Also on the site...
Advertisement

Xbox Live ditching Xbox 1 support News

Xbox 360 Xbox News by Tom Bramwell

5 February, 2010

Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue Xbox Live support for original Xbox consoles and games on 15th April.

This not only applies to the old consoles, but also to Xbox games that are compatible with Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals.

"I want to start by saying this isn't a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community," Microsoft's Marc Whitten wrote in an open letter announcing the change.

"Your Xbox Live community has grown to 23 million strong. And as we look down the road, we'll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360.

"To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games. We will contact the Xbox Live members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your Live messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities."

Xbox Live launched for the original console on 17th November 2002 with support from games like MechAssault, Unreal Championship and MotoGP.

But by far the most popular game on the service was Halo 2, which has held firm at the top of the most-played charts on Major Nelson's website pretty much solidly since its release.

Advertisement
Comments

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Comments: 1-50 of 72 Next →

Poster
Comment Low-scoring comments hidden. Log in to see them!
designerheadache
05/02/10 @ 10:50
#1
+7
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Interested to see if they get as much stick for this as Sony did when they dropped PS2 support.

What do other people think?
DocktorJ
05/02/10 @ 10:52
#2
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Are people still playing Halo 2? Surely they'll continue support for that at least...
InternetRed
05/02/10 @ 10:55
#3
+8
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
That's a shame. I still have my original Xbox, but it's not like having a PS3 and PS2 slim on the same shelf, the original Xbox is a little hefty, and it was nice to play some of my favourites on the 360.

I can't understand though, why backwards compatibility effects other services on live though?
udat
05/02/10 @ 10:56
#4
+12
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I'd expect a lot more notice for this kind of thing - surely some people who have recently bought Xbox originals games that use Live have a right to be pissed off about this?

Still, supporting the Xbox 1 implementation of Live was hindering some stuff, like larger friends lists, right?
theguyfromspark
05/02/10 @ 10:56
#5
+20
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Halo 1 + 2 HD Remix for 360 Confirmed!
BiffTanner
05/02/10 @ 10:59
#6
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
From the stats on Bungies website there is about 3500 people who play Halo 2 in a day so there is a few but not the huge amount there used to be.
I guess they saw the numbers playing on the original Xbox and decided it was time the online side of the game was switched off so they can make changes to live that would not be compatible with the old one, at least you can still play xbox 1 games just not online so I'm not too fussed, as long as these improvements to Live are good since they say they have some big things coming.
gungrave
05/02/10 @ 10:59
#7
-8
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Aww think of the poor Halo fans...oh well, time to move from the past and look ahead to the future. You can still play the games, just not over live, what really is the big deal?

Stop bumming the same old games and try something new.
geeza2020
05/02/10 @ 11:03
#8
+5
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Cant see as much back-lash over this as the PS2. The PS2 had such a huge user-base it still affected people. I think about 2 people left in the world play the original xbox so i don't think MS are treading on too many toes. Interested to see what the improvements to live will be..
peteb
05/02/10 @ 11:09
#9
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Wait, what? Does this mean that future updates will kill my 360's ability to play my Xbox games? I have SF III:Third Strike, and Jet Set Radio Future. :(

Or am I completely missing the point?
Robm612
05/02/10 @ 11:09
#10
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I remember this being said a couple of months back. Microsoft had said that due to the number of people asking for the friends list to increase original xbox support would have to be dropped as halo 2 was the reason the friends list was limited to 100, so this will result in a bigger friends list...though i was just wondering does this mean i wont be able to play xbox games offline, i do like the occansional play through of conkers bad fur day (scouse beetle " this thing came outta the shite!" cant beat it). Suppose though its not the end of the world, too many good games this year, i may have to take up gaming full time....
Toothball
05/02/10 @ 11:10
#11
-1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Oh I forgot about that. I guess I assumed it'd been dropped ages ago like the original Xbox.
Waffleaber
05/02/10 @ 11:12
#12
+8
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
They're only removing the ability to access Live, any games you've got will still work offline.
RedSparrows
05/02/10 @ 11:14
#13
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
No more Pandora Tomorrow. Not that anyone ever played it anymore.

But.... :(((
RobotRocker
05/02/10 @ 11:15
#14
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I dont think there will be any amount of backlash for the PS2 stuff. The PS2 had a lot of games that were only available to play online on the PS2 like Metal Gear Online and most of them only had lifespans of around a year or two (Except for Amplitude which somehow went 5 years before Sony realised the servers were still on. Whoops) before the servers were shut off as most games were fairly expensive to run. XBL gave a lot of games a huge run (Except for the EA stuff, natch) and most have been played out to death. A lot of the popular stuff thats not available on 360 yet will probably be upgraded for XBLA (eg SF3: Third Strike) or already have sequels out on the 360 so I doubt a lot of people will be fussed either.
peteb
05/02/10 @ 11:15
#15
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@ Waffleaber

Ahh ok, thanks! Not so bad then!
Dyason
05/02/10 @ 11:18
#16
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
No more Steel Battalion ):
scowat
05/02/10 @ 11:19
#17
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@ Waffleaber
heart was in my mouth for second when I read this article as I've just bought a copy of Republic Commando on ebay for old times sake... phew...

This is also MS trying to push any remaining users over to the 360 I reckon as well
Markusdragon
05/02/10 @ 11:21
#18
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
RIP the original Xbox Live framework. You were a faithful old bit of tech, but your time has sadly long passed, and you got a much longer run than the servers run by most of the publishers.

I guess that means we can have longer friendlists and clans now!
Wolverfrog
05/02/10 @ 11:25
#19
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I still play Halo 2 every once in a while!

:'(

It's a classic. Much better maps than Halo 3.
TeaFiend
05/02/10 @ 11:35
#20
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
This means over 100 friends soon I guess. Hurrah for some overly popular folk!
chrisjm
05/02/10 @ 11:37
#21
+16
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
and this is why the 'cloud' type gaming concept should never be allowed to take off.
Mr_Brown
05/02/10 @ 11:42
#22
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
What about Games on demand? surely they could run these through a more efficient 360 XBL. Perhaps add achievements or features. They might be worth the asking price then...
Britesparc
05/02/10 @ 11:44
#23
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I guess maybe Halo 2 fans might be pissed, but aren't most H2 maps remade for H3 anyway? Overall don't think this is too big a deal.
louyfitz
05/02/10 @ 11:48
#24
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Sweet! I'm not the only one who has to turn on Conkers: BFD for a quick laugh every now and then.

At least the single player will still work, online was pretty broken most of the time anyway.
bivith
05/02/10 @ 11:57
#25
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I guess I can retire my Burnout 2 disc now.
Eighthours
05/02/10 @ 12:06
#26
+4
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
There's one simple reason for this: MS couldn't figure out how to increase the Friends List cap of 100 without borking Xbox 1 games. So finally it's decided "to hell with it".

While it's unfortunate for people who still play Halo 2, it's going to open up Xbox Live to a whole new level of enhancements. The Friends cap was becoming increasingly silly.
TRUTH
05/02/10 @ 12:11
#27
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
WHAT THE F**K - How the hell I'm gonna plat Street Fight III 3rd Strike (so much better then the over the top SF IV)!
Malek86
05/02/10 @ 12:11
#28
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Well, I hope this will pave the way for that Halo HD. Or whatever they want to call it. As log as they don't butcher the game with rechargeable health, it will be awesome.
Paulie_P
05/02/10 @ 12:12
#29
+11
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
LOUD NOISES!
buggrit
05/02/10 @ 12:17
#30
-4
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Please let this mean they'll be increasing the retarded friendslist size.
Machetazo
05/02/10 @ 12:35
#31
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Pretty bad news for the Conker, and particularly, Third Strike stalwarts. :(
Capcom, NOW are you going to make some kind of HD move on that...
bad09
05/02/10 @ 12:51
#32
-1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
In terms of the online you can't really blame them TBH, this is done all the time on PC with old games isn't it? Mind you I suppose many old games there have dedicated servers to make up for the loss.

The last original game I tried to play online was Battlefront 2 early last year and there was just no games online as no one was playing. Big bummer for anyone playing online the biggies like Halo 2 though, and kinda dents the 360s great B/C selling point. At least offline still works I suppose.

/ glares at Sony
Edited 2 times, most recently on 05/02/10 @ 12:52
Bitkari
05/02/10 @ 13:09
#33
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Never fret, my dear Xbox 1 owners. There are always alternatives for you to play your games with friends online... Xlink for example.


jack_klugman
05/02/10 @ 13:13
#34
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Steel Battalion: Line of Contact's value plummets.
Koborover
05/02/10 @ 13:34
#35
+4
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
No more OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast on Live? Now is the time for Sega and Sumo Digital to bring the courses from OutRun 2 to OutRun Online Arcade as DLC.
Bru-Man
05/02/10 @ 13:35
#36
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Was reading recently about this videogame archive in New York, then spotted this bit of news.
It's fantastic that someone/organisation is archiving and keeping playable old videogames, but how do you preserve the multiplayer aspect when the multiplayer service is bespoke like Xbox Live or PSN? When those services inevitably disappear, so does an entire aspect of that game. Then who will be willing and have the money to employ people to create similar open systems that can be used to play them on - and would that even be legal?

FYI, the place is called the National Center for the History of Electronic Games, or NCHEG and is in the Strong National Museum of Play, Rochester, NY.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 05/02/10 @ 13:36
lukaz
05/02/10 @ 13:48
#37
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I wonder what happens to DLC and game updates. From my POV MS is ethically obligated to provide those services for as long as they don't open up the system and provide content and cryptographic keys to the public.

It's the classic locked in situation with DRM.

Think about all those 360 games missing system link and provding only XBL support (Forza 3 ...).
Once XBL is dead, multiplayer is dead forever.

On other systems you can use LAN gaming and route it over the internet.
On 360 the systems disconnect if ping times are higher than on a usual LAN. MS's way to get you paying for XLB.

For collectors and retrogamers all those things are a nightmare.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 05/02/10 @ 13:50
RedBeard729
05/02/10 @ 13:50
#38
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I wonder how long into the life of the Xbox 540 they'll drop support for the 360, and what will happen to my XBLA games when that happens.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 05/02/10 @ 13:51
CHAZBIGPOTATO
05/02/10 @ 13:51
#39
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Guys, who remembers XBconnect that online portal thing which made use of system link capability to play Xbox games online since before Xbox live, remember playing Halo 1 online using that.

Bet they will be liking this news

http://www.xbconnect.com/
rogueJT
05/02/10 @ 14:31
#40
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Major Nelson?
What am I missing here?
doragor
05/02/10 @ 14:33
#41
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
must head over to the Bungie forums and witness the meltdown.
Eraysor
05/02/10 @ 14:39
#42
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
That sucks.
Retroid moderator
05/02/10 @ 14:41
#43
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Just so people know:

YOUR BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE GAMES WILL STILL WORK, THEY'RE NOT REMOVING THAT

This just means that online gaming for Xbox games won't work.

Why are they doing this? Well, several times when they've been asked about increasing the 100 capacity limit for the Friends List it was hard-encoded into original Xbox games whereas it's handled by the 360's OS/Dash. That's why we had the 100 friend limit, and that's why they're removing Xbox support, so that can be upgraded.

A pity, but understandable.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 05/02/10 @ 14:43
lukaz
05/02/10 @ 14:51
#44
-3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@Retroid
That's obvious.

Regarding the 100 friends or other technical issues. I'm sure there could have been a workaround (like using 100 oldest friends or those most recent online, or separating the lists). MS just doesn't want to spend money on that.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 05/02/10 @ 14:52
penhalion
05/02/10 @ 15:10
#45
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I would be angry but, let's be honest, they kept this running for 8 years when they clearly didn't really have to. The games will still work and I can't say that I've ever met any of my friends online playing any really old xbox games.

It's certainly not the same as the PS3 disaster, where old games don't work at all!
actionfitz
05/02/10 @ 15:16
#46
-2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
No more Crimson Skies...
CUNTS!
/tears.
jag10
05/02/10 @ 15:18
#47
-5
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
God of War collection! don't even try an copy this epicness!
kangarootoo
05/02/10 @ 15:36
#48
+6
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Ok, so a few things here.

1. Pulling support is understandable. They have to minimise variables as they move the service on.

2. However, I wish they wouldn't say things like "but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community" when it is really not about benefitting the community. This is about reducing the costs of further developing XBLive. That is no bad thing, but I wish they would just call it what it is.

3. The talk of "We will contact the Xbox Live members directly impacted by this change" makes me think there is some kind of partial refund type incentive in the works. If so, this is a good move. They could just drop support for XB games online and leave customers hanging, but if they give a partial or complete refund in points, I don't think people can reasonably ask for more.
Johnhost
05/02/10 @ 15:54
#49
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Port Halo CE and Halo 2 to Xbox 360 or XBLA and set them up for 360 servers...problem solved. Hell Halo CE could be easier still if they ported the PC version over.

kangarootoo
05/02/10 @ 16:10
#50
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
"Port Halo CE and Halo 2 to Xbox 360 or XBLA and set them up for 360 servers...problem solved"

Take a hole, fill it with gold, then cap it with a material that can be changed between liquid and solid by the power of thought, then pay someone £500 a day to keep an eye on it... problem solved.

;)
Edited 1 times, most recently on 05/02/10 @ 16:51

Comments: 1-50 of 72 Next →

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Statistics
Zavvi

X View gallery