Xbox Live Marketplace
Developer	Microsoft Corporation
Type	Online market
Available	November 2005
Console	Xbox 360
Website	Official Website

Xbox Live Marketplace

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. A console manufacturer is a company that manufactures and distributes Video game consoles It is also known as a first-party Video game publisher. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Electronic trading, sometimes called etrading, is a method of trading securities (such as Stocks and bonds, foreign Currency, and PortalCurrent events News collections and sources See WikipediaNews collections and sources. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation The service offers movie and game trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, Xbox Originals, gamer tag images, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes. A game demo is an often but not always freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released computer or video game. This article provides a list of released and upcoming Xbox Originals games for the Xbox 360. An avatar is a computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games a two-dimensional Icon The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. In Computing, skins may be associated with themes as custom graphical appearances ( GUIs) that can be applied to certain software and

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.

The marketplace can also be used to "upgrade" a particular game, such as, the ability to download map packs for Bungie's Halo 3. Bungie is an American Video game developer founded in May 1991 under the name Halo 3 is a First-person shooter Video game developed by Bungie exclusively for the Xbox 360.

Microsoft Points

Main article: Microsoft Points

Microsoft Points are used as scrip in the Xbox Live Marketplace, which includes the Xbox Live Arcade. Microsoft Points (denoted as) are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery and Zune online stores Scrip is any Substitute for Currency which is not Legal tender and is often a form of credit. Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to digitally distribute video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners These points may be purchased with a credit card through the Xbox Live Marketplace, or redeemed from gift cards purchased at retail locations. Scrip is any Substitute for Currency which is not Legal tender and is often a form of credit. 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.

Xbox Live Arcade

Main article: Xbox Live Arcade

The Xbox Live Arcade service was re-launched beginning with the release of the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005. Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to digitally distribute video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation 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. Xbox Live (trademarked as Xbox LIVE) is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation

Xbox Originals

Main article: List of Xbox Originals

Xbox Originals download screen at launch, showing the initial North American lineup

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 disks. This article provides a list of released and upcoming Xbox Originals games for the Xbox 360. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. The Xbox 360 Game console, developed by Microsoft, features a number of first-party and third-party accessories These titles cost 1200 Microsoft Points ($15 USD) each. Microsoft Points (denoted as) are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery and Zune online stores 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. Halo Combat Evolved (commonly known as Halo or Halo 1) is a First-person shooter (FPS Video game developed Fable is a role-playing Video game for Xbox, Mac OS X, and Windows platforms Psychonauts is a platform Video game created by Tim Schafer (known for several LucasArts adventure games such as Grim Crimson Skies High Road to Revenge is a first-party video game title developed by FASA Studio (part of Microsoft Game Studios) for the Crash Bandicoot The Wrath of Cortex is a Platform game for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube Video game consoles Fuzion Frenzy is a Launch title for the Microsoft Xbox. At its core Fuzion Frenzy is a four-player Party game featuring Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in the United States and Canada) is a Video game that was released in September ^[1][2]

In Japan a different set of launch titles were released; Puyo Pop Fever and Magatama, along with Halo, Crimson Skies and Fable. Puyo Pop Fever, known in Japan as, is a Puzzle game released on a wide variety of systems and was developed by Namco Hometek. Magatama (ja 勾玉 or ja 曲玉) are curved Beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jōmon period. ^[3]

There have been seven titles added since the initial offering, including: Burnout 3: Takedown, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, Metal Arms: Glitch in the System and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory . Burnout 3 Takedown is the third game in the Burnout series of video games Dreamfall The Longest Journey ( Drømmefall Den lengste reisen) is an adventure video game released for the Windows and Xbox Sid Meier's Pirates! is a 2004 strategy / action / adventure Computer game developed by Firaxis Games Gauntlet Seven Sorrows is a Role-playing game. It is the follow up to Gauntlet Legends and Gauntlet Dark Legacy. Metal Arms Glitch in the System is a Third-person shooter developed by Swingin' Ape Studios. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory is a critically acclaimed third-person Stealth-based video game developed and published by Ubisoft. ^[4]

Video Store

The 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. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Initial content partners include Paramount Pictures, CBS, TBS, MTV Networks, UFC, NBC, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. TBS is an American Cable television network that shows sports and a variety of programming with a focus on comedy MTV Networks Company, also known as MTV Networks, is a division of Media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operation of many TV network Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC is a US -based Mixed martial arts (MMA organization currently recognized as the largest MMA promotion in the world The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Other movie studios have since supported the service including Lionsgate Films and Walt Disney Pictures as announced at E3 2007. Lionsgate redirects here For other meanings see Lions' Gate (disambiguation‎. Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner was established The E3 Media and Business Summit, formerly known as Electronic Entertainment Expo and commonly known as E3, is an annual Trade show for the computer ^[5] At CES 2008, MGM, ABC, the Disney Channel and Toon Disney announced their support for the service. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES is a Trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. For the Disney Channel in other countries see Disney Channel around the world. Toon Disney is a soon to be defunct 24-hour American Cable television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company that mostly airs Children ^[6] 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. CSI Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama Television series that trails the investigations of a team of Las Vegas ^[7] 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. ^[8]

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. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of South Park is an animated American television comedy series created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Comedy Central "Good Times with Weapons" is episode 801 of South Park. High-definition television (HDTV is a Digital television Broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems (standard-definition Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Starting on March 13, 2007, all episodes from South Park's 11th season were offered uncensored. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 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. Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Jericho is an American Serial drama

Xbox Live Pipeline

The logo for 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. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

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.

Xbox Live Marketplace Ticker

The Marketplace Ticker is a replacement for the recently removed Xbox Live Pipeline. The Xbox Live Marketplace Ticker allows users to view the latest demos, trailers, "gamer pics", themes, games, and TV shows and Movies. ^[9]

The Marketplace Ticker allows users to see the availability, price, and information of items that can be purchased from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Marketplace Ticker does not yet let you add items onto the Queue portion of the Xbox 360 for later download when the gamer signs unto Xbox Live.

Criticism

Most complaints and criticisms leveled at the Xbox Live service concern the Xbox Live Marketplace. Specific areas include the following:

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. Digital rights management ( DRM) is a generic term that refers to Access control technologies used by hardware manufacturers publishers and Copyright holders 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. ^[10]

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. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. 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 (a workaround exists whereby the non-purchasing gamertag can use the content, but only if the original purchasing gamertag is signed into Xbox Live as a secondary profile). A workaround is a bypass of a recognized problem in a system A workaround is typically a temporary fix that implies that a genuine solution to the problem is needed

Recently, Microsoft has attempted to resolve the issues with the replacement consoles. They are able to transfer the console license to a new console, however one must contact Microsoft support to do so and the console must be replaced through Microsoft itself or a warranty from the retailer where it was originally purchased. Furthermore, Microsoft will not perform license transfers in the case of a voluntary upgrade (i. e. whereby the user has purchased an Xbox 360 Elite to replace their old console). Microsoft support states the license transfer process takes 20-30 days, however users have found that it can take much longer.

Pricing

The service has been criticized by both gamers and the gaming press for charging users a membership fee while simultaneously displaying advertisements on the dashboard.

The Marketplace charges for most downloadable content, including gamer picture icons and dashboard themes, which have traditionally been offered for free on the Internet (i. e. buddy icons and desktop wallpapers).

A notable incident was Microsoft charging for a Gears of War map pack that developer Epic desired to provide at no cost (although it was made free four months later in September 2007). Gears of War is a tactical Third-person shooter Video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Epic Games, also known as Epic and formerly as Epic MegaGames, is a Video game development company based in Cary North Carolina, United ^[11] Exacerbating the controversy, Game Informer made claims that Microsoft forced companies to charge for content the company itself wanted to distribute for free. Game Informer (often abbreviated to GI) is an American -based monthly magazine featuring articles news strategy and reviews of ^[12] 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, but with the exception of the Xbox Live Arcade game, Aegis Wing, most of the free content is promotional in nature, such as the Xbox Live Arcade Yaris game. Aegis Wing is an Xbox Live Arcade game developed by three Microsoft Interns and Carbonated Games. Yaris is a free Toyota licensed racing Advergame developed for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade based on the automotive

Content Region Controls

After the Spring 2007 dashboard update, Microsoft increased the security on the regional content restrictions. ^[13] This made obtaining entertainment content for international markets impossible, while the US market has a substantial offering in comparison. Even some free content, such as downloadable extras for retail games, is impossible to obtain in certain regions, despite there being no legal or censorship problems (an example of this would be the second Gears of War map pack; while the first pack was initially available worldwide for free, the Spring 2007 update made both unavailable to many Xbox 360 owners). Gears of War is a tactical Third-person shooter Video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios.

Critics of the International marketplaces want Microsoft to deliver quality content world-wide, or at the very least offer local content on a region by region basis.

Network Performance

On April 4th, 2008, Xbox Live Marketplace had encountered a problem when the Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released. Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare is a First-person shooter Video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Many Xbox Live users attempted to download the content and due to the mass number of people downloading the content it caused very slow internet traffic that made many users unable to access Xbox Live Marketplace and redeem prepaid cards. Similar issues occurred in December 2007 - January 2008 after a spike in new users to the service after the Holiday season.

References

External links

• Official Xbox Live Marketplace Website