Xbox LIVE

Everybody Loves Free Games!

Who doesn't love free stuff? Well, Xbox has some hidden secrets. We've found some games on the Xbox Marketplace that happen to be free! No, these aren't glitched purchases that will risk your account standing, but rather games that are seriously offered up for free!

Here's the list of games that you can purchase on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Start the download there, and the next time you start up your Xbox, the downloads will start!

Doritos Crash Course
Harm's Way
NASCAR Unleashed
Yaris - No longer available
Aegis Wing
Totemball
Doritos Dash of Destruction
Pinball FX2

So go ahead and rack up some free gamerscore and have some fun! You can thank us later

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"Gun-Like" Avatar Items To Be Removed F...

According to a post on the Epic community forums, 'gun-like' items are set to disappear from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as a result of a new policy instated by Microsoft.

If you already own the Lancer and/or the Hammerburst, you will be able to keep those items. Otherwise, you only have until the end of the month to get them, as they will be pulled on January 1st. There is no full list of items that will be pulled, but if it's gun-like and you want it, better get it while you still have the time.

You can pick up the Lancer here in the regular edition or here if you prefer gold weapons.You can also pick up either a regular or gold Hammerburst, if that's more to your liking. Each item costs 320 MSP.

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Countdown To 2012 Deals

Every day from now until 2012, Xbox will be giving discounts on things from avatar items to DLC to Games on Demand. You can check out these discounts by following this link: http://marketplace.x...2012-daily-deal

Be sure to check it daily to see if there is anything you've wanted to get, but not wanted to pay full price for.

Also, Microsoft will be offering more deals on renewing your Xbox LIVE Gold membership this time of year. So keep checking your dashboard or Xbox.com for more information.

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Xbox LIVE Deal Of The Week (12.13.11)

This week, Xbox brings you some new titles to get your hands on for a hefty discount. Why not take advantage of this week's deal and try out some new Arcade games?

Radiant Silvergun - 1,200MSP 600MSP (50% Discount)
Hard Corps: Uprising - 1,200MSP 600MSP (50% Discount)
Bangai-O HD - 800MSP 400MSP (50% Discount)
Guwange - 800MSP 400MSP (50% Discount)

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What's What in the Xbox 360 Fall Update

By now most of you have been prompted to download, successfully installed and been exploring the most recent dashboard update to your Xbox 360 console. We wanted to take this opportunity to share a little more information about the update and hopefully answer some initial questions that you may have.

Beacons
Have you ever been watching a video on your console waiting for friends to sign in so you can play on LIVE together? Ever not get an invite because they didn’t want to interrupt what you were watching? Now there is a solution with beacons on Xbox LIVE. Set a beacon for your favorite FPS and when your friends sign in to that game they’ll be notified that you want to play.

You can set a beacon directly from the dashboard by entering the guide, selecting “Beacons & Activity” and under the beacons (far left) tab choose “Set Beacon.” You will then be offered a list of your recently played games and apps to choose from. You can even add a customized message and share the beacon to Facebook to let all of your friends know. If you’re about to head home from school or the office and want to set a beacon you can even manage them right from Xbox.com. From your Social Home you can enter the Activity section and see your current beacons as well as set new ones.

Hubs
Hubs are how the available content is arranged and displayed to help you find what you’re looking for faster and easier. We believe that this will make for a much simpler and more intuitively navigable interface. It will also make using Kinect to fully experience the dashboard a very simple task—which we’ll show a bit later.

Cloud Saved Games
Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers can upload up to 514MB worth of game save data to the cloud and have it easily accessible anywhere they have a connection to Xbox LIVE. After the console is configured to enable Cloud Storage, which also enables background downloading, a new option will be available when choosing which storage device you want to use.

After you have finished playing and turn off your console you may notice that the power light in the middle of the button blinks slowly. Don’t worry; this is the background download function we mentioned earlier making sure that your data is being synced to the cloud again so it is up-to-date the next time you try to play it, even if it is on a different console.

[left]Bing
With Bing search available on your Xbox 360 console you can find your content quickly and easily, either by typing in your search or by using a simple Kinect voice command. Now you have one place to find all the games, videos and music you want from the Xbox 360 Marketplace and Zune Video & Music Marketplace, along with content from search enabled apps from our partners.

To search using Bing, use the voice command “Xbox. Bing. [Content you want to search for].” Be sure to speak with a clear, deliberate voice, pausing between each word.

[left]Roaming Profiles & Trusted Consoles
With the new dashboard update your Gamertag can now exist on multiple consoles but, of course, only one of those consoles can be signed in to LIVE using that Gamertag at a time. When you first sign in with your Gamertag it will ask for the password associated with your Windows Live ID (the email address you use to sign in to Xbox.com).

After it confirms that you have entered the proper password you will be met with a screen giving you the option to sign in and also the option to “Remember Password.” While the console will not actually remember your password, selecting that box will add that console to your list of “Trusted Consoles,” meaning you will not need to enter the password the next time you wish to sign in with your Gamertag on that console.

If at any time you would like to change whether a console is a Trusted Console you can make that change on the console as well as on Xbox.com. To make this change while on a console, go to the Settings Hub > Account tile > Your Information > Password at Sign In. From there you can select the specific console you are on or all other consoles other than the one you are currently signed in to. If you do not have access to the console the change can also be made on the Profile Protection page of Xbox.com by clicking the “Require Profile Download” button.

Navigating the New Dashboard
There are four great and simple ways to help you navigate all of the great new content on the Xbox 360 dashboard. When using the controller you can use the D-Pad or left joystick to move through the available tiles and hubs as we’ve all become used to. In addition to being able to highlight the hub names to move between them you can also use the LB & RB buttons to quickly jump between them while a tile is highlighted.

For those with a Kinect sensor you can also move around using both gestures and voice commands. With the wave of a hand Kinect will begin tracking your movements and, using the icon on screen as a guide, you can select an available tile or hover over the next hub’s edge for a second before swiping to pull that hub to the middle of your screen. By simply saying “Xbox, [Hub Name]” you can move between them with ease and even select a tile on your desired hub by then saying the phrase shown on it.

There are still a few places where you can’t use Kinect gesture or voice commands to navigate. If you see a controller icon on the top right of the tile, then you will want to use a controller to navigate after selecting that tile.

Additional Info

• The ‘Companion App’ for your Windows Phone 7 device will allow users to sync their phone with their console for various uses, including being able to start a movie on their console while using their phone.
  
• There is more information now shown in the Xbox LIVE connection test on the console—this is a great place to start if you’re experiencing any connectivity issues.
  
• The Xbox LIVE status page on Xbox.com also has more information, including the statuses of the video marketplace and specific partner apps.
  
• The best tip we have for you getting used to the new dashboard is to explore it. Check out all the new features, apps and functions that go along with the new experience. And if you have any questions about the new dashboard, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Xbox.com Support Forums | XboxSupport on Twitter

Thank you for reading.

Source: Xbox.com Blog

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This Week On Xbox LIVE (12.07.11)

How'd the new Dashboard transition treat you? Did you get booted off Xbox Live? Did it give you any errors? Regardless, everything seems to have smoothed over and it's time to start looking at what's available on Xbox Live this week.

Here's what's new:

Xbox LIVE Arcade
A classic family board game finds its way onto Xbox Live.

• Apples to Apples (800 MP)

Demos
Get your spy on with this latest take on a classic triple digit agent.

• GoldenEye 007: Reloaded

Discounts
Some ol' fashioned heroes get a discount alongside a catalog of Ubisoft titles. The hero discounts are for Gold Members only. Even more Ubisoft content is on sale than listed, so check for your favorite titles and add-ons.

• Prince of Persia Classic (800MSP 400MSP – 50% Off)
  
• Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime (800MSP 400MSP – 50% Off)
  
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (1,200MSP 600MSP – 50% Off)
  
• Voodoo Dice (400MSP 200MSP – 50% Off)
  
• Zeit² (800MSP 400MSP – 50% Off)
  
• Outland (800MSP 400MSP – 50% Off)
  
• Splinter Cell Conviction ($19.99 $14.99 – 25% Off)
  
• Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 ($19.99 $14.99 – 25% Off)
  
• Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (1,200MSP 800MSP – 33% Off)

Downloadable Content
A new car pack hits Forza Motorsport 4 alongside some of the usual suspects.

• Forza Motorsport 4 – December IGN Pack (560MSP)
  
• Just Dance 3 – Multiple Tracks (240MSP Each)
  
• Rock Band 3 – Multiple Tracks (160MSP Each)
  
• Defense Grid: You Monster (400MSP Each)
  
• Yoostar on MTV; Multiple Scenes (160MSP Each)
  
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine –Relics and Armor (80MSP Each)
  
• Batman: Arkham City – Skins Pack (400MSP Each)
  
• Otomedius Excellent – BGM Packs (440MSP Each)
  
• Saints Row The Third – Multiple Packs (160MSP Each)

Games on Demand
Bioware's Dragon Age sequel now available for your downloading pleasure.

• Dragon Age II ($29.99)
  
• Silent Hill Homecoming ($19.99)
  
• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men ($19.99)
  
• Tornado Outbreak ($19.99)

Avatar Items
This week brings some updates to classic collections as well as a look into The Darkness.

• Battlefield 3 – Update 2
  
• Burton Fall/Winter Collection 2012
  
• NHL Update
  
• Quiksilver Winter Collection
  
• Sonic Generations
  
• The Darkness II

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Microsoft Releases Official Xbox LIVE iOS App

Xbox LIVE has released the official Xbox LIVE app for iOS owners. This is a universal iOS app. This free app will allow you to stay connected to the Xbox LIVE community when you are away from your console. Some of the features include:

• Read and send messages to friends
  
• Manage your friends list, invite new friends
  
• Read and Edit your full LIVE profile (name, bio, motto)
  
• Change your avatar features/items with the avatar closet
  
• View and compare your achievement progress with friends

You can download the free app here, and you can also see some screenshots of the app in action by going here.

Also, yesterday, Microsoft introduced the Xbox Companion for Windows Phone 7, which has even more features than the iOS app. You can see details and download that free app here.

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