Kotaku: Avatars

Confederate Army Uniforms Pulled from Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace

Owen Good — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:20:00 EDT

Microsoft removed a Confederate soldier's uniform and cap from an Xbox Live avatar items collection, following complaints from users about what the symbols represent. More »

Dress Up Your Xbox Live Avatar Like a Confederate on July 4

Owen Good — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EDT

While I don't read any statements or endorsements of historical viewpoints behind this, Microsoft had to figure someone would notice that it's now selling a Confederate Army uniform for your Xbox Live avatar's virtual dress-up and call it out as a borderline offensive gesture. One of our readers saw it, and did. More »

How Do You Play Chase Mii?

Mike Epstein — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:07:51 EDT

Chase Mii?" alt="Click here to read How Do You Play Chase Mii?" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/06/small_ykdsphs61xe.jpg"/>

In Chase Mii, up to four players work together to catch a single person, chasing them through Mario-esque environments. The twist is that the player being chased uses the new Wii U controller, which gives them a tactical advantage by allowing them to see a map. More »

Kinect Fun Labs Delivers Object Scanning, Life-Like Avatars, Personalized Bobbleheads, and More

Mike Fahey — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EDT

Kinect Fun Labs Delivers Object Scanning, Life-Like Avatars, Personalized Bobbleheads, and More" alt="Click here to read Kinect Fun Labs Delivers Object Scanning, Life-Like Avatars, Personalized Bobbleheads, and More" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/06/small_avatarscanner.jpg"/>

Going live on the Xbox 360's Kinect hub later this morning, Kinect Fun Labs is a series of gadgets that deliver enhanced functionality to Microsoft's magical camera peripheral, including scanning in your face to create realistic avatars and unrealistic bobbleheads. More »

Xbox Live Labs Exchanges Your Time And Bandwidth For Avatar Goodies

Mike Fahey — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:40:00 EST

Microsoft wants to enlist your help in testing the Xbox Live network, rewarding volunteers willing to donate up to six hours of Xbox 360 time with crazy mad scientist goodies once the testing's done. Here's how to participate. More »

Killzone 3 Lays Waste To PlayStation Home

Mike Fahey — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST

The Central Plaza of Sony's PlayStation 3 virtual playground PlayStation Home has never looked quite as attractive as it will this Thursday. To think all it needed was an alien invasion. More »

Xbox Avatars Invade the Windows Phone With Full House Poker

Brian Crecente — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:40:00 EST

Full House Poker is both an Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 game. A poker title that tracks your card-playing skills and pot across both platforms. More »

The Cutest Way To Scratch Up A Television

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST

Pugs are cute. They're so...pugnacious. And it's not just real pugs, Xbox 360 Avatar pugs are pretty cute, too. Know what's cuter than all that? More »

Two Years Of PlayStation Home Evolution

Mike Fahey — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:40:00 EST

Sony's PlayStation Home virtual world launched two years ago tomorrow with nine games, 114 virtual items, and 25 community events. On the eve of its second anniversary, PlayStation Home is much, much bigger. More »

Dress Your Xbox Live Avatar In Tron Legacy

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST

Tron Legacy fashions are coming to your Xbox Live Avatar, sleek skintight outfits that actually look like they're ripped direct from the Grid, unlike those real-world Tron-inspired clothes. Can we interest you in your own mini-Recognizer? More »

The New Xbox.com Is More Than Just A Pretty Face

Mike Fahey — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EDT

Tomorrow morning at 5AM Eastern Xbox.com will be going down. When it comes back, it'll have a fresh new look and some extra-added functionality. Let's take a look! More »

Awesome Kicks For Your Xbox Live Avatar

Owen Good — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:30:00 EDT

Preordering NBA 2K11 via GameStop delivered a free Chicago Bulls road jersey for your avatar; NBA 2K11 now has six different pairs of classic Air Jordan sneakers to help complete the look. More »

Chic, Sleek, Sexy, So Sexy New Avatar in Motion

Brian Crecente — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:20:00 EDT

Sure, the new look for the Kinect-compatible Xbox 360 avatars isn't that different than the old look, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi. More »

360 Avatars Being Redesigned

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 03:00:00 EDT

Microsoft's 360 avatars are looking a little on the portly side, because come the release of Kinect in November, they're in for a little redesign. More »

Tomb Raider Avatar Items Available For Plunder On Thursday

Owen Good — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EDT

If you've ever wanted to cross dress your avatar as Lara Croft, your chance is coming. The tomb raider's super-tight shorts are among a set of themed outfits hitting Xbox Live Marketplace on Thursday. More »

Saddle Your Avatar With Red Dead Redemption Items

Owen Good — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:30:00 EDT

Red Dead Redemption Items" alt="Click here to read Saddle Your Avatar With Red Dead Redemption Items" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2010/05/img_0399.jpg"/>

We're into week two of Red Dead Redemption hype, so you know what that means: Avatar items for your little varmint. Yah! Yah avatars! Git along! Git! More »

Rebel Scum It Up With New Star Wars Xbox 360 Avatar Gear

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:40:00 EDT

Show your Rebel pride, your Imperial allegiance or your carefree bounty hunter love with new The Empire Strikes Back-themed Avatar gear, adorable enough to force almost any Star Wars fan to drop Microsoft Points on virtual clothing. More »

Final Fantasy XIII PlayStation Home Items Come To North America

Mike Fahey — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:20:00 EDT

Let your Final Fantasy fanhood ring across the hallowed halls and cubbyholes of PlayStation Home today, as Final Fantasy XIII avatar items, costumes, and spaces make their way to North America. More »

Xbox 360 Avatars Get Super Street Fighter IV Costumes.

Brian Crecente — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:20:00 EDT

More avatar costumes are in bound from Capcom in the form of Super Street Fighter IV packs for the digital people living on Xbox Live. More »

The Lost Kotaku Podcast

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:00:38 EDT

No, not that Lost. Just lost. As in technical problems. As in the Kotaku Talk Radio featuring me, Major Nelson and a Madden guy lost due to a a) magnetic anomaly b) plane crash or c) computer malfunction. More »

The Voice Of Xbox Live Is Now Taking Your Calls

Mike Fahey — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:59:44 EDT

This week's episode of Kotaku Talk Radio is now live, featuring none other than Major Nelson, the living embodiment of Xbox Live. More »

BioShock 2, Red Faction Cosplay For Your 360 Avatar

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:00:00 EST

If your 360 avatar is in need of some over-priced, officially-licensed attire to help ring in St. Valentine's Day, Microsoft, 2K and THQ have you covered with some BioShock 2 and Red Faction: Guerilla clothing purchases. More »

360 Avatars Get Dead Space, NBA & NCAA Outfits

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST

Not everybody has the week off, it seems, as somebody at Microsoft had to be around to flick the switch on new avatar clothing ranges that include Dead Space cosplay and official NBA & NCAA jerseys. More »

Final Fantasy XIII Avatar Pets Flutter Onto Xbox Live

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:30:00 EST

Announced last month, those little Final Fantasy chocobo playthings for your 360 avatar are now being sent out to select Xbox Live users. More »

Microsoft Patents the Exercise Guilt Trip

Owen Good — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:00:00 EST

Microsoft's filed a patent that would make avatars more realistic and less idealized, with the point of getting your husky ass out to exercise if what you're seeing in the dashboard is a more realistic presentation of yourself. More »

What Marketing Can And Can't Do With Microsoft's Avatars

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:40:00 EST

We took a look at Microsoft's "Avatar Guidelines" today, the company's set of rules governing how avatars can be displayed in both internal and external (ie, catalogues) marketing programs. And they're more interesting than you think. More »

Study: Avatars Dressed in Klan Robes Usually Belong to Unpleasant People

Owen Good — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

A researcher down in Texas has found that, when people are assigned to play characters wearing the brooding black robes of an emo Jedi, or the coneheaded getup of a KKK grand kobold or whatever, they exhibit antisocial behaviors. More »

Assassin's Creed II Outfits For Your 360 Avatar

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:20:00 EST

Some Assassin's Creed II items have turned up on the Xbox 360's Avatar Marketplace, with both game-related clothing and avatar cosplay on offer. More »

Our Tour Of Halo Waypoint, Including Surprise Avatar Awards

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:20:47 EDT

The hub for all things Halo is live on my Xbox 360 (and yours if you have the dashboard update preview). I'm a Level 19 Halo user, it seems. Check out my video tour, which starts with... Avatar Awards. More »

Buy Your Cheap Halloween Costume on Xbox Live Marketplace

Owen Good — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EDT

It's mid-October, which in my childhood was the time Dad would take me down to the TG&Y to buy a cheap, vinyl Spider-Man costume with flammable plastic mask. More »

Of Course Modern Warfare 2 Avatar Goods Are Coming

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EDT

Xbox 360 owners, calm your fears. Soon, your Xbox 360 Avatar will reflect your passion for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, says Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling. I know, it was touch and go there for a minute. More »

Show Your NFL Pride On Xbox Live

Mike Fahey — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EDT

If anyone was crazy enough to spend $4 on a tiny virtual football jersey it's those whacky NFL Football fans. More »

Xbox 360 May Get Its Own Avatar Arcade

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EDT

The Xbox 360 may be getting its own retro-themed arcade space, an environment that looks remarkably similar to the one competitor Sony offers in PlayStation Home. The above pictures come from a rumored survey hinting at an "AvatArcade." More »

Dress Your Avatar For Mass Effect

Mike Fahey — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EDT

My Xbox Live friends list should look a whole lot cooler now that Mass Effect space suits and clothing have hit the Avatar Marketplace. More »

Kotaku Commenters Hang At Microsoft HQ

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:20:00 EDT

It wasn't until I saw the napkin dispensers at Microsoft HQ that I realized how proud I was to work at Kotaku. And by that I mean: I was perturbed that (maybe) only my old blog was featured on them. More »

XBL Avatar Golf Game is Now Available

Owen Good — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:30:00 EDT

Hey, remember the "leaked footage" of the Xbox Live avatar golf game? Mystery solved. It's available on the Marketplace in the Indie Games channel. Avatar Golf is its name, because, well, it's golfing with your avatar. More »

Mass Effect Dress-Ups For Your 360 Avatar

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:40:00 EDT

I'm so torn on these premium avatar clothes! Part of me loves the idea of dressing the little guys up in official, in-game gear. A much bigger part of me abhors the fact Microsoft charge you for it. More »

PS3 Firmware 3.0 Adds New XMB, Dynamic Themes, Avatars

Mike Fahey — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:20:00 EDT

PlayStation 3 firmware 3.0 is coming soon, bringing with it new XMB functionality, a status indicator, a friends list redesign, dynamic themes, avatars, and much more. More »

Why Depression-Era Clothes Became Xbox 360 Fashions

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:20:09 EDT

Xbox gamers can dress as a BioShock Big Daddy or a Halo trooper if they sample the new virtual world fashions launching today. Or they could dress like they're from the Great Depression. The line's designer explains why. More »

360 Update Brings Star Wars, BioShock Avatar Outfits

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:30:00 EDT

While drumming up support for the new 360 avatar marketplace, Microsoft showed off how your little guy could dress up as a character from Gears of War, or Monkey Island. Turns out those were just the tip of the iceberg. More »