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How to Use Xbox Live with High Speed Internet
How to Use Xbox Live with High Speed Internet
Many people have begun to play games across all sorts of platforms. Many of these people play on the Xbox 360, which offers online access to many different areas of media. Some people may choose to play their games online cooperatively or competitively while others may look to examine the music marketplace, the video marketplace, or the social networking integrations available to them. All of these features require a profile with Xbox Live.
Xbox Live offers access to these features and more:
- Inside Xbox / Spotlight
- Cooperative and competitive gameplay
- Marketplace
Most of these features only require a free Xbox Live Silver account.
Inside Xbox / Spotlight and Online Gameplay
Both Inside Xbox and the Spotlight bring news to gamers that is relevant and interesting to them. Whether it is an announcement of a new set of maps to purchase or talking about the gaming convention in Japan, it is under these two sections. These sections also advertise Gold-specific deals or advertise a new add-on about a week before it informs Silver users of them.
Gamers are given the opportunity to take their games online to play a campaign with others or to fight against them. The majority of Xbox Live users get a profile in order to access this particular feature. Users are able to see another’s gamertag, which is the handle used online, their gamerscore, which numerically charts one’s achievements, as well as other basic profile information.
Most of Xbox Live’s features can be accessed using a free Xbox Live Silver account. Online gameplay, however, requires a Gold account upgrade. Such account upgrade can be purchased for three or twelve months for $20 and $50, respectively. This account will also allow users to match up with players matching their skill level in a game for fairness.
Marketplace
The Marketplace consists of a few different sections. Firstly, the Game Marketplace offers all add-ons for Xbox 360 games. This may consist of different things, such as extra maps to play on- or offline, new songs for music games or new levels for other games. New levels may come with extra achievements to increase the total amount of a game’s gamerscore as well. Members with a Silver account may purchase these add-ons, but typically, Gold members have access to purchase them a week prior to everyone else.
Recently updated to the Xbox 360 dashboard includes the addition of the Music Marketplace, which allows users to download music. It also includes accessibility to a Last.fm integration. This allows users with a Last.fm account to sign into their account and listen to their personal radios and share their playlists with others.
The Zune Marketplace, previously known as the Video Marketplace, allows users to download videos for users who have a Zune Pass. Gold members with a membership for Netflix can also access its application, streaming any movie or TV show that is otherwise available on Netflix’s Instant Queue.
All gamers have an avatar. Users can buy new items to stylize their avatar via the Avatar Marketplace. Items that can be purchased are hats, shirts, pants, shoes, accessories and “props.” Props may include things like guitars, pets or a game-specific item. This is an increasingly popular addition to Xbox Live, now featuring clothing and costumes straight from games themselves.
Social Integration Applications
With a recent update to the Xbox 360 dashboard, Microsoft has provided integrations with social networks, including the two dominating ones, Facebook and Twitter.
Users with a Facebook account may sign into the application, granting them the ability to access friends and photos as well as letting them update their status. They may also find the Facebook profiles of friends on their Xbox 360 list. Conversely, they can search for the Xbox 360 gamertags of their Facebook friends. This provides a convenient way to further connect with friends.
Twitter users can reach their account through the integrated Xbox 360 application. They may access profiles of those they are following and read their tweets in addition to tweeting their own messages for others to read. For one convenient string of events, if a user has both Facebook and Twitter and has installed an application online that takes the most recent tweet and makes it the Facebook status, a user can kill two birds with one stone with the Twitter application.
Connecting with High Speed Internet
The Xbox 360 can be connected to the Internet by two different means – wired and wireless connection. A wired connection calls for directly plugging in the console to the modem or router via an ethernet cable. A wireless connection requires purchasing an Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter and knowing the password to the Internet in question. These two methods should work instantaneously, allowing users to explore Xbox Live’s features with ease.
To conclude, there exist many different to experience Xbox Live. Whether it is to cooperatively play a campaign with a friend or stranger or a gamer intends to stream a movie while having dinner, Xbox Live offers something for everyone.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 8:46 am and is filed under Games, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.