Xbox Suite of Tools Washes Over This Wednesday
Not quite the tidal wave we were expecting.
Project Gotham Racing 2 - Xbox Live's most popular game
The Xbox Live community was buzzing over the weekend with the news that new community and content sharing tools are to be made available this week. The update - codenamed Tsunami - will start on Wednesday, April 21, at 6.01AM, Pacific Standard time, meaning around 24 hours of downtime for the service while the new features are implemented. The official word from Microsoft US reveals three key elements to Tsunami:
Teams: A 'clan' system where players can build a team with a distinct identity, send messages within that team, keep statistics, and challenge other teams to matches.
Competitions: Tsunami will let developers implement different competitions into games more easily. These competitions can then be overseen by gamers, groups of gamers, and publishers.
Title-Managed Online Storage: That's what they're calling it in Seattle, anyway. This ungainly phrase encompasses the sharing of user-created content. Title-Managed Online Storage will let players upload custom content for games and see it organised by title for other users to download.
The MSN Messenger integration facility that got a mention at E3 2003, and will let Xbox Live players contact other players on their PC's using the MSN Messenger utility, will not be included in this update, but will appear later this year.
Xbox Live gamers will not see a great change in their game experience immediately, as developers of upcoming games integrate and take full advantage of the new features accommodated by this week's update. Users of the service will be prompted to download a new patch in the coming days, however: all you have to do then is sit back and wait for the new features to appear.
Teams: A 'clan' system where players can build a team with a distinct identity, send messages within that team, keep statistics, and challenge other teams to matches.
Competitions: Tsunami will let developers implement different competitions into games more easily. These competitions can then be overseen by gamers, groups of gamers, and publishers.
Title-Managed Online Storage: That's what they're calling it in Seattle, anyway. This ungainly phrase encompasses the sharing of user-created content. Title-Managed Online Storage will let players upload custom content for games and see it organised by title for other users to download.
The MSN Messenger integration facility that got a mention at E3 2003, and will let Xbox Live players contact other players on their PC's using the MSN Messenger utility, will not be included in this update, but will appear later this year.
Xbox Live gamers will not see a great change in their game experience immediately, as developers of upcoming games integrate and take full advantage of the new features accommodated by this week's update. Users of the service will be prompted to download a new patch in the coming days, however: all you have to do then is sit back and wait for the new features to appear.
Companies:
Microsoft
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Comments
QuaiD 19 Apr 2004 21:49
1/2
That's right. PGR2 is going to be the game that benefits most at first from these updates. Personalised skins as paintjobs, decals, customising racing tourneys. Can't wait!
looniac 19 Apr 2004 23:17
2/2
The funny thing is that I've been using MSN Messenger on my PS2 for weeks with the aid of the european N(etwork)A(ccess)D(isk) and Brookfresh. :D