Microsoft has finally kicked out some public knowledge on it's launch date for the upcoming online gaming service for the XBox dubbed "XBox Live".

The service is expected to debut to the public on November 15th, with around 10,000 beta-tester kicking in a full throttle testing mode of the service by the end of this month.

Microsoft announced a $49.95 "starter kit" which is required to access the online gaming service. The package packs in a 12 month subscription to the service along with currently unknown game title and a headset for direct voice communications through the gaming service.

MS stated there will be "at least" six game titles which support the service, and estimates a total count of at least 16 titles which will be "XBox live capable" by the end of the year.

I needs me an XBox soon.. Screw Sony's hype about the PS2 being the "hub" of our digital entertainment center.. the bastards haven't even given us a solid online gaming option TWO YEARS after the launch of the system.. and yes that DOES piss me and many others off royally.

I'm looking for the site that announced it (and on the Sony site itself) but the PS2 is supposed to go into it's public online beta on August 27th. I will look.

Having played both systems, I am still wholly in the PS2 camp. X-Box has nothing amazingly superior to the ps2, IMHO, and it's 'exclusive' game title library is shrinking as all their 3rd party vendors are making ps2 versions.

For me, the measure of a console are the games for it, I mean what's a console DO otherwise? I HAVE a dvd and my computer is better at everything ELSE, but games. And the ps library is 20 times the size and growing.

heh good thing i already have an xbox.. heh. i got it exactly a month after its debut, and it hasnt gave me one problem at all. it hasnt crashed or no shit like that, so i guess all that talk was just bullshit. man i love not having to ever buy a memory card(unless i was transporting saves or someshit to another xbox). one thing thats hella cool is i can play my music during a few of my games. beating my friends ass on project gotham racing while im playing one of my beats is cool as hell.. this can be achieved by copying a bunch of music in mp3 form onto a cd-rw disc, but not with a cd-r disc).. oh yeah dolby 5.1 yeah xbox supports that. oh yeah and hdtv?? yess!!! haha playin xbox with one of those 4500$ plasma screens is the SHIT. looks crystal clear, and guess what? barely any jaggies!! werd. pick one up now

I got an xbox this month--its incredible. Haven't got it hooked up to the 5.1 yet, but its in the plan. Have been playing people online with Halo, but I'm stoked about Live--it'll totally kick ass. I want that voice communicator!

wait a sec, jawnyblazd - you say you've put music in the MP3 format onto the xbox, using a cd-rw?? please outline the details of exactly what format you wrote the cd in and everything else. i've tried EVERY POSSIBLE COMBINATION to no avail... mp3 format, wma, regular wav, on cd-r, cd-rw, joilet, iso, blah blah blah. i'm tempted to accuse you of being full of crapola... but i'll take it back if you can tell me exactly how you did it.

i can now say that I like xbox better than ps2

my friend has an xbox and he let me borrow it for a week, and my cousin got a ps2 and I played it for about a week, and xbox kicked the shit out of the ps2.

gta3 is so much better on computer than ps2 so i don't give a shit that xbox doesn't have it

i can't say i'm all that excited about this online thing; maybe i'll warm up to it, i donno... these guys put together XBox-GW which was a Linux-based gateway.. played halo a few times with other people. i haven't even used my Xbox in like 4 months. ACK! am i getting old?? noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo must go home and play video games!!