Xbox Live signs 8 millionth members

MICROSOFT’S online games network Xbox LIVE celebrated its fifth birthday this week, with the company announcing the service had signed its 8 millionth customer to market the event.

For a service that had plenty of knockers at launch, Xbox Live has changed market expectations of what a gaming service should be.

And the service is largely credited with keeping the Xbox console alive and competitive in the hyper-competitive market that includes Sony and Nintendo Wii.

Xbox LIVE has grown from a small community of gamers in two countries, playing a handful of games online with their friends, to a worldwide social entertainment network offering online access to gaming, music, movies and TV shows.

Microsoft said it would celebrate the five-year milestone by giving all 8 million customers a free Xbox Live Arcade game – through its new download service.

Starting in early December, all Xbox Live members will receive a free system update that includes a series of new features and updates – including the launch of Xbox Originals,

Xbox Originals will for the first time let consumers download and own full Xbox Games – Halo and Psychonauts.

“In just five short years, Xbox LIVE has revolutionized the way friends and family have fun in the living room,” said Microsoft’s LIVE software and services corporate vice-president John Schappert.

“On its fifth birthday, Xbox LIVE truly is the place for hanging out with friends and enjoying downloadable TV shows, movies, videos, game add-ons and now downloadable Xbox games on demand.”

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Hackers discover extra Manhunt violence

COMPUTER hackers in the US have uncovered ultra-violent content in the game “Manhunt 2” which the publisher had hidden in order to get it through the ratings authority.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board in the US had originally given the game an “Adult’s Only” rating. But when the game went on sale a week ago, it carried a “Mature” rating.

Reports in the US say hackers have broken the blurring of some of the more violent scenes in the game. The game’s publisher had blurred the ultra-violent content in order to get a more marketable rating.

The reports say the hackers had defeated blurring on the Playstation Portable version of the game, which is also available on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s Wii consoles.

The Manhunt 2 publisher Take Two Interactive Software have hit headlines in Australia previsouly, both for the previous version of ManHunt and for its Grand Theft Auto franchise. Ultra-violence and graphic sex scenes have been the complaint.

The Manhunt 2 hack is said to roll-back only some of the changes that were made to give the game a more accessible rating. The hack also requires considerable technical expertise, as well as a PlayStation Portable that has itself been hacked to allow it to play modified software.

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