Xbox 360 Fanboy

In an effort to take some of the Inside Xbox workload off of Major Nelson (that man is a video content machine!), Microsoft and IGN have teamed up to offer a weekly dose of IGN's Strategize via the Xbox 360's Inside Xbox. What's Strategize? Well, it's a video game strategy segment hosted by the smiley-happy (and uh, party girl'ish?) Jessica Chobot where she discusses various game tips, tricks and cheats. You can check out the first Inside Xbox edition of Strategize tomorrow, June 27th via the handy Inside Xbox link on your 360's dashboard.

Oh, April Fools' Day. It is a day that will forever be riddled with falsities and lies. This is particularly true of the video game industry. Given how much fans obsess over every single news-byte and rumor -- we hear there are even entire websites devoted to it -- it's hard to blame all the publishers and developers for wanting to pull one over on their ardent followers. It's all in good fun after all. Enter the latest additions to the Xbox 360 Family: the Wireless Helmet, Xbox Live the Board Game, the Xbox 360 Recon Edition, and the Xbox 360 Vintage Edition. They are -- to save you the trouble -- fake. Of course, they are so obviously fake that it's really not a great April Fools' Day prank (unless you have particularly dense friends, in which case more power to you). Still, it's funny. So, check out the Inside Xbox video (embedded above) and don't forget to pre-order.

[Thanks to the many, many people that sent this in!]

If you've been paying attention to Inside Xbox, you may recall former Microsoft bigwig Peter Moore (now cozy with EA) calling out one Major Nelson during an interview with Microsoft's TriXie. Specifically, Moore (jokingly) described Major as "self-absorbed," adding, "now he's pretty much, you know, the Paris Hilton of video games. That, you know, he is, you know, above us all." Major Nelson is apparently not one to take things lying down, and he quickly prepared a response video for this week's edition of Major's Minute. We won't spoil it, but rest assured that Major Nelson consulted the highest authority on this matter.

Wowzaz! We didn't know non-U.S. fanboys had so much built up excitement for the Fall update enabled Inside Xbox dashboard feature. But, we guess when you don't have something your desire for it is amplified times sixteen. And that sort of excitement combustion just occurred yesterday when Microsoft officially launched Inside Xbox to Canadian Xbox Live subscribers. Yippy!

Previously, Inside Xbox was only available to a few countries including the U.S., but our fellow Canadian gamers couldn't partake in daily Inside Xbox fun. But all that has changed, as Canadian gamers should now be able to click on the Inside Xbox option right above the friends / messages button on the Xbox Live blade to watch Major's Minute, TriXie's Community Confidential and all the crew's bloopers as well. We're sure the Canadian Inside Xbox version will include the same weekly features as its U.S. cousin, but also incorporate exclusive news and events pertinent to Canadian Live members. Check it out, it's Inside Xbox Canadian bacon style.

[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]

So far, we've had mixed feelings about the Inside Xbox feature that was introduced in the latest Fall Update. After all, we already spend our entire day scouring the net for the latest and greatest Xbox news, and Inside Xbox hasn't exactly dropped any exclusive bombshells so far (although we did find out that National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is on Video Marketplace, score!). Undoubtedly, the most interesting feature is the ability for Inside Xbox to stream video. The potential use for this is pretty intriguing (think exclusive trailers, the next E3 press conference, etc.). However, we're pretty sure we've landed on the best use thus far: bloopers. The next time you get a chance, fire up the old 360 and check out the "Inside Xbox Bloopers" to see what goes into the little community video nuggets produced by TriXie and Major Nelson. You'll even get to hear Major drop some (censored) F-bombs! Now that's entertainment.

[Update: The video is now embedded above]