My multimedia laptop has video-in, and I'd like to try out an Xbox 360 on its monitor.
Can I just plug it in and start playing?
Are there compatibility issues I should think about?
What about resolution? Will it look like crap?
Any other issues?
My 360 console began experiencing the "3 Red Light" problem so I called support on 7/14. I was told I would receive a box and that the replacement process would take 4-6 weeks.
I called two weeks later, because when I tried to check status online, there were no consoles registered to me, my phone number, nor my gamertag. When I called, i was assured that my console was tied to my gamertag. When I asked why I could not view this online, the representative indicated that everything was correct and he could not help me.
I just called support again today and found out that a service order was never submitted and that the 4-6 weeks has restarted (assuming that the order is persisted this time.) I asked if there was any way to expedite this but the answer was no. I asked if there were a care team that I could talk to but the answer was no.
I appreciate that Microsoft is providing this service, but at this point, 2 months after initial contact, I have no console to play and I am now looking hard at something I wouldn't have considered before this incident - buying a PS3.
I am sure that I am not the only Microsoft customer this has happened to. Having been through it, I can assure you that this level of support is what is damaging the Microsoft brand, not the original 4-6 week window. It is now September 14 and I still don't have it back.
Why is it so hard to cancel an XBox Live subscription?
It took me ages to work out how to do it. I assumed I could cancel online, since that's how I signed up. But oh no, it's not that easy. I hunted through the various XBox sites and couldn't find an easy answer, so in the end I turned to Google. Finally discovered that you can only cancel your account by ringing them up, waiting in a queue and then having to put up with a phone op trying to talk you out of it.
While I was on the phone I asked the (American) operator why it was that I could create an account online, add new credit cards, purchase points, change my contact info and do anything else except cancel.
He said it’s because if members could cancel their accounts via the internet “other people migh be able to falsely log in to your account (we call them hackers) and cancel your XBOX live account without your permission.”
I couldn’t help laughing at him. I said I know what a hacker is, and if Microsoft’s system is so insecure that they fear hackers might login in and cancel my account I’m glad i’m shutting it down, since it gives me no confidence at all in thier ability to securely protect my credit card and personal contact info, nor to safely process payments or other transactions online. I suggested that what he had offered me was the most flimsy excuse imaginable for a system blatantly designed to minimise cancellations by obscuring the process.
Now we’ll wait and see if the cancellation was actually successful or if they’ll just tap my credit card next week anyway when the renewal date rolls around...
So my question for Microsoft is: What's the real reason why you don't allow members to cancel their accounts online?
For those trying to cancel, some phone numbers
US: 1-800-4MY-XBOX
Australia: 1800 555 741
It's interesting to see the projects that people come up with to take advantage of the powerful components inside gaming consoles. I've been staring at this project to turn my old Xbox into a beefy media center PC for a while now. I love the the idea of turning something I don't use anymore at all into something that beats the Apple TV in some ways.
There's nothing quite so cheap and functional yet in the realm of alternate uses for the Xbox 360, but I've poked around and found some imaginative projects and uses. Here's a small collection of things people have done with their 360's so far, and also a few ideas for Xbox features you can enable beyond just playing video games:
The Weird
Perhaps the weirdest, an egg fried on the heat sink of an Xbox 360:
In the "because he could" category, there's a 360 made into an alarm clock/tissue dispenser:
If you're into this sort of thing, Ben’s breakdown of the task makes for a fascinating -- if excruciatingly detailed -- read. It took him three months to complete. This souped-up 360 is water-cooled and fully functional, but it required all kinds of additional parts, including tubes of JB Weld, a 17-inch monitor, and a customized power brick.
Robotics, The Military, And The Po Po
The 360 controller is apparently the control sticks of choice for UK military spy planes that rain death from above. It seems like kind of a thin marketing gimmick, but I have to admit I'd like to see the military do something similar with a Guitar Hero controller, maybe involving a .50 cal cannon.
It has also been used in research applications, where it's been known to make an ideal control for advanced robotics projects that need lots of programmable sticks and buttons.
The 360 console has also made great trap bait. If you need to lure someone somewhere, you can dangle the promise of a brand-new Xbox 360, like the El Paso police department did to round up 115 wanted criminals.
Basic Ways To Make It Do More
These aren't necessarily full alternate uses, but they're some tips and suggestions for features you can enable beyond playing games and Xbox Live.
Befriending The Zune - If you have a Zune, you can share music wirelessly from it to your 360 using Windows Media Connect. In fact, you can use a similar setup to share music and videos between a basic Windows machine and the 360.
iPod/360 - If you have an iPod you can play non-rights-managed AAC files (i.e. stuff that's in AAC format but that you didn't buy from the iTunes store) from your iPod via a USB cable by downloading the Optional Media Update.
Make The D-pad Your Own - This one is more advanced and requires some hardware hacking. If you're into classic arcade games, you might want to modify the D-pad on your controller to improve the control in titles like Street Fighter and Virtua Fighter 5. This video shows how to make some mods using a Torx bit, a #1 and #0 phillips screwdriver, sandpaper, and/or a Dremel tool:
How about you? Have you seen any modification projects or alternate uses for the 360, discovered any interesting non-gaming features, or thought about doing anything to yours?
I've got my eye out for a project that shows how to make some kind of useful home security tool out of the Xbox Live Vision video camera add-on, but haven't found anything so far.
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dmkoch
last replied
on July 23, 2008 19:47
macman
last replied
on January 05, 2008 01:40
