183w ago - Today to celebrate the PS3's third birthday (yea, right ) Microsoft's Major Nelson has announced that the new XBox Live fall update is now available for XBox 360 users, which features Twitter, Facebook, Zune Video and Last.FM support.

To quote: "We've just released the latest new features for your Xbox 360. In case you've been off the grid for the past few months and don't know what is in this update, allow me to give you the some of the highlights: Facebook, Zune Video, Twitter and Last.FM.

Here is how to find 'em: Facebook and Twitter will appear automatically on your dashboard in the new My Community channel, Zune Video is in the Video Channel and Last.FM will be found under the Music Channel.

Assuming you have the latest Xbox 360 system update from Xbox LIVE, these new features will automatically appear sometime over the next few hours. Availability of these features will vary by region.

Remember, if you are under 18, you'll have to wait a little longer for some of these features."

Press Release: Come Join the Largest Social Network...

183w ago - Two weeks ago Microsoft started mass bans on modified XBox 360 consoles to prevent them from using XBox Live.

With up to 1 million accounts disabled, hackers including C4Eva have been working on a solutions including iXtreme LT.

Until iXtreme Lite Touch is available, k0mpresd has shared a guide for unbanning your 8955 XBox 360 console from XBox Live, as follows:

What you need:

• Your 8955 live console + cpu key
• A 2nd unbanned console
• Nandpro b + flash cable
• Xell loader
• Degraded
• 1888 fs
• Robinsod's flashtool

Process:

• Use nandpro and dump nand from unbanned console.
• Flash xell and use jtag hack to obtain cpu key.
• Use flashtool to extract file system.
• Dump nand from 8955 console.
• Use flashtool to patch nand dump with kv.bin from unbanned console.
• Save patched file (patched_kv.bin).
• Open degraded + 1888...

184w ago - Update: As expected, Microsoft has defended their stance on banning modified XBox 360 consoles.

Reports now indicate that the fresh wave of Microsoft bans on modified consoles has resulted in systems not only being banned from XBox Live, but also removing the ability to install games to the HDD, forbidding the use of Windows Media Centre extender, and not allowing the retrieval of achievements from backups without corrupting profiles.

Thus far, Microsoft has disabled 600,000 accounts (up to 1 million according to MSNBC) in the US and Canada.

To quote from Kushan: - What does this mean for you and what can you do about it?

Firstly, and most obviously, you cannot connect to Xbox Live on this console any more. This means no more game updates (aka title updates), XBLA games, marketplace content, netflix/sky player and so on. There is no way around this, all online capabilities are now disabled PERMANENTLY.

In all likelihood, your gamertag has NOT BEEN BANNED. When...

188w ago - Today Joystiq (linked above) received some interesting info from a reader, who claimed to have taken part in a survey run by Microsoft which featured avatars playing classic arcade games in a virtual arcade setting.

If that sounds familiar, you probably played PlayStation Home before.

To quote: If a consumer survey sent over to us by a tipster is to be believed, Microsoft is looking to bring a virtual Avatar arcade to the Xbox 360. Some of the potential names listed in the survey are "Game Room," "RetroCade," "Tower of ROM," and "Classics LIVE." Yeah, we're partial to "Tower of ROM" also.

If the proposed service sounds familiar, that's because it's nearly identical to PlayStation Home's arcade spaces - like Namco's virtual arcade - just replace the dead-eyed dopplegangers of Home with the scrunchable avatars of Xbox 360.

The second survey question sent to us asks, "Which of the following names would most compel you to purchase the product?" indicating that the "Tower of ROM" might not be a free space but could instead have a fee associated with it.

191w ago - Today a mandatory system update has been released for the XBox 360 console over XBox Live.

Users signing in to XBox Live will receive a prompt to update their systems, and users that are already signed in may be signed out and asked to accept the update.

To quote from Microsoft's Major Nelson (linked above): "I wanted to let you know that the team has released a system update for the Xbox 360 over Xbox LIVE.

Sometime over the next few hours when you sign in to Xbox LIVE you'll receive a prompt to accept this mandatory update. If you are signed into LIVE already, you may be signed out and asked to accept the update and you'll be back online in a few moments.

There are no new features or changes in this update. This update is preparation for additional system enhancements (Facebook/Twitter/Last.FM) that will arrive later this year."