Xbox Live Marketplace
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Xbox Live Marketplace (XBLM) is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content. The service offers movie and game trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, gamer tag images, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes.
The Spring 2007 update to the Xbox 360 Dashboard relocated the Marketplace to its own "blade" in order to bring more attention to the service and make it more accessible to users.
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[edit] Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points are used as scrip in the Xbox Live Marketplace, which includes the Xbox Live Arcade. These points may be purchased with a credit card through the Xbox Live Marketplace, or redeemed from gift cards purchased at retail locations. Microsoft Points are universal across the globe, and their use allows content to be priced independent of actual currency, eliminating complicated conversion factors for every purchase.
[edit] Xbox Live Arcade
The service was launched beginning November 22, 2005 on the Xbox 360. The Arcade service is integrated with the Dashboard user interface, allowing for distribution through the Xbox Live Marketplace using Microsoft Points. Arcade titles on the Xbox 360 support accurate and up-to-date leaderboards, with high scores linked to a player's Gamertag. Players can see where they stand in the Xbox Live community, take a look at the records set by the world's top-ranked players, or see how they match up against individuals on their friends list. Titles can also contribute to a player's Xbox Live Gamerscore, with each game containing 200 achievement points spread over a maximum of 12 achievements.
[edit] Xbox Originals
On December 4, 2007 Microsoft launched a new download service entitled Xbox Originals which allows Xbox Live users to download Xbox games directly to their hard disk. These titles cost 1200 Microsoft Points ($15 USD) each. Launch titles for the service were Halo, Fable, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Fuzion Frenzy and Indigo Prophecy.[1][2]
In Japan a different set of launch titles were released; Puyo Pop Fever and Magatama, along with Halo, Crimson Skies and Fable.[3]
Although, new titles were scheduled to be released on a weekly basis, there has been no new titles added since the initial offering, as of Jan 4th. [4]
[edit] Video Store
The Video Store (originally Video Marketplace) is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to distribute television shows and movies to Xbox 360 owners. The service was launched in USA on November 22, 2006 via Xbox Live. Initial content partners include Paramount Pictures, CBS, TBS, MTV Networks, UFC, NBC, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Other movie studios have since supported the service including Lionsgate Films and Walt Disney Pictures as announced at E3 2007. [1] At the present time, the service is available to users in the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, and Germany.
Various films and TV shows are available for purchase in the Video Store, including both past and present series, such as Star Trek and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.[5] TV shows will be saved permanently while movies are only "rentals"; they will become unwatchable 24 hours after initial viewing or 14 days after purchase.
At launch, the Video Store encountered widespread problems such as lengthy download times, duplicate billing for the same content, and downloads that could not complete, or for which users would have had to repay to complete.[6] Since then, all such problems have been resolved.
On March 6, 2007, the South Park episode "Good Times with Weapons" was available for free download. However, this episode was free only for the HDTV version until April 3, 2007. Starting on March 13, 2007, all episodes from South Park's 11th season were offered uncensored. Also, starting on July 26, 2007, the pilot episode of Jericho was available for download free of charge for both the Standard and HD versions.
On December 4, 2007 the service's original name, Video Marketplace, changed to Video Store.
On December 10, 2007 the Video Store was launched in Canada. It offered a choice of 31 movies.
On December 11, 2007 the Video Store was launched in four additional countries - UK, Ireland, France and Germany.[7]
[edit] Xbox Live Pipeline
Xbox Live Pipeline was a website that allowed users to view downloadable content available through Xbox Live Marketplace on their PC. Launched by Microsoft on October 12, 2006 the Flash-based web site provided access to an easy-to-use listing of game downloads, demos, game videos, themes, gamer pictures, and other pieces of media content.
At website launch, the site contained 6 main sections:
- Game Downloads - Xbox Live Arcade games and add-ons available for existing games.
- Demos and Game Videos - Downloadable demos and trailers for currently released or future release games.
- Themes and Gamer Pics - Themes for the console's interface and gamer pictures for a user's avatar.
- Media and Entertainment - Trailers for movies, short films, sports, music, and TV content, along with videos from the gaming community.
- Editor's Choice - Featured items chosen by the site's editors.
- We Need Your Help - Surveys inquiring as to how to improve the site.
As of the beginning of 2007, the Xbox Live Pipeline website redirects to the standard Xbox site, which now contains most of the functionality of Pipeline.
This site is no longer active and the domain has changed ownership.
[edit] Criticism
[edit] Problems with replacement consoles
Per Marketplace design, the digital rights management license for downloaded content is tied to both a specific user, as well as to a specific console. This means that to access the content, the user either needs to be signed on to Xbox Live using their Gamertag, or be playing on the original console the content was purchased on.[8]
As a result, users with replacement consoles (either as a result of a warranty claim, or due to an upgrade to the Xbox 360 Elite model) cannot use previously downloaded content without being connected to Xbox Live. This has the effect of restricting usage of purchased content when no Internet connection is available. An additional wrinkle is added when there are multiple accounts on one console. In this case, all accounts can normally share content when it was downloaded on that system. However, if the system is replaced, then only the actual Xbox Live account to which the content is tied can make use of it.
Currently, Microsoft has no procedure for transferring content ownership between consoles. However, if the replacement was due to a warranty issue, users can contact Xbox support to receive a refund of the points necessary to buy the content again on the new console, removing the Internet connection requirement.[citation needed] Microsoft has acknowledged that some of these issues remain open, and is investigating possible resolutions.
[edit] Pricing
Most criticisms leveled at the Xbox Live service concern the Xbox Live Marketplace. The service has come under fire from both gamers and the gaming press for charging for downloadable content. In many such cases, users were expecting instead that such content would be made available for free.
A notable incident was Microsoft charging for a Gears of War map pack that developer Epic wished to give away for free (although four months later it was released for free in September 2007).[9] Adding fuel to the flames, Game Informer made claims that Microsoft forced other companies to charge for content they wanted to distribute for free.[10] In this case, Microsoft Publishing was responsible for setting the price, with this not actually being a policy of the Xbox team or Xbox Live Marketplace as was implied. Free content is indeed possible, as evidenced by the release of a complete Xbox Live Arcade game, Aegis Wing, for users in North America.
[edit] Content Region Controls
After the Spring 2007 dashboard update, Microsoft tightened their grip on the regional content restrictions.[11] This made obtaining entertainment content for international markets impossible, while the US market has a substantial offering in comparison.
Critics of the International marketplaces want Microsoft to push harder to deliver quality content world-wide, or at the very least offer local content on a region by region basis. Presently, it seems that they have taken an all-regions-or-nothing approach to the problem. They argue that it's mainly about "legal restrictions" and the difficulty in attaining "global rights". It should be noted that since Microsoft does not own most of the content it sells, they cannot control where it is sold.
[edit] References
- ^ Microsoft To Launch Downloadable Xbox Game Campaign. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
- ^ Original Xbox Games Available on Live Soon, Plus Free Arcade Game Today. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
- ^ Xbox Originals: Japan Gets Different Xbox Originals Lineup. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ INTERVIEW: Xbox 360's Big Update. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ First Wave of TV Shows and Movies on Xbox Live. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
- ^ Tech problems hit XBL video marketplace. Retrieved on 2006-11-27.
- ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=88722
- ^ Xbox.com "Shop 'till you Drop" (subsection):Usage restrictions. Retrieved on 2007.
- ^ Gears of War Map Pack Live on Thursday. Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
- ^ www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5359&Itemid=2. Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
- ^ Microsoft to Tighten Up Xbox Live Marketplace Region Controls. Xbox 365 (2007-05-05).
[edit] External links
Video game consoles by Microsoft | |
|---|---|
| Consoles | Xbox · Xbox 360 |
| Games | Xbox games · Xbox 360 games · Backward compatible games · Platinum Hits · List of Xbox Live Arcade games (releases by date) |
| Online Services | Xbox Live (Arcade, Marketplace) · Games for Windows - Live · Live Anywhere |
| Peripherals | Xbox 360 accessories · Xbox Live Vision · Wireless Headset · Wireless Racing Wheel |
| Promotional | OurColony · Official Xbox Magazine · Xbox Exhibition · "X" Show · Xbox Rewards |
| Tools | Xbox Development Kit · Microsoft XNA |
| Miscellaneous | Microsoft Game Studios · Xbox 360 launch · Xbox 360 technical problems |
es:Bazar Xbox Live no:Xbox Live Marketplace sv:Xbox Live Marketplace
