So, I signed-up for Xbox Live this evening.....
And, it didn't work.
3 Seconds in my firewall's port forwarding menu fixed that. (forward port 3074 to 3074 for whatever IP your Xbox is at).
The Xbox automatically finds its place on your network, it does this as quickly and easily as an iBook. Further proving it is one of Microsoft's most un-Microsoft products. All you have to do is turn it on, and install the software, which takes 30 seconds and no cofiguration.
Just hit "A" a few times.
The nature of routers and their firewalls cause problems, but they can be worked around very easily in most cases. If your router can't do NAT for some reason, you are out of luck, however.
The only truly evil part of the signup is the sheer amount of data you need to input to establish your account. Name, Address, Phone Number, Email Address (with privacy preferences that are opt-in, thankfully) Credit Card Number (if you want to buy Premium Content, new levels and other stuff of that nature are going to remain free, for the most part) Billing Address, etc.
And the option to lock the ability to purchase anything and to disable voice chat in software.
A few important points:
- Your gamertag is your gamertag for life. You can never change it. It is permanently tied to your machine. Many people see this as a good thing.
- The voice chat can thankfully be muted without penalty. The headset itself can be disconnected in a second. Just because it came with your Xbox Live kit doesn't mean you have to use it. Microsoft doesn't want you to feel that you MUST use it.
- You get your usual number of cool players and losers. A bunch of jocks came into a game of Unreal Championship this evening and predictably started calling everyone a faggot over and over and over again. I laid down the smack without having to type in some long rant whilst being fragged.
- Xbox Live tracks your stats in every single game you play. Once again, this is a good thing. It lets you match up with people who are on your skill level and prevents more experienced players from invading Newbie games and slaughtering the lot of them.
- You have a friends list. People can invite you to play a game while you are in the middle of another. A little dialog pops up and asks you what you want to do. If you say no, the game goes on as normal, if you say yes, the game stops, you are asked to switch discs and when your Xbox restarts it knows exactly who you wanted to play with, etc.
You can add me to your own, if you wish. Post in this thread if you do. My gamertag is......"Doctor Gonzo". Just remember my gamertag has the space between the words that my username here does not.
I'm open to questions, if anyone has any.
3 Seconds in my firewall's port forwarding menu fixed that. (forward port 3074 to 3074 for whatever IP your Xbox is at).
The Xbox automatically finds its place on your network, it does this as quickly and easily as an iBook. Further proving it is one of Microsoft's most un-Microsoft products. All you have to do is turn it on, and install the software, which takes 30 seconds and no cofiguration.
Just hit "A" a few times.
The nature of routers and their firewalls cause problems, but they can be worked around very easily in most cases. If your router can't do NAT for some reason, you are out of luck, however.
The only truly evil part of the signup is the sheer amount of data you need to input to establish your account. Name, Address, Phone Number, Email Address (with privacy preferences that are opt-in, thankfully) Credit Card Number (if you want to buy Premium Content, new levels and other stuff of that nature are going to remain free, for the most part) Billing Address, etc.
And the option to lock the ability to purchase anything and to disable voice chat in software.
A few important points:
- Your gamertag is your gamertag for life. You can never change it. It is permanently tied to your machine. Many people see this as a good thing.
- The voice chat can thankfully be muted without penalty. The headset itself can be disconnected in a second. Just because it came with your Xbox Live kit doesn't mean you have to use it. Microsoft doesn't want you to feel that you MUST use it.
- You get your usual number of cool players and losers. A bunch of jocks came into a game of Unreal Championship this evening and predictably started calling everyone a faggot over and over and over again. I laid down the smack without having to type in some long rant whilst being fragged.
- Xbox Live tracks your stats in every single game you play. Once again, this is a good thing. It lets you match up with people who are on your skill level and prevents more experienced players from invading Newbie games and slaughtering the lot of them.
- You have a friends list. People can invite you to play a game while you are in the middle of another. A little dialog pops up and asks you what you want to do. If you say no, the game goes on as normal, if you say yes, the game stops, you are asked to switch discs and when your Xbox restarts it knows exactly who you wanted to play with, etc.
You can add me to your own, if you wish. Post in this thread if you do. My gamertag is......"Doctor Gonzo". Just remember my gamertag has the space between the words that my username here does not.
I'm open to questions, if anyone has any.