Microsoft has announced a new initiative to help keep Xbox Live users in check, a program that it is calling (for now, anyway) Xbox Enforcement United. Under the program, which is currently in beta, Live members can participate in a bit of community-initiated justice against those who violate the Code of Conduct. Those who participate […]
Good news, Microsoft fans! For a limited time buying Microsoft products will get you more Microsoft products for free. To be more specific, you’ll get a yearlong subscription to Xbox Live Gold when you purchase the new(ish) Microsoft Office 365 which also happens to be a subscription based software suite. Advertised as a back-to-school deal, the offer is good from July 18 through September 28, and despite some initial concerns, it is available in the United States as well as 38 other countries.
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Microsoft Office 365 launched earlier this year, and shortly after its release, the service reached 1 million subscribers, but Microsoft is still looking for different ways to entice people to purchase its subscription-based Office service. Today, Microsoft has unveiled something […]
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Microsoft is looking to appeal to the number crunchers who also might be gamers in their spare time. The company is bundling a whole year of Xbox Live Gold with their Office 365 service for free. Anyone that buys and activates an Office 365 Home Premium or Office 365 University annual subscription before September 28 will be able to get a free year of Xbox Live Gold.
That’s quite the deal if you ask us, but here’s the kicker: It’s not available in the US. Only 38 countries are eligible, including most of Europe and some South American countries, as well as Canada, but Microsoft seems to be leaving out one of its biggest markets in the world. It’s possible Microsoft is testing out the promo before bringing it to the States, but we wouldn’t be surprised if we never saw it.
Office 365 was launched back in 2011 to offer a cloud-based Office suite for businesses and educational institutions. Consumers can still buy Office on its own, just like it has always been, but Microsoft is pretty set on wanting to get more and more users taking advantage of Office 365, and a free year of Xbox Live Gold is pretty enticing.
We probably won’t see a huge rise in the number of new users for Office 365 based on this deal, but it does prove what Microsoft is willing to offer if you switch over to the new cloud-based word processing software. Xbox Live Gold costs $60 for one year, which is quite a bit after that adds up.
However, we could definitely see college students being the majority of adopters for this deal, considering that you get a free year of Xbox Live Gold, but we wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few businessmen and women who secretly enjoyed playing a game or two after work hours.
VIA: Engadget
SOURCE: Microsoft Office
Microsoft offering Xbox Live Gold to Office 365 subscribers, US gets stiffed is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Microsoft announced at E3 last month that they would be getting rid of its Microsoft Points currency system and using real money for transactions for now on. Today, Microsoft announced that Xbox Live Rewards will be doing the same thing, although it’s not yet determined how the new Rewards system will work now that it won’t be using Microsoft Points.
Starting on August 1, Xbox gamers will no longer be able to earn Microsoft Points through Xbox Live Rewards, but Microsoft says that “you’ll continue to be rewarded for doing the things you love on Xbox Live.” The company hasn’t yet announced what they’ll be using on Xbox Live Rewards, but they say that they’ll be revealing the new system on September 1.
Furthermore, Microsoft will deposit all of your pending Rewards points into your account on August 7. If you also happen to have Microsoft Points in your Xbox account when Points are retired, they’ll be transitioned to real-money currency, and you’ll be able to use them as normal, such as buying digital games and items.
Microsoft announced the demise of Microsoft Points during E3 last month ahead of the Xbox One’s launch later in November. We still have yet to hear an exact date for the switchover, but today’s Xbox Live Rewards announcement provides some hints as for when we might see the official switchover.
Microsoft Points have been the main form of currency in Xbox Live for ages, and gamers were able to buy them using a credit card, or purchasing them physically at retail stores. The ousting of Microsoft Points looks to eliminate a step in that process by switching to real money, making the process easier for gamers to buy stuff on Xbox Live.
SOURCE: Xbox Live Rewards
Xbox Live Rewards transitioning from Microsoft Points next month is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Microsoft has thrown open applications for its next Xbox Live beta, giving Xbox 360 gamers the opportunity to have early access to the new Microsoft Points replacement and more. The 2013 Xbox Live Update for Xbox 360 Public Beta will see a trial switch-over to local currency for downloads and purchases, Microsoft’s Major Nelson writes, in addition to performance improvements.
The switch away from Microsoft Points to gamers’ local currencies was announced last month, with the company saying that any existing credit in a player’s account would be converted over to currency “of at least equal value.” The change comes ahead of the new Xbox One, which will go on sale alongside the Xbox 360 rather than directly replacing it.
Membership of the public beta is only open to limited numbers – Microsoft hasn’t said how many will be accommodated – and, for the first time, will be accessed via the Xbox Live dashboard itself. Xbox 360 owners should look out for a new Xbox Beta Program tile on the homescreen.
Initially, any gamer in an Xbox Live market will be able to take part, barring Japan. Those Japanese gamers who want to get involved will have to wait until “a later date”, Major Nelson says. Those in the public beta will also have to sign an NDA, though in previous years those non-disclosure agreements have generally failed to stop details leaking.
Despite the new, next-gen console on the way, Microsoft isn’t giving up on its existing model. The company announced a redesigned version of the Xbox 360 back at E3, and has promised “hundreds of new games” over the next few years.
Xbox Live Public Beta for new Xbox 360 dashboard and Points replacement opens is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It’s no secret that Xbox Live is filled with all sorts of mean people. While many of these young, naive gamers are laughable at times, cyber-bullying has been proven to be a pretty serious matter. In order to get gamers to behave on Xbox Live, Microsoft is looking into a reputation system to add into Xbox Live with the Xbox One.
Speaking with OXM, Microsoft’s senior product manager Mike Lavin said that the company has researched different reputation systems and have learned about what to do and what not to do when it comes to implementing their own system. Lavin says that the company is “trying to take it to the next level” with a reputation system of their own, and it seems pretty straightforward.
Lavin says that “there’ll be very good things that happen to people that just play their games and are good participants. And you’ll start to see some effects if you continue to play bad or, or harass other people en masse. You’ll probably end up starting to play more with other people that are more similar to you,” similar to match-making that we see in a lot of games, but this will be based on skill, as well as on reputation.
Lavin also says that it’s a system that works “over a period of time.” For instance, he says that if gamers “don’t like playing with you, that you’re consistently blocked, that you’re the subject of enforcement actions,” then you will most likely see your reputation score go down. Plus, it’ll be play an “important role” in Xbox Live, with Lavin saying that your reputation score “will be as fully visible as Gamerscore in your profile.”
Some gamers might wonder, then, how they can get their reputation score back up if they’ve had a change of heart. Lavin says that you can participant in various Microsoft community programs, such as Xbox Live Rewards, and if you just haven’t been reported in a long time, your reputation score will begin to slowly go back up.
SOURCE: OXM
Xbox One to get reputation system in Xbox Live to encourage good behavior is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Microsoft may have junked its demands for Xbox One always-on connectivity, but game developers like Titanfall‘s Respawn are doing their level best to persuade you to keep the next-gen console hooked up, with Xbox Live Cloud processing the carrot. The server-side crunching – which Microsoft has previously described as in effect three virtual consoles adding
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