Lefty Imagines a Better Xbox Live
Maybe it's because I have only a month to get a little over 900 achievement points for the first Xbox Live Reward Challenge. Maybe it's because of all these Xbox related podcasts I've been listening to. Or maybe it's because I've been a member of Xbox since December 2002. In any event, I've been thinking about how to make my Xbox Live experience better. Here are eight suggestions:
1. Get the Message? Tie in Windows Live Messenger to my Xbox Friends List. When I add someone to my friends list, they should automatically appear on my WLM (formerly MSN Messenger). Also, Xbox Live should give members an option to opt out of this so that they get a request in their email or XBL message allowing or denying them being added to WLM. That way I can receive messages on my cell (Quick Lefty there's clan match coming up!) or my PC (Stop looking for Britney Spears bald pics, and hop into Crackdown fool!).
2. Isn't Browser a Mario Boss? Yes it's true many of us Xbox users already have a home PC, but the location of the home PC and the 360 may not be in the same area. Or in my situation, you have a wife who is (causing lag) and using the laptop as she games. In any event, every now and then it would simply be nice to have a web browser to surf the net, as exchanging trash talk via XBL chat.
3. Build a Better Marketplace. Hey here's another use of a web browser. Give XBL a web browser, give use hot keys to get to sections (demos, video, music, themes), and make it look a little like iTunes. Here's an even better idea, that same website should be available on the web...so while I'm away from my 360 I can order the latest XBL arcade game, so when I get home and sign in, my Box will start downloading it. I figure this new marketplace could tell who you are when you sign in (Silver members only get access to certain items, while longtime Gold members like me get the full experience). And add music to the marketplace. Want the Zune to do better? Let folks download tracks from their 360, and then be able to send promotional clips to their friends.
4. Taking Out The Trash. Sure we can mute trash talking, race hatin' idiots, but it takes a little longer to get to that screen. Make it easier and quicker to do. But now with cams now thrown in the mix, figure out a way to black out cams from the offending XBL members, without having to turn off all video cams. When I'm playing Uno, I would love to continue seeing players’ cams, but not the ones that decide to use their cams to show their "swizzlesticks".
5. Find A Cure. Let XBL users participate in Stanford's Folding@home project to help find a cure to diseases. It's the one thing the Microsoft console and the Sony console can both be winners in the console wars. (And maybe throw in a free gamer pic for our efforts too!) Let's find a cure for Parkinson’s!
6. The Exchange Rate 1 MS point should equal $1. I know we college educated people can do the math and figure out how many MS points equals $1 (answer=80 MS points), but it confuses women and small children (I'm totally kidding about the women part, I have to ask my wife to figure out percentages and stuff).
7. Achieve This! This one is being done, if rumors are to be believed. Microsoft struck gold when they worked in Achievement Points into games. Now there are huge mass of XBL gamers that are addicted to collecting as many A.P.s as they can. Heck it's a personal challenge for me to work at mine. Right now they mean, in real terms.....nothing. At the very, very least, I would love to get some free stuff for reaching certain A>P. plateaus. Free gamerpics, themes, maybe even treat them like Marlboro points or Blue Stamps to save up and get swag like faceplates, Halo comic books, XBL membership extensions, or whatever.
8. With Friends Like These... Yes I know, most XBL users don't have a full Friends list. However, if you are part of a clan (hey can we just stop saying clans, and use the term teams or something), then your friends list often will reach that limit but fast! Give us team support. Let us organize multiple friends list according to how we like. Maybe I can have a "XBL gamers I've actually met" list, and a "Teams List", along with my recent players list, and my traditional friends list.
So there are just 8 suggestions. I haven't even gotten into, increased message space, incorporating RSS feeds, and etc...But it's a start. Like I said earlier, I've been on Xbox Live since 2002, and I really do love the community (despite the trash talking, and other belligerent users). I also really respect that for a huge mega-corporation like Microsoft when it comes to their Xbox division they really have been listeners as well as leaders, and have keep the XBL community in the loop.