Xbox 360 users Identity at risk?

      Microsoft is investigating research from a team that suggests credit card information can be stolen from used Xbox 360 consoles even after they have been put back to factory settings.  The Xbox allows you to restore your xbox 360 to factory settings, which should erase all the content on the consoles hard drive, including credit card info, game saves, game demo's and gamertags.

But this research team says there were able to extract credit card numbers from  refurbished Xbox 360's using simple hacking methods.

       "Microsoft does a great job of protecting their proprietary information, but they don't do a great job of protecting the user's data," Drexel's Ashley Podhradsky tells the gaming site.

Microsoft has responded with...

     "Xbox is not designed to store credit card data locally on the console, and as such seems unlikely credit card data was recovered by the method described," says Jim Alkove, general manager of security in Microsoft's interactive entertainment wing.

Alkove also says that the company wipes out local hard drives on all refurbished consoles before they are re-sold.

      All I know is that when I've talked to my local nerd friends at my friendly neighborhood game stop, they told me never put my credit card information onto my Xbox because our identities were at such risk from attack.  I even remember buying a hard drive from Game Crazy and it still had everything on it, Gamer-Tags, demo's, music..the whole works.  So, I haven't put my information on there and I suggest that you do the same.  Just got to the store, buy the microsoft points and save your self the future headech.

Cyber Bullying on Xbox

      Cyber bullying seems to be a growing concern with parents that have children playing on Xbox live.  I can understand why they would see it as a concern when a parent walks into the room and all they hear is F this F that you stupid M F'er.  A young child may not understand that those words are inappropriate to use in public and may call his teacher a M F'er the next day at school.  Of even worse hurt themselves becuase they actually feel hurt an abused.

    We all know that if you hear a 12 year old on Call of Duty swearing, the older generation gets extremely aggrivated. I know I've said my fair share of unethical things to a younger people in the Xbox Live world, but I've also said bad things to everyone else to!  Now who really is at fault here....?  If I was to make fun of a 25 yr. old on COD he would either mute me or talk shit back.  That is the natural order of online gaming (Making fun of people+Winning= A good time)  Which brings me to my point...aren't these games where most all of the bullying is occurring rated M?  FOR MATURE AUDIENCE'S ONLY!  For people who can make their own decisions!?  So how are they getting these games?  Because I had a beard at 15 and I still needed my mom to buy these games for me. 

      So, yet again parents take the win on this one.  If you don't like what your child is listening to or playing...DON'T LET THEM BUY IT!  Save me the trouble of putting your child in their place.  It's up to parents to be responsible for their children's purchases!  I shouldn't have to turn on the news and see some outraged parent angry at video game manufactures because their child killed themselves because they weren't socially apt enough to play to begin with. 

      This has all happened before....It'll probably happen again.  If your worried about your child playing an unsavory game, play a few hours with them and see how it is! Who knows you might actaully like playing!  Don't let them go off into some dark room and let them rot their brains out with something you don't approve of.  Be a parent....Be responsible.

Xbox Lite before Xbox 720?

    There's a new Xbox rumor going around, whether its true or not, its interesting to speculate.

So let's just pretend that this entire post might be fictional speculation, OK?!

      The rumor is that the next gaming hardware coming out won't be a next generation Xbox 720, it'll be an Xbox Lite. A stripped down, $100 box intended as a Kinect-enabled media hub that also happens to play Xbox Live Arcade titles. BUT....It won't have a hard drive but will supposedly  have a few gigs of memory within the system itself.

      So far, that sounds possible to me, seeing how much effort Microsoft has been devoting towards getting all of these wonderful media applications onto the Xbox 360.  MS Nerd says the new hardware will ship in late 2013 and that it's intended to compete with Apple TV.(in other words, it'll probably cost about $100).
Now there's been rumors that the Xbox 720 will be ARM-based, so maybe this is a precursor to the Xbox 720 rather than a sequel to the Xbox 360?

       It seems to me that by late 2013 Microsoft will be able to sell a box based on the current Xbox 360 for $100 (an Xbox 360 Arcade System currently retails for $200) without switching to a new architecture.... GREAT RIGHT?!   In my opinion NO!  Why are we having to wait for a product we really want?  I'm tired of being their media guinea pigs.  I understand that they are trying to change gaming as we know it but they should be investigating new ways of doing so on their own time... NOT putting bits and pieces of their new system in crappy consoles to test their durability or likeability. 

I thought I would have had my Xbox 720 by now...but no.

We the consumer need to speak up....

MLB TV on xbox 360

Today it was announced that MLB.TV is available on Microsoft’s Xbox 360. MLB.TV! The Internet’s most profound live streaming video subscription offering.  MLB Premium subsciptions start at $124.99 for a year, $24.99 a month


Beginning today, MLB.TV Premium subscribers will have access to all available every regular season game on Xbox 360 as well as portability support to use their accounts across a variety of mobile and connected devices. Plus! MLB.TV subscribers get the award-winning MLB.com At Bat 12 mobile application for free on iPhone, iPad and Android.

“The future of sports entertainment will be more personal, interactive, and engaging,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Chief Marketing Officer, Xbox. “With unique features like a split-screen mode that lets you watch two games at once, and voice-control on Xbox 360 that lets you pause, rewind, or fast forward with the sound of your voice, the MLB.TV app for Xbox is a giant leap into the future.”

“The launch of MLB.TV on Xbox 360 is an exciting development for baseball fans and symbolic of our commitment to deliver live games through Internet-connected distribution points,” said Kenny Gersh, Senior Vice President, Business Development, MLBAM. “Combining the technology powers of MLB.TV and Xbox will give fans even more options for watching live baseball games in high definition.”


With Major League Baseball TV on Xbox 360,we will get the dynamic live viewing experience...new features include...

• My Teams – Designate favorite teams and put them front and center, making the live games, archives and recaps for selected favorite teams.
• All games in HD – Major League games are now all in HD whether your at home or on the go!

• Mini Guide – The Mini Guide gives you a quick preview of all of today’s games right at the bottom of the screen, and makes it easier than ever to switch between games.

•  Split Screen – Now you can watch two games at once!  You can even browse archived games and view them the same time your watching the Cubs get killed.  Each video can be controlled..meaning you can rewind or pause either video.

• Gesture Control and Voice Control with Kinect for Xbox 360 - Browsing your media via voice command....how cool is that!

HBO GO on Xbox 360

            "HBO is bringing their entire catalogue of shows to Xbox, all searchable by voice,” the press release says. “HBO GO on Xbox 360 features a comprehensive on-demand library including their hit original content from the past like “Deadwood,” “Band of Brothers” and “Entourage,” to current popular TV shows like “Eastbound & Down,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Boardwalk Empire” – all of your favorites!

       HBO Go is truly an innovation on how we view our media. For a fee you can of course access HBO GO and all its splendor but if your already supplied with HBO with your cable provider you can access HBO GO for free on your Xbox 360!

      So no more browsing for a half hour in Netflix trying to find a new GOOD movie you haven't seen before!  We not have HBO GO where almost anything you probably want to watch will be there!

      Now the only problem....Some cable service providers are denying free access to those people already subscribed to HBO.  Since this is just the dawn of this new product I don't foresee these problems continuing very long.

Xbox 360 assembly and disassembly

Hey everyone this is just a quick video to explain how to assemble to disassemble your Xbox 360.


NOTE:  I do not recommend you to take apart your Xbox 360 unless you have prior experience.

Cheers!

New Xbox Release in 2013

         Devoted Xbox players...Are you tired of the same xbox 360 platform!?  I am, I could have sworn that by early 2012 we would have had our new model of Xbox's.  BUT NO!  They had to stumble upon the kinect technology which boomed their sales.  They actually thought that Kinect wouldn't make any money, it was just a marketing ploy, but of course the public loved their product and the dollar signs lit up their eyes.  So now that they got the public to enjoy the pleasures of Kinect they figured they would squeeze all they could out of the current platform.

           But now we see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.  We now know that the new xbox model will hit the shelves sometime in 2013.  Hopefully by public demand we might see the earliest start date possible.  But knowing how they operate I honestly think that it may come out in the holiday season of 2013.  I've also heard rumors that they won't come out with it until 3D TV is more prevalent so they can also lead the market in broadcasting media.  With the way Xbox is incorporating all these different media outlets I can see them trying to reshape the gaming consoles as we know it. With all the new technology available now I'm quite excited about the possibilities.

Hopefully now at this years E3 we will finally find out what is behind the curtian.  I CAN'T WAIT!

Need Xbox360 Tech Help?

Hey everyone!   Just wanted to let everyone know that I am now using my xbox knowledge and putting it to good use by helping anyone who need help with anything Xbox 360.  This could be anything from how to create a LAN line for gaming to how to format a flash drive for your xbox 360 console.  No matter how stupid you think the question is I'll be happy to help.

Contact me at mattvandenberg@gmail.com

Cheers,

Matt

Modding your Xbox 360 and Controllers!

Hey everyone!   I am now accepting customers for xbox 360 and controller modifications.  If you or anyone you know is interested in a mod contact me at mattvandenberg@gmail.com.

Out of warranty?! Need Your Xbox 360 Fixed?!

      If anyone is in need of Xbox 360 repairs I will be glad to help you.  Depending on where you live and what the problem is I'll charge anywhere between 40-80 dollars. 
    
     The biggest problem with sending your xbox 360 back to the manufacturer is that you have to wait a month or more to start playing again on top of paying 90+ dollars. 

      If you decide to use me for the repairs I most likely will be able to fix your xbox with in 24 hours of me receiving it. Which means your that much closer to playing your xbox. The only way it will take longer is if I need to order new parts, at that point I would inform you about the delay and give you an estimated completion date.

      For a lesser fee I can give you step by step instructions on how to fix your xbox yourself.  This is of course will be at your own risk and I do not recommend it, but if you you feel your tech savy enough I won't stop ya.


       Cheers!
                 Matt



        If your interested in getting your Xbox 360 fixed contact me at mattvandenberg@gmail.com with a brief disciption of the problem. 




FYI.... I will not accept payment until the Xbox 360 console is fixed