YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Xbox Live Celebrates 10 Years of Connecting Gamers

    By Chelsea Stark | Mashable – Thu, Nov 15, 2012

    Thursday marks the tenth anniversary of Xbox Live, Microsoft's online gaming platform for the Xbox and the Xbox 360.

    [More from Mashable: Steve Ballmer Hints at Microsoft Building More Hardware]

    For the last decade, Xbox Live has offered both a marketplace and online play space for gamers. It started in 2002 on Microsoft's original Xbox console; Xbox spokeperson Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, said it launched with games like Ghost Recon, MechAssault and NFL Fever.

    Now Xbox Live serves as a complete entertainment package for the Xbox 360. Players can still compete online and connect with others, but can also access all kinds of other services through their Xbox 360 as the console moves to position itself as a living room centerpiece. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, HBO Go, ESPN and NBA Live, as well as on-demand movies from Zune. During this year's election, Xbox Live offered full access to the debates and election coverage, thanks to a partnership with NBC.

    [More from Mashable: New ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Trailer Takes Game Violence to the Next Level [VIDEO]]

    There are about 30 million Xbox Live subscribers, each with their own unique gamertag. Xbox Live was instrumental in the widespread adoption of achievements on games, which players unlocked for completing different in-game challenges. According to Hyrb's Twitter account, gamers have unlocked 14.5 billion achievements in the past decade.

    Xbox Live is the only online network on consoles that charges its users, at $60 a pop for a 12-month subscription.

    To celebrate today's anniversary, some long-time Xbox Live subscribers are receiving special edition Xbox 360s, according to Hyrb's Twitter feed. Hyrb is also giving out one-year subscriptions to Xbox Live on his Twitter all day Thursday.

    Do you have fond memories of playing Xbox Live in the past decade? Please share them with us in the comments.

    BONUS: Holiday Gifts Perfect for Gamers

    1. Triforce Lamp

    Know a Zelda fan in need of some power, wisdom and courage? This beautiful wood and acrylic lamp can be hung or shelved. The pixelated carvings on each side warm the room with dappled light. Price: $95.00

    Click here to view this gallery.

    Image courtesy Rodrigo Denúbila, Flickr.

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

    Loading...

    More Tech News

     

    News for You »

    • Man charged with tossing wife off cruise ship

      SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A California grand jury has indicted a Florida man on charges he strangled his ex-wife and tossed her off a cruise ship in Italy.

    • Kim and Kanye's Baby Name Is Not That Strange

      It's being reported that rapper Kanye West and his reality star girlfriend Kim Kardashian have named their brand-new baby, born this weekend, Kaidence Donda West. Donda was Kanye's late mother's name, so that makes sense, but, um, Kaidence? What's going on with Kaidence?

    • Melissa Etheridge Calls Angelina Jolie's Mastectomy 'the Most Fearful Choice You Can Make'

      By Tony Maglio LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Melissa Etheridge believes Angelina Jolie jumped the gun with her double mastectomy. The singer, a breast cancer survivor, told The Washington Blade that she has the same BRCA gene mutation as Jolie. When asked about Jolie's choice to undergo a preventative double mastectomy, Etheridge called Jolie's decision "the most fearful choice you can make when confronting anything with cancer." "I wouldn't call it the brave choice," the singer said. ...

    • Suit: McDonald's wages put on costly debit card

      Would you like fees with that? A Pennsylvania woman has filed suit to avoid fees she may be charged to get her McDonald's wages from a debit card. Single mom Natalie Gunshannon has filed suit over bank ...

    • Justin Bieber Maybe Shouldn't Drive Cars Anymore

      Oh lord. Another day, another incident involving teen menace Justin Bieber and one of his expensive vroom-vrooms. It seems that Justin Bieber was involved in a traffic incident last night that had police questioning him about a possible a hit-and-run situation. Justin was leaving the Laugh Factory last night in his Ferrari and apparently hit a dude who was standing in the street. Bieber didn't stop to check on him, leading police to think it might have been a hit-and-run. ...

    • 7-Eleven Stores Operated 'Modern Day Plantation System,' Feds Claim

      9 People Charged With Wire Fraud, Stealing Identities and Harboring Undocumented Immigrants

    • Hoffa mystery still fascinates after 4 decades

      OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The latest possible resting place of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa is an overgrown farm field where the normal calm of chirping crickets is being drowned out by a beeping backhoe, the chop of an overhead news helicopter and the bustle of reporters and onlookers.

    • Edward Snowden wants everyone to stop talking about his girlfriend [PHOTOS]

      Alleged National Security Administration whistle-blower Edward Snowden would like for everyone to stop talking about his hot girlfriend, thank you very much. (RELATED: Here is the NSA whistle blower’s alleged girlfriend)

    Show More
    Loading...

    Follow Yahoo! News