Video Marketplace" option that we see on our dash. The second thing we noticed was that, when hovered over, the description for the mysterious TV icon option reads:

Use television services.
• Live & recorded TV
• On-demand movies
• Chat while watching TV

Sounds like IPTV options to us. Once clicked, an error message pops up stating that it was "unable to start" and to contact support at www.microsoft.com/tv. That URL will take you to Microsoft's Mediaroom website ... also interesting. So, if everything is legit in these pictures and Aaron doesn't end up being a Photoshop God, we're going speculate that this random occurrence is related somehow to the Fall update. The square text boxes, error message and overall un-ready status of the dashboard option all smell of a Fall update that isn't yet ready for the masses. Maybe Aaron was online at the right moment when an Xbox Live engineer tripped over a cord sending Fall update goodness to his 360. Who knows. We'll try to get more information about this odd occurrence and ultimately find out if these screens are real and relate to IPTV or the Fall update. Until then, file everything into the rumor section of your brain and give the screenshots a look over.

[Thanks, Aaron]