New Xbox Live features and subscription options

[bahn]

The first of a new wave of features on Xbox Live will greet subscribers when they log into the world's largest online gaming service after an update this Wednesday. Starting today at 6 a.m., Xbox Live servers will be offline for as long as 24 hours while new features are added.

Once back online, gamers will be able to send Voice Messages with their friend and game invites to other gamers, further personalizing their online gaming experience. Voice Messages are just one of several new upcoming features on gamers' wish lists worldwide and further validates Xbox Live as the innovation leader in the online gaming category.

Additionally, game developers are currently being provided with new Live features that, when incorporated into their games, will afford gamers the following benefits:

<b>Teams:</b> Gamers will be able to easily form teams and notify them of matches, strategies and even upcoming competitions.

<b>Competitions:</b> Empowers gamers to easily create their own tournaments while in-game; as easy as creating, inviting and playing for all their favorite games across any game genre.

<b>Online Content Swapping:</b> Title managed online storage allows gamers to create and share mottos, emblems, and custom content and create and update maps, rosters, and other environment data.

<b>Level Playing Field Technology:</b> New arbitration and reliability technologies reduce players' ability to cheat online, while increasing reliability ratings for all players and penalizing actions like disconnects during games.
Many of these new features are expected to debut later this year with new Xbox Live titles. By this time next month, there will be more than 100 Xbox Live-enabled titles available to consumers, the most available online titles on any video games platform.

In addition to the new Xbox Live features, Microsoft has announced a new three-month Xbox Live Starter Kit (MSRP $39.99). The package will include one Xbox Live Communicator and demos of Mech Assault and Moto GP.

Finally, starting next week, the 12-month Xbox Live Starter Kit will be updated and packaged with a 12-month subscription to Xbox Live, an Xbox Live Communicator and a full version of the award-winning "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge," from Microsoft Game Studios. "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge" launched in the fall of 2003 to glowing reviews highlighting the software's stunning graphics and superior Xbox Live gameplay. The standard Xbox Live Starter Kit is available at $69.99.

[Wolffen]

Nice to see MS finally adding all those features I kept asking for 2 years ago in all those beta tester surveys.

[Melf]

Online Content Swapping: Title managed online storage allows gamers to create and share mottos, emblems, and custom content and create and update maps, rosters, and other environment data.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

[bahn]

LOL. yeah. I want the Matt's collection of cars from PGR2.

and now I can finally tell Moogle to stop sending me invites when I am trying to blow up people in Crimson Skies.

[epmode]

so is it actually possible to send voice messages to people in games that haven't been specifically coded for live 3.0? that would rock.

[bahn]

I am assuming that it's just a matter of updating the software...guess we'll find out in a few hours when it's back online. I'll be trying it with crimson skies.

[voltz]

Microsoft has announced a new three-month Xbox Live Starter Kit (MSRP $39.99).

3 months? Wasn't the kit $59.99 for 12?

[Mzo]

Ah, Live... you just keep getting better and better.

I love you.

[epmode]

well, the update is done. i don't have any friends online so i can't check any of the new features.

[Wolffen]

3 months? Wasn't the kit $59.99 for 12?

The $60 kit that is being sold now is just the subscription card. No software or headset. They're selling the headset for $25 *cough*ripoff*cough, and a month of Live is $7. So if you bought it piecemeal, you'd have $25+$21, plus say, $4 for the demo disc. So $50 vs $40. Not great, but not quite a rip-off.