Microsoft, among other things, has revolutionized online gaming with its Xbox Live service. Over half of the current Xbox 360s sold worldwide are connected to Xbox Live, and 85 percent of those people have downloaded some sort of content from its popular Marketplace. For $7.99 (1 month subscription), $19.99 (3 month subscription) or $49.99 (12 months + 1 free month subscription) you are able to access all of Xbox Live's features; the marketplace, cross-game friends list, text and/or voice chat, Xbox Live Vision Camera and many other features that I will touch upon in this article.

Games

This section is updated daily, enabling users to download demos of up and coming games and movie clips related to the gaming community. Demos are available for free and vary in size depending on the length of the demo. Some demos such as Crackdown offer free online co-op play, while others such as GRAW 2 allows you to play one of the levels included in the retail release. This will enable the user to decide whether or not they want to dish out the cash for the game or pass it up for another Xbox 360 release. Gaming community video clips, like the demos, are offered for free on Xbox Live. Some of these videos include game trailers or community related videos provided by GameTrailers, GameSpot, IGN Insider as well as the comedic series, Red vs. Blue. Interviews with famous gamers such as Fatal1ty are offered as well. You can also get a behind the scenes look at the creation of games such as Gears of War, Madden 07 and coverage from certain events like E3.