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xbox-live
xbox-live
(iPablosu)
Xbox Live Bans User For Getting Hacked
By Laura Northrup on February 2, 2012 4:31 PM
50 Comments
After his Xbox Live account was stolen, Josh had to file a Better Business Bureau complaint in order to make MIcrosoft pay attention to him and restore his account access. After three months, he was delighted to log back in to his account, but surprised to learn that he had been banned for a "code of conduct violation." What did his account do to get banned? It was trying to steal other accounts. Imagine that. More »
How Not Having Home Internet Access Makes Xbox Live Problematic
By Laura Northrup on January 12, 2012 9:00 AM
68 Comments
It's difficult to imagine such a rustic, primitive existence, but Dustin doesn't have broadband Internet access at home. He seems to manage, though. Except when it comes to his Xbox 360. When he downloaded a game expansion, a Microsoft representative gave him bad advice, instructing him to put his hard drive in the console of a friend who does have broadband at home. The representative left out a step, and the game expansion license now belongs to Dustin's friend's account. No one at Microsoft is able to help him get the content back under his own gamertag so he can use the content he paid for. More »
Avoid Browser Glitch That Causes Unintentional Xbox Live Purchases
By Phil Villarreal on January 6, 2012 9:15 AM
20 Comments
If you like to look for free Xbox 360 game demos via Xbox.com on a browser, it's easy to make a mistake that causes you to accidentally buy the product rather than just test it out. More »
Microsoft Thinks You Stole $67.50 From Your Own Xbox Account
By Laura Northrup on December 15, 2011 12:30 PM
45 Comments
In recent weeks, we've heard from quite a few Xbox Gold customers who report that points have been stolen from their accounts, but Microsoft doesn't seem terribly concerned about it, or about stopping the account breaches. Today's example: reader Jesse, who loaded several cards on his account before a move, for some reason assuming that the points would be safer in his account (in the cloud!) than packed for his move. Not so. Someone spent those points on content that Jesse never downloaded, and Microsoft isn't giving him those points back. More »
(Kotaku)
Here's A Way To Block Ads On The New Xbox Dashboard
By Chris Morran on December 9, 2011 4:15 PM
80 Comments
Earlier this week, Microsoft rolled out its rootin'-tootin' motion-sensin' new dashboard interface for the Xbox 360. And along with the host of new features came a most unwanted companion — ads. Luckily, for those willing to tinker a bit, there may be a way to stop Chuck Norris from showing up on your Xbox dashboard. More »
(tubbynj)
Microsoft Makes Gamers Promise Never To Sue It After Xbox Update
By Phil Villarreal on December 8, 2011 8:15 AM
109 Comments
It turns out that shiny new mandatory Xbox 360 update was something of a Trojan Horse that allows Microsoft to twist gamers' arms and make them agree never to sue the company. More »
Microsoft Zombie-Bills Expired Credit Card For Xbox Live
By Laura Northrup on October 6, 2011 10:30 AM
32 Comments
Earlier this year, we posted a handy tip to avoid zombie billing: for a service that you plan to stop using after your contract is up, use a credit or debit card with an expiration date shortly after the end of the contract. The idea behind this plan is that an expired card can't be billed. This didn't work so well for Rob, whose expired credit card was zombie-billed by Microsoft for his Xbox Live subscription. More »
Lawsuit Accuses Microsoft Of Double Billing Xbox Live Customers
By Chris Morran on August 3, 2011 3:30 PM
57 Comments
For Xbox 360 users to have access to online gaming, they need to get a paid subscription to Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold service. But a new lawsuit alleges that the service's "vague and onerous terms of use," are leading subscribers to be double-billed. More »
(iPablosu)
No One At Microsoft Knows How To Recover Your Xbox Live Child Account Password
By Laura Northrup on June 9, 2011 10:30 AM
32 Comments
Pete wanted to share the joy of muliplayer gaming with the rest of his family, and so opened up a Family Gold account. All was well until he used some of his own points to buy downloadable content for his stepson. The system prompted him for a password that his stepson didn't have, Pete didn't have, and no one at Microsoft has the power to recover. More »
Xbox Gamer Allegedly Tricks SWAT Team Into Investigating Rival's Home
By Phil Villarreal on June 2, 2011 9:45 AM
83 Comments
An online gaming disagreement turned into a nightmare for a gamer who refused to do the bidding of a person he spoke to over Xbox Live. The victim alleges a rival somehow discovered his name, address and phone number, then falsely reported a murder-suicide at his home, causing a SWAT team to descend on his home. More »
Microsoft Makes It Easier For Military Members To Play Xbox Online
By Phil Villarreal on May 4, 2011 9:45 AM
20 Comments
Until now, Microsoft made it difficult for those living on military bases to game online, refusing to accept Military State codes such as AE (Armed Forces Europe), AA (Armed Forces of the Americas) or AP (Armed Forces Pacific) as options for Xbox Live members to list their credit card billing addresses. More »
(bnilsen)
Microsoft Investigates Indie Games Ratings Abuse
By Phil Villarreal on March 31, 2011 9:45 AM
4 Comments
When most people think of downloadable Xbox 360 games, they think of Xbox Live Arcade, which boasts the work of major publishers. But there's also an indie games economy, in which "garage developers" compete with one another for attention and royalties. The indie games section doesn't get much play on the Xbox dashboard, and the odds appear further stacked against some indie games in light of charges that a group of online users manipulated the Xbox.com ratings system to elevate certain games while burying others. More »
Teen Arrested For Sending Out School Threat Via Xbox Live
By Phil Villarreal on February 11, 2011 1:30 PM
49 Comments
Authorities arrested a Maryland teenager who is charged with making threats of a mass shooting at a high school. He's accused of impersonating another student while sending a threatening message to more than 100 people via Xbox Live. More »
(iPablosu)
Xbox Live Dies Because I Used Prepaid Card While On Auto-Renewal Plan
By Phil Villarreal on January 18, 2011 1:20 PM
85 Comments
Nathan tried to save some money on his Xbox Live subscription by buying a prepaid $50 card to avoid having to pay the recently increased annual fee of $60. While he did so, he failed to replace his expired credit card on file with a valid card. More »
(Milkham)
Resetting My Xbox Live Password Was An Exercise In Futility
By Phil Villarreal on January 10, 2011 1:30 PM
29 Comments
Reader P bought a new Xbox 360 after his old console descended to Red Ring of Death hell. Having forgotten his Xbox Live password, P endured the arduous process of attempting to recover the password through Microsoft. The way P describes it, doing so was as simple and user-friendly as spinal surgery. More »
Xbox Rewards Program Offers Online Currency For Online Activity
By Phil Villarreal on December 2, 2010 2:20 PM
15 Comments
Whenever a monolithic company concocts a rewards program, the inclination is to view it with a skeptical eye, as a Trojan Horse that will surely lead to exploitation. But at first glance, it's tough to find fault with Microsoft's seemingly benevolent Xbox Live Rewards program. More »
Microsoft Explains Why Its Xbox Live Price Hike Is Good, And Good For You
By Phil Villarreal on November 3, 2010 9:45 AM
137 Comments
As of Monday, an annual Xbox Live Gold subscription costs $60 a year, a 20 percent jump from Sunday, when it was $50. Microsoft is here to assure you that the inflation is in your best interest, and necessary for the company to keep pace with its rising costs to do something or other. More »
Xbox Suspends Gay Gamer For Calling Himself A "Homosexueller" Who "Likes Cupcakes"
By Ben Popken on September 2, 2010 12:00 PM
143 Comments
Despite Xbox recently changing its policy to allow folks to describe their sexual orientation in their gamer profile, Super Street Fighter IV fan Shmoo found his Xbox Live account suspended for breaking their Code of Conduct. His gamer bio states, "Bio Ich bin ein homosexueller Mann in einer großen schlechten Stadt. Ich mag kleine Kuchen und Cheeseburgers." Which translates from German to, "I am a gay man in a big bad city. I like cupcakes and cheeseburgers." This, apparently, was verboten. More »
Microsoft Hikes Xbox Live Subscription Fee
By Phil Villarreal on August 31, 2010 9:15 AM
99 Comments
In what seems like a clever ruse to get gamers to quickly buy an extra year or two of Xbox Live Gold service — which offers online multiplayer as its main draw — Microsoft announced it's raising the annual subscription fee from $50 to $60. One-month subscriptions rise from $8 to $10 and three-month hitches go from $20 to $25. The price changes go into effect Nov. 1. More »
Go Ahead, Try To Make Sense Of This Xbox Live Pricing Scheme
By Laura Northrup on August 12, 2010 12:30 PM
74 Comments
Did you know that "free" is basically the same thing as $10? Neither did Jer, until he went to renew his Xbox Live account. He tells Consumerist that along with his account expiration date, he discovered the most baffling pricing scheme this side of Target. More »
