Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

MS unveils online TV game-show for 360

Endemol helping with "1 vs. 100".

Microsoft unveiled a brand new effectively massively-multiplayer quiz game for Xbox Live during its E3 conference today.

"1 vs. 100" is being developed in association with Big Brother production company Endemol, and will see a real-life (presumably Microsoft-based) host taking control of an online quiz in a virtual studio.

It's all part of "Xbox Live Primetime", which "combines the best of television and the best of games" in the words of Xbox Live supremo John Schappert.

Not only will loads of Xbox Live users be able to take part in 1 vs. 100 simultaneously, but there will be real prizes based on the outcome.

Schappert, who hosted one of the slickest sections of Microsoft's fast-paced E3 conference, suggested that one day you will "turn on your Xbox to see what's on Live" in the same way you turn on your TV to channel-surf at the moment.

Primetime itself is one of a number of innovations going into the brand new Xbox 360 dashboard, which is set to launch this autumn as part of a free update that also introduces the Mii-like avatar system.

It will be available in North America, France, Germany and the UK and Ireland and promises "a collection of virtual game shows" along the lines of 1 vs. 100.

You can read more about the new dashboard and avatar system elsewhere on the site, and we'll be speaking to the Xbox Live team tomorrow to find out more.