Xbox Live
May 20, 2002

Microsoft announced Xbox Live, its online service, which will debut this fall in all territories with a beta program in North America this summer. The company has pledged a $2 billion commitment for the service. Standard features are:

• Gamertag. Gamertag is a player'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, enabling voice interaction with teammates and opponent. Key elements of this feature exclusive to Xbox include voice-masking, global muting and parental control.
• Matchmaking. QuickMatch is the ability to enter a multiplay experience with a single button click, and OptiMatch, an Xbox Live exclusive, helps players 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, including new levels, characters, missions and statistics.

"Online capabilities will change video games in more profound ways than 3-D technology has so far," Allard said. "We built Xbox Live to allow game creators to focus purely on making the next great games. As the artists create, Xbox Live will do the heavy lifting where cross-game services, technology, customer service and billing are concerned."

The starter kit, with an MSRP of $49.95, includes a year's subscription to Xbox Live, an Xbox communicator, and ReVolt from Acclaim. At least 50 games will utilize Xbox Live by the end of the year, including Unreal Championship, MechAssault, Whacked, Midtown Madness 3, and NFL Fever 2003. Future games for the service include Star Wars Galaxies, Counterstrike, and sequels to Halo, Rallisport Challenge, Amped, and Project Gotham Racing.

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