Microsoft Unveils ‘Xbox Live’
Reprinted from a Microsoft press release:
LOS ANGELES, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3),
Microsoft Corp. became the first video game company ever to announce a
comprehensive online game service fully dedicated to fast-action, always-connected broadband gaming
experiences. The online console gaming service, named Xbox Live, launches in North America, Japan
and Europe this fall for the Xbox video game system and ramps up with consumer beta programs starting
this summer.
Xbox Live will enable all gamers to find their friends easily; talk to other players during game play through
the Xbox Communicator headset; download current statistics, new levels and characters to their Xbox
hard drive; and play online.
Jump-starting the online title announcements, Allard said Xbox Live will support five Xbox Live-exclusive
games this year: “Unreal Championship” (Infogrames); and “MechAssault,” “Whacked!,” “NFL
Fever 2003″ and “Midtown Madness 3″ (Microsoft Game Studios).
To date, 60 game companies have committed to create games for Xbox Live, and at least 50 Xbox
Live-enabled games are planned to release by the end of next year. Some upcoming Xbox Live titles
include “Shaun Palmer’s Pro Snowboarder 2″ from Activision, Inc.; “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon,”
“Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six RavenShield” and “XIII” from Ubi Soft; and “SEGA Sports NFL
2K3,” “SEGA Sports NBA 2K3″ and “Phantasy Star Online” from SEGA of America, Inc.
As the grand finale to the Xbox Live unveiling, J Allard, general manager of Xbox at Microsoft, announced a lineup of games in the works for the
future of the service, including “Star Wars Galaxies” (LucasArts Entertainment Company),
“Counterstrike” (Valve Software for Microsoft Game Studios), and future versions of Xbox original
blockbusters like “Halo,” “RalliSport Challenge,” “Amped” and “Project Gotham Racing.”
With the service approach, Xbox Live is poised to deliver the most seamless, easy-to-use and consistent
online gaming environment for gamers, developers and publishers alike. It was designed by gamers for
gamers and includes features such as delivery of real-time scores and statistics so gamers can compare
themselves to the best players in the world; quick and easy game launches; fast downloads; the ability to
find friends online across games with only one click; and the ability to maintain a single identity across all
games with a single password.
Microsoft is building four datacenters — in Seattle and Tukwila, Wash., Tokyo and London — in order to
run a scalable, secure and gamer-friendly service. Xbox will assist publishers by managing the hosting,
networking, security and billing so that game creators can focus on creating awesome game content.
Key, consistent features of the Xbox Live service across games include the following:
— Gamertag. Gamertag is a gamer’s unique online ID for all games across
the global gaming service.
— Friends list. This feature allows gamers to find friends online and
invite them to a game — no matter which Xbox Live game they’re
playing.
— Xbox Communicator. Voice communication is integrated with all Xbox Live
multiplayer games and enables voice interaction with teammates and
opponents. Key elements of this feature exclusive to Xbox include voice
masking, global muting and parental control.
— Matchmaking. QuickMatch enables players to enter a multiplay experience
with a single button-click, and OptiMatch, an Xbox Live exclusive,
helps them select games and opponents based on similar skill levels.
— High-speed content downloads to the Xbox hard disk. Only Xbox offers
console gamers the ability to download and permanently store both free
and for-a-fee content that can include new levels, characters, missions
and statistics.
Allard painted a bullish picture for the future of online console gaming and the promise of Xbox to lead the
category. “Within five years every important game will be online,” he said. “There will be new categories of
collaborative and competitive console games that are possible only online. The ability to download new
worlds, levels, characters, weapons, vehicles, teams, statistics and missions will change the way
developers think about creating games, and will change the way gamers play them.”
At launch, U.S. consumers can purchase a starter kit for $49.95. For the estimated retail price of a
single game, the consumer receives a year’s subscription to Xbox Live, an Xbox Communicator that plugs
into the Xbox controller and facilitates all voice communication with other players, and “ReVolt,” a fun
online racing game from Acclaim Entertainment Inc. Pricing and specific offers in regions outside the
United States will be announced locally at a later date.