My Xbox

Bill Loguidice is a top business, technology, staffing, and creative professional, a noted videogame historian and subject matter expert, and a critically acclaimed author. Bill is also the cofounder and managing director for the online publication, Armchair Arcade, one ofPC Magazine’s Top 100 Websites. As a leading videogame and computer historian and collector, Bill personally owns and maintains more than 400 different systems from the 1970s to the present day, including a large volume of associated software, accessories, and literature. It is from these great resources and his sincere passion for the topic that Bill is often called upon to provide subject matter expertise to both public and private media interests. Bill has coauthored numerous books, including Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time; Wii Fitness for Dummies; and Motorola ATRIX for Dummies. He is also a writer and producer on the feature film documentary from Lux Digital Pictures, Gameplay: The Story of the Videogame Revolution. Bill's website is www.armchairarcade.com. Christina Torster Loguidice is a scientific, technical, and medical editor and writer. Over her publishing career, she has overseen numerous peer-reviewed medical journals and healthcare technology magazines, including Surgical Rounds, Cardiology Review, Resident & Staff Physician, Oncology Net Guide, and OncNurse. Christina is currently the editorial director of Annals of Long-Term Care: Clinical Care and Aging, which is a monthly peer-reviewed clinical journal that reaches healthcare professionals caring for individuals residing in long-term care facilities. She reports from several medical conventions annually. Christina has always had a keen interest in technology and fitness and nutrition, and is the coauthor of Wii Fitness for Dummies. She enjoys working out in her home gym with her husband and using the virtual gyms afforded by various gaming platforms. Christina also holds an AFTA personal trainer certification.

Chapter 1  Getting Started      3
Unboxing Your Xbox 360     3
     Understanding the Xbox 360 Models     4
    Breaking Down the Components     5
Setting Up Your Xbox 360     9
    Positioning Your Xbox     9
    Connecting to Your TV     10
    Setting Up Your Controller     20
    Powering On for the First Time     24
    Playing Discs     29
    Setting Up Your Headset     31
    Setting Up Storage     33
    Transferring Content Between Consoles     36
    Updating Your Dashboard     39
Understanding Your Warranty     43

Chapter 2  Networking Your Xbox     45
Connecting to Your Home Network    45
    Establishing a Wireless Connection     46
    Establishing a Wired Connection     48
Examining Xbox LIVE     51
    Understanding Xbox LIVE Memberships     51
    Joining Xbox LIVE     53
    Understanding Microsoft Points     60
    Paying for Purchases with PayPal     63
    Accessing Xbox LIVE Anywhere     64
    Understanding Updates     67

Chapter 3  Personalizing Your Xbox Experience     69
Establishing User Profiles     70
    Creating a Profile     71
    Signing In     73
Building an Avatar     73
    Selecting a Base to Work From     74
    Change My Features     75
    Change My Style     78
    Marketplace     80
    Accessing Awards     82
    Gamer Picture     83
    Choosing a New Avatar     86
Moving, Deleting, and Recovering a Gamertag     87
    Using a Gamer Profile on Another Console     87
    Recovering Your Gamertag from Xbox LIVE     88
    Deleting a Gamer Profile     89
Navigating the Xbox 360 Dashboard     90
    Bing Channel     91
    Home Channel     91
    Social Channel     92
    TV Channel     92
    Video Channel     92
    Games Channel     93
    Music Channel     93
    Apps Channel     94
    Settings Channel     94
  Xbox Guide     94
Accessorizing Your Xbox     97
    Controllers     98
    Keyboards     100
    Media Remotes     101
    Racing Wheels     102
    Rhythm Game Controllers     103
    Big Button Pads     104
    Xbox 360 Arcade Sticks     104
    Xbox LIVE Vision     105

Chapter 4  Getting to Know Your Xbox     107
Working with Game Discs     107
    Playing a Game Disc     108
    Installing a Game on Your Hard Drive     109
    Deleting a Single Game from Your Hard Drive     111
    Copy, Move, or Delete Multiple Games from Your Hard Drive     112
Digging into Your Profile    113
    Main Profile     114
    Profile Information Under Settings     118
Understanding and Enabling Media Sharing     126
    Media Sharing with Zune     126
    Media Sharing with Windows Media Player     128
Accessing Your Media Libraries     130
    Watching Your Video Library     130
    Getting Down with Your Music Library     131
    Viewing Your Picture Library     131
    Interacting with Images in Your Picture Library     132
Connecting with Windows Media Center     133
    Adding Your 360 to Windows Media Center     133
Adjusting Family Settings     134
    Turning on Parental Controls     134
    Setting Ratings and Content     136
    Setting the Family Timer     137
    Setting Xbox LIVE Access     138
    Setting Xbox LIVE Membership Creation     139
Tweaking System Settings     139
Searching with Bing     140
Using Cloud Storage for Game Saves     142

Chapter 5  Playing on the Games Channel     145
Getting to Know the Games Channel     146
Browsing the Game Marketplace     146
    Searching Among the Marketplace Selections     149
    Purchasing Selections      151
Finding Arcade Games     155
Finding Games on Demand     158
Finding Indie Games     162
Finding Xbox Originals     166
Trying Out Demos     169
    Downloading a Demo     170
Grabbing Add-Ons and Extras     171
Checking Out My Games     174
Understanding Backward Compatibility with the Original Xbox     176
Transferring Content Licenses to a New Console     177

Chapter 6  Viewing the Video Channel     179
Taking Control of Video Playback     179
    Understanding Display Modes     180
Enjoying TV Shows and Movies with Zune     182
    Downloading the Zune Application     182
    Navigating Zune     183
    Renting and Purchasing Media     187
Watching Videos on Netflix     188
    Downloading the Netflix App     188
    Navigating Netflix     189
    Enjoying a Movie or TV Show     190
Watching Video on Hulu Plus     192
    Downloading the Hulu Plus App     192
    Navigating Hulu Plus     193
    Enjoying Hulu Plus Content     194
Watching Video on YouTube     195
    Downloading and Signing in to the YouTube App     195
    Navigating YouTube     196
    Playing YouTube Content     197
    Changing YouTube Safety Mode     198
Watching Sports on ESPN     199
    Downloading the ESPN App     200
    Navigating ESPN     200
    Adding Favorites     202
Watching Other Video Services     203
Checking Out Your Video Library     204
Playing DVDs     206
    Using the Playback Menu Options     207

Chapter 7  Tuning into the Music Channel     211
Taking Control of Music Playback     211
    Playing Music in the Background from the Xbox Guide     213
    Restoring In-Game Background Music     214
Enjoying Music with Zune     215
    Getting a Zune Pass     215
    Navigating Zune     216
    Managing Your Zune Account     218
    Playing Music     219
Personalizing Radio with Last.fm     222
    Tuning in to Last.fm     222
    Navigating Last.fm     223
    Playing Music     226
Getting iHeartRadio     227
    Downloading the iHeartRadio App     227
    Activating iHeartRadio     228
  Examining iHeartRadio Content and Features     229
    Working with Stations     231
Checking Out Your Music Library     232
    Playing a CD     233
    Ripping a Music CD     235

Chapter 8  Getting Social with Friends     239
Managing Friends     240
    Sending Friend Requests     240
    Managing Friend Requests     243
    Removing a Friend     245
    Viewing Your Friends     246
    Displaying a Friend’s Profile and Gamercard     248
Enabling Chat and Xbox LIVE Parties     251
    Changing Your Online Safety Settings     251
Managing Xbox LIVE Parties     253
    Inviting Friends to a Party     253
    Inviting Friends to a Game     254
    Accepting Party Invitations     255
Working with Messages     256
    Sending a Message     257
    Accessing Received Messages     259
    Playing Voice Messages     260
Comparing Games     261
Managing Beacons     262
    Setting a Beacon     262
    Removing a Beacon     265
Live Chatting with Your Friends     266
    Conducting a Private Chat     266
    Adjusting Your Chat Channel     267
Getting Mobile with Xbox LIVE     268
    My Xbox LIVE for iOS Owners     268
    Xbox Companion for Windows Phone     268

Chapter 9  Exploring Social Apps     271
Connecting and Sharing with Facebook     272
    Setting Up Facebook     272
    General Controls     274
    Exploring the Menus     274
    Updating Your Status     277
    Launching a Slideshow     278
    Adding Facebook Friends to Xbox LIVE     280
    Enabling Facebook Sharing     281
Sharing and Discovering with Twitter     282
    Signing Into Twitter     283
    Getting a Handle on the Interface     284
Enlisting with Halo Waypoint     290
    Downloading Halo Waypoint     291
    Exploring the Halo Waypoint Interface     293
    Going Mobile with Halo Waypoint     296

Chapter 10  Getting to Know Kinect     299
Unboxing Your Kinect     300
    Kinect Sensor     300
    Kinect Adventures!     301
    Calibration Card     302
    Power Supply     302
Setting Up Your Kinect     303
    Clearing Your Play Space     304
    Hooking Up Your Sensor and Console     305
    Installing the Sensor Software     306
    Setting Up Your Sensor     307
    Playing for the First Time     307
    Recalibrating Your Kinect     310
Getting into Kinect Adventures!     311
    Understanding the Game Modes     312
    Getting to Know the Minigames     313
Troubleshooting Problems     317
    Sensor Doesn’t Work Properly     317
    Sensor Doesn’t See You     318
    Sensor Motors Don’t Adjust Properly     318
    Sensor Doesn’t Hear You     319

Chapter 11  Using Kinect     321
Accessing Kinect on the Dashboard     321
    Using Your Voice     322
    Using Your Body     322
Navigating the Dashboard with Kinect     323
    Controlling with Your Voice     323
    Controlling with Gestures     324
    Working with the Kinect Guide     325
Searching with Bing     326
Setting Up Your Kinect ID     326
    Creating a Kinect ID     327
    Changing or Removing Your Kinect ID     329
Optimizing with the Kinect Tuner     329
Using the Avatar Editor     330
Experimenting with Kinect Fun Labs     332
    Getting Started     332
    Playing with the Gadgets     336
Controlling the Media Services     336
    Using Voice     338
    Using Gestures     339
Chatting with Video Kinect     340
    Setting Up Video Kinect     340
    Controlling the Chat     341
    Accepting a Video Chat Invitation     342
    Chatting with Windows Live Messenger Friends     343
Finding Kinect Games     344
Getting Help with Your Kinect and Xbox 360     346

Index     349