Xbox Live

Budget-conscious gamers curious to discover what all the Xbox Live Gold fuss is about can find out by taking it for a free test drive now through Sunday. …
Read More

The following is the opinion of one editor, and does not represent the opinions of XBLAFans as a whole.

“Gamertag was last signed in on another console.” That’s what my 360 said as I signed in just before Christmas. I immediately checked the family bank account. Sure enough, the hacker had nearly drained our money, meaning that for the next five or six days we’d be living off what was in the fridge. Now the fridge wasn’t empty, but we always do our shopping throughout the week, so things that we needed to make our normal meals we couldn’t get. The family survived with no major issues, but the annoyance and utter frustration others had felt suddenly became very real. They weren’t just stealing my Microsoft Points, it could affect the way we ran our family.

Every big entity gets hacked, though. I get that. I’ve seen Twitter and Facebook accounts hacked, bank accounts, all sorts of things in my time as an IT guy. Even though I was annoyed with Microsoft, they weren’t any less secure than anyone else, it’s just that the frequency of attacks increased since the release of FIFA 12. How much? Well let’s put it into perspective: we now have roughly 20 active members on our staff. Of those 20, four have been victims of the FIFA hack. That’s a 1-in-5 ratio. That’s what’s called rampancy, folks.

Read More

Maybe we’re a little biased here, but we think Xbox LIVE is a great service. Sure, other services on other consoles and PC are offered for free, but so much is offered to LIVE members that it seems a small thing to pony up the equivalent of $5 USD each month for it. We get exclusive games, we often get earlier access to digital titles, and we have a plethora of other media outlets like Netflix, Hulu, UFC and YouTube. There’s always room for improvement, however, and there are a few things that for reasons that remain a mystery have not been touched on. We submit these as an official fan letter to Microsoft.

Read More

Sources are reporting to Inside Mobile Apps that Microsoft will be discontinuing use of its Microsoft Points currency system used by Xbox Live, Zune marketplace, and the Windows phone. A source with knowledge of the company’s decisions are saying that all mobile developers with publishing agreements are being told to plan for the conversion.

This will impact all three platforms where the point system is used although one of the biggest adjustments will be to the Xbox marketplace where some games and extras are denoted in only Microsoft Points. The Zune marketplace and the Windows phone denote purchases in both the point system and regional currency.

Read More

In a recent Microsoft announced that Xbox Live has hit 40 million users, and has added 5 million users in the last 5 months alone. Microsoft also announced …
Read More

Paddy Burns, Chief Technology Officer at 4J Studios (the team handling the XBLA version of Mojang’s smash hit Minecraft) recently told Edge that big changes may be coming to …
Read More

 
Microsoft, in an attempt to prevent Xbox Live accounts from being compromised, has apparently added more rigorous security standards to Xbox.com, according to a report emanating from Eurogamer. Certain malicious individuals were previously able to gain access to other users’ XBL accounts by using what is known as a “brute-force method.” The site was allowing said parties to infinitely attempt Windows Live ID passwords — a process that was automated by use of a script.

Read More

For many people, tattoos and other forms of body art are a reflection of who they are. Now, your Xbox Live Avatar can similarly express themselves. Microsoft has added a …
Read More

Good news for movie lovers: you no longer have to live in the US to enjoy Netflix. Netflix has recently launched in the UK and Ireland, costing subscribers £5.99 …
Read More

Now that the dust has settled on another holiday season, many folks are turning to the internet to check out information on their new gifts. For those of you who have recently acquired a new Xbox 360, we at XBLA Fans are here to help! After you get it all set up, here’s a quick rundown of some of the things you can do to get started on the awesome path of Xbox ownership.

Read More