Xbox LIVE issues

Some of you may be experiencing some difficulty logging into (and staying connected to) Xbox LIVE. While there hasn’t yet been an official response from Xbox on the issue – or at least none that I’ve seen – I’m hopeful that we’ll hear something from them soon. In the meantime, I want to pass along a workaround that seems to help when LIVE hangs up and all you see on the Dashboard is the spinning 360 icon. This hang seems to occur when first signing into LIVE or switching between games.

If you get hung, press “X” (sign-out) once and confirm that you wish to sign out. The console will then tell you that you’ve signed out, although your gamertag info should still appear. After a short bit, your console should sign you back into LIVE automatically and all is well again.

I can’t promise that this will work for everyone, but I’ve had success with this method so far. If you’ve discovered a workaround of your own, or just want to vent your frustration with LIVE, feel free to drop a comment.

*UPDATE: I just got word from the Xbox team that they are well aware of the problem and are working ’round the clock to fix it.*

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Be safe and have fun J

I sincerely thank you all for your contributions and visits here at The Rabies Blog.

New homebrew Rock Band drum set pads

While the Rock Band drum set may very well be the best accessory for the Xbox 360 to date, even a fan like myself will admit that the drum pads can be (annoyingly) loud.

Enter Drumshhh, a great new start-up offering cool looking, noise reducing cover pads for your Rock Band drum kit. For now, supplies are limited but that should be changing soon. Swing by and check ‘em out!

This week’s Arcade offerings announced

Microsoft has just announced that both Sensible World of Soccer and Tempest will be available this Wednesday, December 19th for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Details and screenshots are available over at Totally360.

More information on these games can also be found at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/t/tempestxboxlivearcade/ and http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/sensibleworldofsoccerxboxlivearcade/.

No, no…those are Christmas lights!

I was in Target doing a little Christmas shopping yesterday, when I happened upon this:

This should help sell PLENTY of consoles, don’t you think?

New XNA Game Studio 2.0 available now

Do you think you have what it takes to create the next big hit on Xbox LIVE? If so, you may be interested to know that Microsoft has just released XNA Game Studio 2.0, a brand new version of the development software that began as XNA Game Studio Express.

XNA Game Studio 2.0 includes more than 15 new features including the ability to create online, cross-platform multiplayer games for Xbox 360 and Windows using Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows – LIVE. The new software is available for download now at http://creators.xna.com/.

Once you’ve created your masterpiece, be sure it gets the attention it deserves by registering for Dream-Build-Play 2008. Here are some of the details:

“Microsoft will once again challenge aspiring game developers to create their dream games for a chance to win more coveted publishing contracts. This week Microsoft kicks off registration for Dream-Build-Play 2008 with the Silicon Minds Warm-Up Challenge. Registration begins on Dec. 14 and winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference where details of the main challenge will be announced. Run in partnership with Microsoft Research’s Machine Learning Group in Cambridge, England; Rare Ltd.; and Lionhead Studios, prizes for the Warm-Up Challenge will include the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview for an internship with one of those organizations.”

Head over to http://www.dreambuildplay.com/ for more details on Dream-Build-Play 2008.

New Halo 3 map pack available now

Earlier today, Microsoft and Bungie released the Heroic Map Pack for Halo 3. This new content download adds 3 new multiplayer maps (Rat’s Nest, Standoff and Foundry) all for a total cost of 800 Microsoft Points.

You can check out a batch of great looking screenshots from the new maps that I uploaded over at Totally360 by clicking here.

New Devil May Cry 4 screens

Capcom has just sent over 40 new screenshots from Devil May Cry 4 (which I’ve uploaded over at Totally360) along with the news that a demo for the game should show up on LIVE sometime in early 2008.

While you wait, feel free to go take a look at the new screens.

New GTA IV trailer coming this afternoon

If you’re a GTA fan, make sure you hit Xbox.com or Xbox LIVE Marketplace today at 3:00 pm EST to check out the newest trailer for the game.

“Move up, ladies” is the third official trailer and a welcome arrival considering we haven’t heard much about the game since the news of its delay.

More information on GTA IV can be found at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/g/grandtheftautoiv.

**UPDATE – Check out the brand new screens I just uploaded to Totally360**

Live ID issue with Dashboard Update

Trixie over at Xbox.com has asked us to spread the word: There is currently an issue with the Dashboard Update in regards to changing your Live ID. Because of this, anyone who changes their Live ID will most likely lose their Xbox.com forum posts, Community User Level and icons. At this point, the Xbox team is working on a fix and suggests that Xbox.com forum users hold off changing their Live ID until they’ve figured out the problem.

**UPDATE 12/06/07 – I’ve been told that this issue has now been corrected**

Streaming Video now a part of Xbox LIVE

Ok, so I finally had a chance to grab the Fall Update and was playing around, setting up my bio and checking out some of the new features when I came across an unexpected surprise. Xbox LIVE now has streaming video in Video Marketplace!

When I watched Major Nelson’s feature in the new Inside Xbox area, I immediately shot over to Marketplace to see if the streaming feature was added there. Sure enough, it is! While you can still choose to download movie and television trailers, those of us with limited hard drive space can now choose to Preview the selection. The Preview streams the trailer, albiet in low quality, saving both time and digital real estate.

The Update seems to have a number of cool new additions, but this one was a surprise, so I thought I’d hop online and blog it.