bit-gamer.net

Xbox Live for original Xbox to be axed soon

Published on 5th February 2010 by Joe Martin

Microsoft has announced that it will soon pull the plug on all Xbox Live support for Xbox 1 and Xbox Classic games.

Microsoft has announced that it will soon be pulling the plug on all Xbox Live services for the original Xbox, terminating Xbox Live on the older console and the Xbox Classics series. The move will also affect any backwards compatible Xbox games that run on the Xbox 360.

"I want to start by saying this isn't a decision we made lightly," Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten said in a letter to Xbox Live members, "but after careful consideration, it is clear that this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community."

The reason for the change is apparently that Microsoft wants to continue evolving and upgrading the Xbox Live service, adding on changes that are incompatible with the older versions of Xbox Live.

"We will contact the Xbox LIVE members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your LIVE messages and associated e-mail account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities."

The most popular Xbox 1 games still played on Xbox Live are, according to Major Nelson, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, Counter-Strike and Halo 2.

Do you still play any Xbox original games on Xbox Live, or have you put that decade wholly behind you? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.

Thanks for the tip go to forum member Blademrk, who is so cool he's already playing Halo 4 on the Xbox 720!

17 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

proxess 5th February 2010, 11:31

You mean Xbox 180?

Gunsmith 5th February 2010, 11:38

shame they cant kill the whole ******* franchise.

goldstar0011 5th February 2010, 11:39

Sure anyone effected could use xlink kai for online games, but I bet an fanboy still using xbox would have to have a 360 by now!

sear 5th February 2010, 12:02

Why do they have to get rid of these features to add others, exactly? What is stopping them from just... you know, keeping them?

SteveU 5th February 2010, 12:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by sear
Why do they have to get rid of these features to add others, exactly? What is stopping them from just... you know, keeping them?

I'd imagine it's the same kind of problem as trying to develop something on a PC that needs a minimum of Windows XP to run. Trying to get a much older PC that can only just about manage Windows 98 would simply be excluded.

[PUNK] crompers 5th February 2010, 12:25

counter strike? on xbox? ive heard it all now

Aterius Gmork 5th February 2010, 12:26

Maybe, but there is no reason to throw away your prefectly working Win98 machine. It's the same here: There is no Xbox and Xbox 360 crossplay anyway, so why not keep the old servers running for the people who like to play the old Halo? They have to pay for it Live membership after all.

Floyd 5th February 2010, 12:42

Good bye XBOX.
It came out in 01 so a 9 year run on a console is very good IMO.

Veles 5th February 2010, 13:18

I don't really get it either, I thought old xbox live and old xbox live were completely separate things (apart from you can have one account that accesses both).

Blademrk 5th February 2010, 13:22

I'm just hoping that you can still D/L exisiting updates for games (although I kinda doubt it) as I still buy games for the old xbox now and again.

Veles 5th February 2010, 15:28

I can see the reason for taking away support for original XBL games but I don't quite buy the reason they're giving.

Keeping the infrastructure for the original XBL titles must be costing them quite a bit of cash to allow you to keep playing games that few people are playing any more.

NuTech 5th February 2010, 16:00

It isn't mentioned in the bit-tech article, but a lot of people believe this is related to the ongoing rumours that original Xbox support is what restrains a lot of 360 features.

For example, the arbitrary limit of 100 friends is apparently related to this.

Honestly, if there are people still frequently playing Xbox games online then I'm disappointed that Microsoft couldn't figure out a way of forking the LIVE service so original Xbox exists as it's own entity.

Farfalho 5th February 2010, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by article
Thanks for the tip go to forum member Blademrk, who is so cool he's already playing Halo 4 on the Xbox 720!

ROFL

DarkLord7854 5th February 2010, 17:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veles
I don't really get it either, I thought old xbox live and old xbox live were completely separate things (apart from you can have one account that accesses both).

I would think the problem stems from the fact that XboXLive ties into your Live Account.

That being said, I don't see why they can't separate things a bit, unless they made a massive f*ck-up when writing the code.. which wouldn't surprise me.

1ad7 6th February 2010, 08:37

people still own xbox's?
Hell for 60 a year per person that **** should stay... unless theres 5 ppl on it.

darkb 6th February 2010, 14:40

I never did try forza motorsport online.. and now I guess I never will.

csc2ya 8th February 2010, 16:54

I'm wondering if this means that the backwards compatibility software will be removed from consoles in a future update, meaning we get some of the 'unusable' space back.

Although I strongly doubt that will happen.

This is microsoft after all.