XBOX 360 E User Guide
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MORE THAN A GAME MACHINE Congratulations! If you’re reading this book, you’ve obviously purchased or are considering purchasing an Xbox 360. It’s a fantastic console capable of delivering superior visual and aural experiences as well as superior gameplay. Trust us, whether you’re into racing, first-person shooters, role-playing games, arcade titles, or anything in between, you’ll be a happy camper.But did you know that the Xbox 360 is much more than just a gaming rig? Gaming alone is enough for many, but you owe it to yourself to learn everything the system can do. That’s where this book comes in. In addition to learning the ins and outs of the console and some of its software, this book dishes out the 411 on the Xbox 360’s extensive capabilities. From its vast digital-media handling and incredible customization features to its service as a virtual shopping mall and more, the Xbox 360 is a console like no other. Drum roll, please! Xbox Live®Evolved 6 Xbox 360™Han dbook Even the green rings that are scattered across the outside of the Xbox 360 packaging have a meaning. They are part of the ideology behind the Ring of Light. The green rings seem to create a subtle, ripple effect of power. Imagine this emanating away from the center of the Ring of Light and you’re close to getting it. The idea behind them is that the player is at the center of those rings. The player is at the center of power. They, in effect, bring the Ring of Light and the idea of “powered by human energy” into a “unified experience.” Did You Know? Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Microsoft did some truly groundbreaking things with its Xbox Live service for the original Xbox, so you’ll be happy to see how the service has evolved on the Xbox 360. Yes, it still excels at activities like online multiplayer gaming and online chat (text, voice, and now video), but now there’s plenty more to do with Xbox Live. Your Online Avatar Superheroes aren’t the only ones with secret identities. Now you can create a unique online identity that tracks all your gaming activities—online and offline—for every- one to see. Your gamer card and profile become you online. They keep track of your gaming preferences and accomplishments, so no matter what you do or where you are, everyone can see what you’re capable of.Sift through cards and profiles of millions of players to find fellow gamers who match your personal tastes and meet your skill level. Enhance your online experience by rating players positively if they play fair and dinging them if they don’t. Your Online Retailer Why do we call it “Xbox Live Evolved”? Because what Xbox Live once was, and still is, on the original Xbox has now blossomed into a deep community that goes far beyond the confines of your living room. The Xbox Live Marketplace allows you to enrich your gaming experience beyond what comes packed into the game case. Sure, the box with that brand-new game gives you an instructional manual, a few tips, and, if you’re lucky, a card with details of upcoming games, but in the Xbox Live Marketplace you’ll get a ton more. 7 Coming Full Circle—The Xbox 360™ New Game Xbox Live Marketplace Paper flyer on upcoming games from the game’s developer Free playable demos from nearly every game developer Coupons Free arcade games (during limited-time promotions) Instructional manual Downloadable strategy, tips, and tricks videos Game disc with limited space New maps, weapons, levels, missions, skins, expanded content, etc. (dependent on game) Links to Web content Real content and community Cool cover art Downloadable themes and gamer pictures CONTENTS OF NEWLY PURCHASED GAME VS. XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Your Online Arcade Old-school gamers, this section is for you. It’s happened before: You’re ready to do some gaming, and you instinctively fish around your pockets for some change, only to realize that all you need to do is press the Xbox Guide™ button to power up.Xbox Live Arcade brings all the comfort and ease of arcade-style gameplay to the Xbox 360, minus the tokens. With Xbox Live Arcade you can try out, download, and play old-school classics and new-school sensations. 8 Xbox 360™Han dbook Old school, new school...you school? Why not? Using the Microsoft® XNA Game Studio Express framework, newbie programmers and experienced coders alike will be able to create new games to run on Windows and Xbox 360! What are yougoing to do with the keys to the car? Did You Know? Download new content to extend the life of your game. Download themes to personalize your Dashboard. You can even download videos and trailers of upcoming games, TV shows, and movies. Here’s a short list of all the different types of content you can download: > New content (level, weapons, skins, maps, etc.) > Dashboard themes > Gamer pictures > New games (see chapter 7, “Arcade Action, Zero Quarters” for more information on Xbox Live Arcade) > Playable game demos > Game trailer videos > Support for portable music players > Movie trailer videos > Short films > Tips and trick videos > TV trailer videos The Xbox Live Arcade isn’t limited to your Xbox 360, you know. Be sure to frequent Xbox.com and XboxLivePipeline.com to see what’s coming up in the marketplace. TIP Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Your Online Community Gaming stopped being a single-player experience a long time ago. Even sin- gle-player games now foster huge communities of fans and followers. Gaming has gone global, and the community is growing every day.Nowhere is it more evident than on Xbox Live and Xbox.com. Play with your buddies on Xbox Live, and connect with like-minded gamers on Xbox.com. As the saying goes, “No gamer is an island unto himself.” 9 Coming Full Circle—The Xbox 360™ Though getting your Xbox 360 online is free, you will need a storage device and a broadband Internet connection to expe- rience the full range of what Xbox Live has to offer. NOTE You don’t have to pay for most online multi- player games, meaning that you get most of the benefits of Xbox Live at no additional cost. But some games, like massively multiplayeronline (MMO) games, do charge extra fees. Know what to expect before purchasing a game! CAUTION Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Making It Yours While creating a distinct online identity is as personal as it gets, the customizability of the Xbox 360 doesn’t stop there. There are lots of things you can do to make the console truly yours. Start with something simple like changing the faceplate of your console to make it reflect your personality. Download a theme for your Xbox Dashboard and let your menus reflect your gaming. You can alter everything from the physical appearance of your console to how it looks when you’re navigating the menus. You can also affect how other players see you online via gamer pictures. There are loads of things you can do to make your Xbox 360 all your own. New Ways to Play Beat it? Prove it! One of the newest and most exciting aspects of the Xbox 360 is the achievement system. Every game—whether you’ve purchased it at a store or downloaded it from Xbox Live Arcade—has an extra set of challenges that are not directly linked to the game’s main objec- tive. Challenges range from collecting a certain num- ber of objects in an adventure game to hitting a certain number of three-pointers in a bas- ketball game; achievements add a layer of gaming far beyond the old standard. Now the game’s not over until you’re finished with it. 10 Xbox 360™Han dbook Best of all, achievements stay with you throughout your gaming career. Other players will be able to see your achievements, whether you netted them six months ago or yesterday. This gives your accomplishments permanence. Nobody can take that away. NOTE Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Building on the Box Gamers looking to expand their experience beyond the confines of a console have come to the right place. An extension of the Xbox Live experience, Xbox.com is Microsoft’s way of bringing gaming to the community, and a community to gaming. Here you can take part in many Xbox Live activities when you’re away from your console. Send text messages to friends, scout people you played with the night before, and see which of your friends are playing online. If you’re looking to physically expand your gaming, check out Xbox.com’s catalog of software and accessories. 11 Coming Full Circle—The Xbox 360™ Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Because gaming is now a social affair, and it is, Xbox.com also provides a huge community for gamers. Go there to get your news, go there to vent about a tough game, go there to chat with gamers just like you, or go there to kill a few minutes between gaming sessions. At the end of the day, if you could browse only one Xbox 360 site, this is the one. 12 Xbox 360™Han dbook XboxPipeLine.com is your one-stop shop for everything Xbox Live Arcade. Built on the same principles as the Xbox Live Arcade menus, the site is just as easy to navigate as the arcade itself. Click on a game, learn about its details, and check out screens before you buy. Once you’re convinced, hop on Xbox Live, stroll over to Xbox Live Arcade, and start downloading. Check out chapter 8, “One Website, Everything You Need,” for more information on Xbox.com. NOTE Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Mass Media Monster Who says gaming consolesare just for games? Nobody at Microsoft, that’s for sure. That’s why the Xbox 360 has expansive multimedia capabilities. It can interact with a number of digital devices, from portable music players to digital cameras. You can use your music player to add a custom soundtrack to any game you’re playing; you can connect your digital camera to the console to play photo slideshows in your living room. PC users can get even more when they connect their computers to their Xbox 360. Depending on what oper- ating system you use, the Xbox 360 can stream music and photos from a PC. If you happen to be using Windows Media Center, your Xbox 360 can serve as a multimedia hub. Media Center users will be able to download and watch movies on their 360, as well as use their console as a virtual personal video recorder. Jukebox 360 Let’s be honest, you’re not always going to like the music that comes with every game you play. What you will like is being able to control the soundtrack to every Xbox 360 title. Create custom racing soundtracks on your portable music device and plug it into your Xbox 360. Rip CDs directly to your hard drive and listen to them while you frag online. Pop in a CD and listen to it while you play some Xbox Live Arcade games. It’s your gaming experience; shouldn’t it sound the way you want it to? Of course you don’t only listen to tunes when you play. Because the Xbox 360 can also be the hub of your entertainment center, you can create playlists on your hard drive from stored music. Sort your music by album, artist, playlist, or genre, and tune in and tune out whenever you want. 13 Coming Full Circle—The Xbox 360™ Start building your jukebox right out of the box. Being able to rip CDs to the hard drive is one of the Xbox 360’s standard features! NOTE The Xbox 360 supports MP3, WMA, and a range of other popular digital formats. NOTE Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Worth a Thousand Words Put your pictures into action! By taking full advantage of the Xbox 360’s streaming media functions, you can also view photos and images on your television. Your PC is a great place to store photos, but then what? They sit there, unappreciated, in defiance of the very reason you took them.Using Windows XP Connect, you can route the photos and image files to your Xbox 360 and create a dazzling slideshow for all to enjoy. The Xbox 360 can stream images from Windows XP Media Center PC, your digital camera, or even a CD with image files on it. Not bad for “just a game console.” Channel Surf! Television was meant to be watched on a comfortable seat, feet kicked up, with a remote in your hand, not on your desk chair in front of your PC monitor. The Xbox 360 also delivers television shows recorded on your PC to their rightful home, your television. By linking a Windows XP Media Center-based PC to your Xbox 360, you can stream full video to your television with the ease of a few button presses. What’s the benefit to all this? Never miss a show again. Go Ahead, Unleash Your Xbox 360™ The Xbox 360 is a powerful machine that plays great games, but can also do so much more. Even if you’re a veteran owner, keep this book handy. You’ll never know when you might need to unleash the power of your Xbox 360. 14 Xbox 360™Han dbook Xbox 360 supports JPEG, TIFF, GIF, and BMP formats, so be sure you can see it before you try to stream it. NOTE Of course, it doesn’t have to be a television show for you to watch it.As long as it is a supported video format, you can stream your video content directly to your Xbox 360. Feel free to find embarrassing home videos of your loved ones now. TIP Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading \ expressly prohibited.
Xbox 360™Han dbookThe Official User ’s Guide 02: Get Started Protected by copyright. Unauthorized or unlawful copying or downloading expressly prohibited.