Going Live
How to get your Xbox 360 online - and why you should.
Live and Kicking!
You've got the console, you've got the broadband, and you've got the two connected up somehow, preferably in a manner that didn't involve cereal boxes, sticky-backed plastic and an adult to help you with the scissors. So... What next?
Before you dip into the world of Xbox Live, you'll need to sign up for an Xbox Live account and a GamerTag. This process is really simple and explained clearly in a step by step way on the Xbox 360 interface, but there are a few things you should bear in mind before you start.
Firstly, you need to have a Microsoft Passport account before you can set up an Xbox Live GamerTag. Don't worry, you probably have one already - for example, if you use MSN Messenger, then the login you use for that service is a Passport. If not, then any email address will do - you just need to register it as a passport at the Passport Website. This passport will then be associated with your GamerTag to create your unique online identity.
Next, you need to think about whether you want to get Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Live Silver. Remember that with Gold, you'll be paying a small monthly subscription fee, but in return you'll get to play your games online - which is the whole point of the Xbox Live service for most people.
However, Silver is still an attractive option for some people. You can still download things from Marketplace, chat to people on your friends list, and even play some massively multiplayer games which charge a separate subscription fee, from the Xbox Live Silver service.
Obviously, if you signed up to the BT Broadband offer, you won't need to worry about this problem for 12 months, since you'll have a free Xbox Live Gold subscription - and remember, if you decide you aren't using Gold enough, or that you do actually want to race the world at PGR3, you can always swap over between account types when you need to.
Where to now?
What you actually do on Xbox Live is beyond the scope of this article - we can only make suggestions for a few fun things we've noticed that are worth checking out.
For starters, there's a pretty big Xbox Live community right here on Eurogamer. If you look at our user profile pages (click on someone's username in the comment threads or in the forum), you'll see that their GamerTag is listed - so you can add your friends from the site community to your Xbox Live friends list easily.
Our readers also arrange a number of tournaments and leagues at different games on Xbox Live, with probably the best recent example being the Geometry Wars Evolved Arcade Tournament which was spawned from the forum. Also keep an eye out on our forum for discussion of times for readers to get together and play some games on the service.
Looking beyond Eurogamer, there's also a huge and buzzing Xbox Live community over at the official Microsoft website for the service, with tons of different tournaments, events and so on being announced on an ongoing basis. You can sign in to the site using your GamerTag and can even edit your profile or view the profiles of others directly on the site. It's all located on the Xbox.com site, and while we've linked to the UK site there, it's worth clicking on the "International" button at the top and logging in to your own country's individual site, as many events are regionally focused.
The beating heart of the site for many Xbox Live gamers is the Xbox Live Calendar, which details upcoming events on the service - of which there are normally at least one a night. Sometimes it could be tournaments to win huge prizes, other times it's a chance to play against developers, celebrities, or even lowly journalists at their favourite games. Whenever there's something really big happening on the service, of course, we'll report it here on Eurogamer.net, but smaller events happen on an ongoing basis.
For more info...
For more information about Xbox Live, your best bet is, once again, the Xbox.com website, which is a treasure trove of useful information about the service.
For information about getting broadband and the hardware you need to make it work, we highly recommend checking out ADSLGuide.org, a brilliant independent resource for all manner of broadband info.
Finally, for general questions about games or Xbox Live - why not try asking either in the comment thread for this article, or on the Eurogamer forum? Our readers are generally a helpful and cuddly bunch, and if you're having an issue you can't find an answer for on either of those sites or on the almighty Google, why not pose the question here and see if someone can help you out?
We also welcome comments and suggestions for additions or corrections to this article.