Going Live
How to get your Xbox 360 online - and why you should.
What do I need?
Okay, you're convinced. You need Xbox Live in your life. Playing against others and downloading all the delicious content from the Marketplace is just what you've been looking for all these years. So, what'll it take?
The first two requirements are the obvious ones...
An Xbox 360
We did say it was obvious, but to enjoy what's available on Xbox Live, you will, of course, need a console. We'd also strongly recommend that if you're going to be going Live, you should seriously consider buying the full-spec console, not the cut-price Core System. Although you can still play online on a Core System, you won't be able to download very much content without grabbing a bagload of memory cards - and bigger content types, like game demos, won't be available to you at all without a hard drive.
A Broadband Internet Connection
If you don't already have broadband, now is definitely the time to get connected. Regardless of all the other great stuff broadband brings, it's now even more essential than ever before for enjoying gaming to the fullest - with every major next-gen and handheld platform offering online functions of some description.
If you're hooking up for the first time, you'll obviously want to shop around a bit and see what's available to you - while ADSL is probably the best choice for most users, you may be able to get broadband most easily from your cable TV company, for example. Steer clear of any really cut-price offers, though - some products on the market are very slow or very restricted, and you really want at least a 512kb connection to make Xbox Live worthwhile. 2Mb is becoming increasingly common, and on that kind of connection, your downloads will fly and your gameplay should be smooth as silk.
We should mention once more that if you're getting broadband for the Xbox 360, BT Openworld should be your first port of call, since they're offering a year's free membership of the Xbox Live Gold service to all new broadband customers at the moment, which is a pretty great deal. Obviously, you should still shop around, but the BT offer is the best tailored offer out there for Xbox 360 users.
Bear in mind as well that in order to get broadband from most providers, you'll need to have a BT phoneline - you can't install ADSL on lines from other providers such as NTL or Telewest, for example, so it's worth checking out who provides your telephone line before trying to order broadband.
Looking past the Basics
Once you've got your console and a broadband connection, there are several different options available to you for hooking the whole thing up.
While many more expert users will configure their own setups to suit their computer networks, for the vast majority of us, there are three simple setups which are worth considering. If you don't already have a computer network set up at home, have a look through this list and see which one is best suited to your needs - if you already have a network, of course, it's a simple case of just plugging your Xbox 360 into it and it's plain sailing from there onwards.
Sharing your PC's connection
This is probably one of the most common ways of getting your consoles online, but it's also the one we'd least recommend. Basically, this is what you do if your ADSL provider has given you an ADSL modem that you plug into your PC using a USB socket, which means that there's no way of running a second lead from it directly to your Xbox 360.
First, you'll need to ensure that your PC has a network card or socket built in. The vast bulk of modern PCs do, but some older ones may not - and you'll need to spend a few quid and open the machine up to install one. Then you'll need to run a network cable from your PC to the Xbox 360, and turn on a feature called "Internet Connection Sharing" on the PC, which lets the Xbox 360 see the Internet via your PC's connection.
Alternatively, you could save on the wiring by buying a wireless adapter for the PC - you can get USB adapters relatively cheaply these days - and then buying the Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter, an optional extra for the console.
While sharing the PC connection is probably the cheapest option by a few quid, it's also the most hassle. Internet Connection Sharing is relatively straightforward and can be configured using a simple wizard interface (you just right click on the Internet connection in My Network Connections and select "share this connection", and follow the step by step guide), but it's one more thing to go wrong - and if you've got security software like Norton Internet Security installed, you may find that it interferes with your Xbox 360's attempts to play on Live.
Worst of all, you'll need to have your PC turned on all the time that you want to use your Xbox 360, which is a serious hassle for people who don't like leaving a whirring box running in the corner even when it's not being used. In summary, this is a cheap and dirty way of getting your Xbox 360 online, but we don't recommend it at all.
Using a Wired Router
A router is basically a simple little box which takes an ADSL connection in one socket, and then has a few network sockets on it which you can connect different computers or consoles to. It's the basis of most home networks, and an incredibly handy little device - and normally cheap, too.
Your ADSL provider may well supply you with a router, and if they do, it's plain sailing from there onwards. You simply plug it into the ADSL line, then connect up one piece of network cable to your PC, and the other to your Xbox 360 - bingo, not only can the Xbox 360 play on Live, but it can also see shared music and photos on your PC or on any other PC connected to the network and configured correctly using Windows Media Extender.
Setting this system up is a doddle. You might have to tweak some minor settings on the router, normally through a web browser interface from your PC, but it's not remotely difficult and your ADSL provider will probably provide you with a step by step guide, if you're using their recommended equipment.
Another advantage of this approach is that the router will often have simple security features of its own, which makes your whole home network safer, and you'll be able to run whatever security software you want on your PC without worrying about the Xbox 360 - it connects directly through the router and never even talks to your PC, so locking up your PC as tight as the proverbial will never affect the console.
Something else to bear in mind is that if you have a router with multiple network sockets on it, as most of them have (four is the normal number), you'll be able to plug in other devices as you get them - so when you pick up a PlayStation 3, or a second PC, you can just plug them right into the router without needing to buy any extra kit.
Using a Wireless Router
This final option is probably the most elegant way to hook up your Xbox 360. Unfortunately, it's also the most expensive - but for a lot of people, the huge advantages of wireless networking will far outweigh the need to spend a few quid on equipment.
Basically, a wireless router is the same as a wired router, as described above, but with the added benefit of an antenna which other equipment with wireless cards can communicate with. The Xbox 360 doesn't have a wireless card built in, but you can buy one for the system from most large game retailers, and then you can hook up the machine to your network without having to run unsightly cables around the place.
In essence, everything else about your setup remains the same. You might want to hook your PC up wirelessly and eliminate another cable, but in general wireless routers still have at least one wired network socket, so you don't have to do this if you don't want to. You'll also be able to connect other wireless devices up, so if you have a laptop or a handheld games console, that'll connect easily to your new wireless router.
That brings us to one important consideration for anyone buying a wireless router, in fact - namely, compatibility with Nintendo's DS and the much-vaunted Wi-Fi Connection service, which allows you to play DS games like Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime Hunters over the 'net for free. Even if you don't own a DS yet, you'll probably want to keep the door open for the future possibility of investing in one - so check carefully online to make sure that whatever wireless router you buy is compatible with Nintendo's wireless wonder.