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[Jasmine Lemaitre]

Don't miss out on the new Xbox LIVE update coming tomorrow (August 11, 2009). The new update is a fairly big one and will allow users to download full Xbox 360 games and play them without a disc. You'll also be able to "party watch" movies online through Netflix. The Netflix system will also receive a much-needed overhaul, allowing users to search and update their Watch Now queues right in the interface - without having to leave the Xbox 360 and use a web browser. Avatars also get an overhaul with both props and "premium" content for those who like to spend money on outfitting animated icons with the latest fashions... but seriously, anyone who does this needs help. The August 11th update also allows every piece of game content on Marketplace to be rated, so you can add your personal ratings and see what others think is cool. Here's the full breakdown of features:

Enjoy the convenience of finding and buying new games right from the comfort of your own living room. Download a wide selection of full Xbox 360 games over Xbox LIVE. Games on Demand will be available for purchase on Xbox LIVE starting August 11 as part of the Xbox LIVE Update. You will be able to browse and purchase games through the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the Web starting August 13.

Avatars have been given quite a bit of attention. There is now a new Marketplace and Avatar Props. The Avatar Marketplace will be available on Xbox LIVE starting August 11 as part of the Xbox LIVE Update. Users will a healthy dose of narcissism will be able to browse and purchase Avatar apparel through the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the Web starting August 13.

If you're a Netflix fan and you owned an Xbox 360 back in 2009, you'll probably remember Netflix Party mode. It was a feature that allowed you to enjoy the Netflix library simultaneously with your friends and family, putting everyone together in a virtual cinema room, complete with Xbox Avatars and emoticons. It proved highly popular, but was disappointingly removed just two years later in 2011.

For those couple of years though, it was a fantastic feature. You could make suggestions for movies and TV shows to watch together, and then enjoy them all at once without having to queue videos separately. Sure, it wasn't exactly like being in the same room together, but it was the closest thing anyone had to a virtual moviegoing experience on the Xbox 360. And like the similarily unique Xbox 360 title 1 Vs. 100, its legacy has thrived over the years.

Even now, people are still replicating that idea of getting together and enjoying Netflix as a group. There's actually a website called Netflix Party that claims to have over 1 million users at the time of writing, but it's not a console thing (it's a Google Chrome extension), and doesn't work in quite the same way.

Subscribe to Pure Xbox on YouTube25kSo, what happened to Netflix Party on Xbox 360? It seems its demise was brought about due to the new Metro update that hit the system in 2011, with Microsoft admitting in a statement to Kotaku that the "new app platform" couldn't support the mode, and so the feature had been removed:

"The new app platform on Xbox does not support the video party mode feature at this time, so it will not be available in any existing app partners that have updated their app and any of the new Xbox app partners."

There were other issues that might have caused a few headaches as well though. Not all of the Netflix library was available to view via the feature, and former Netflix Vice President of Marketing Steve Swasey suggested in a 2009 interview with Engadget that some studios weren't willing to license their content for use with Party mode, perhaps hinting that it wasn't as simple to implement as it appeared.

Ultimately, whatever the reason for its demise, we're still longing for its return almost a decade later. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft and Netflix will ever work on a similar feature again, but we're hopeful we'll be gathering together once more in virtual cinemas during the next generation of Xbox.

As the sun begins to set on the Xbox 360 and the second generation of Xbox Live, we thought it would be good to look back at the service to see how far it's come. Achievements, avatars, gamerscore, DLC, and Netflix are all part of the evolution, but where did it all begin?

Before Microsoft raised eyebrows amongst gamers with the announcement of the original Xbox, people were happily gaming over phone lines with 56.6K modems. PC Gamers shrugged when the Dreamcast found success in connecting living rooms to the Internet. They had been playing with one another since before graphics were something people cared about.

However, the groundbreaking Phantasy Star Online showed platform holders that there was a market for online console gaming. Sony and Microsoft both took notice, but went down different paths to bring distant gamers together. While Sony opted for an external attachment (released alongside the first SOCOM title), Microsoft chose to include a broadband adapter inside each black-and-green console.

In 2000, when the Xbox was first announced, Microsoft came under fire for choosing to restrict online access to broadband. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, only 4.4 percent of households in the United States subscribed to a broadband service in 2000. By 2010, adoption had skyrocketed to 68.2 percent.

When we spoke with Microsoft in 2002, we were told that the purpose in choosing broadband was to push multiplayer as far as possible. They didn't want developers to have to dial back their ambitions to work on a dial-up connection.

Every Xbox owner would have the hardware in place to take advantage of Microsoft's broadband service without need of a peripheral, but they'd have to wait a little while. Xbox Live didn't launch until November 2002, which gave gamers an entire year to figure out how to play Halo: Combat Evolved over the Internet.

Thanks to two pieces of software, Xlink Kai and the GameSpy Tunnel, it was finally possible to ask the most important question in online gaming: "Why is that guy crouching and standing up over and over again?"

Voice chat wasn't possible in those early days before Xbox Live, and even when the service did become available, talking with strangers could sometimes be very odd thanks to the since-abandoned voice masking feature. Microsoft's former chief experience officer, J Allard, shared a story when we first covered the Xbox Live rollout.

Before the service was rolled out to the world, I was part of a group of gamers that were selected as beta testers for Xbox Live. For our $50 entry fee, we received a memory card, Xbox Communicator puck, a headset, a slick carrying case, and a one-year subscription to the service (that started on the official launch date). NFL Fever 2003 and Revolt! were the two games included in the kit, and both worked extremely well for testing purposes.

Later on, as a token of appreciation, Microsoft sent beta testers a t-shirt that read "I've got great hands." Unfortunately, this begat an entire community site of "not safe for work" images featuring the apparel.

Allard was true to his word. Xbox Live launched in November 2002. Servers for the two launch titles, MechAssault and Unreal Championship, were flooded with eager fans. The service remained stable for the most part, which is a feat even by today's standards. At the time, Xbox Live was powered by five data centers located in London, Seattle, Tokyo, Redmond, and Tukwila.

We take for granted (and sometimes grimace) at the thought of downloadable content. Too often, publishers roll out new content immediately upon release, raising questions about what should and shouldn't be included on the disc.

There was a time when the very concept of additional maps, vehicles, and play modes in a console game seemed magical. I recall downloading my first add-on, a free pack of additional mechs for Day1 Studios' MechAssault. It wasn't long before Microsoft began charging for content.

Back in September 2002, J Allard told us, "We don't expect Activision to nickel and dime you for new levels and clothing." Today, most publishers charge for new multiplayer maps, and Microsoft has the market cornered on new clothing. We'll talk about Avatars later, though.

In May 2005, just four and a half years after the release of the Xbox, Microsoft stepped out on stage at a glitzy MTV Hollywood party to reveal the Xbox 360 the world. On this new system, Microsoft would double-down on its commitment to Xbox Live, making the online service an integral part of the system.

In addition to the subscription service (now named Xbox Live Gold), which is still required for online gaming, any user could create a free "Silver" account. This profile would be tied to Gamertags carrying over from the original Xbox, but enhanced with additional customization and matchmaking.

Players would now be able to set themselves up in "game zones" that were intended to identify the desired level of competition. Trash talkers, professionals, and friendly competitors all had a place to go. These groupings still exist, but their usefulness seems negligible.

Gamercards, customizable with a small thumbnail "gamerpic," showed off a user's Gamerscore tied to the new achievement system, game zone, review rating (one to five stars), and geographic location. The Xbox Guide, the gateway to the Xbox Dashboard, was only a button press away.

Unfortunately, paid DLC got off to a rough start when Bethesda released its first add-on for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This "horse armor" was only cosmetic, and many players eager for their first bit of next-generation enhancements forked over the 200 Microsoft points ($2.50) only to realize that their purchase didn't get very much at all.

Since then, DLC has become a subject of debate due to varying quality of content. At its best, add-on material can expand the life of multiplayer communities and give players reason to revisit single-player campaigns. At its worst, it can leave gamers feeling abused and alienated. Paid add-ons that launch simultaneously with retail products have frustrated consumers for years, and there has been a shift in retailer pre-order bonuses from tangible items to in-game perks, missions, and cosmetic changes. Microtransactions for purely aesthetic reasons permeate the landscape and, if our crystal ball is accurate, this is a trend that will only grow as the Xbox 360 fades into history. There is great expansion content out there though, and many developers and publishers have pushed the boundaries of their game worlds thanks to the opportunities presented by DLC.

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