Kotaku: Major Nelson

Black Ops Finally Surrenders Top Slot on Xbox Live—to Modern Warfare 3

Owen Good — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:30:00 EST

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Fending off challenges from Gears of War 3 and Battlefield 3 during their launch weeks, Call of Duty: Black Ops at last met its match this past week—in its successor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. More »

Battlefield 3 Still Can't Dethrone Black Ops

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:50:10 EST

The latest Xbox Live activity list—the first covering a full week of Battlefield 3 availability—shows that more people are still playing 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops online. BF3 is second, then Modern Warfare 2Gears of War 3. More »

Gears of War 3 Dents Call of Duty's Xbox Live Dominance, Doesn't Beat It

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:20:00 EDT

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Gears of War 3 was the second most popular game on Xbox Live on the week it launched, topping Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 but failing to unseat the 10-month-old Call of Duty: Black Ops. More »

Look What They're Selling in the Halo Store and Who's Helping to Sell It

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:40:00 EDT

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In the middle of Halofest here in Seattle there stands a Halo. They call it the Halo Commissary, and, well, look who shows up to sell us on all these Halo goods. More »

360 Cases Now a Matte Finish Going Forward, Microsoft Clarifies

Owen Good — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EDT

Earlier it was reported that a matte finish was coming to the Xbox 360 250GB hard drive configuration, and that is indeed true, but some construed that to mean the glossy case still would be in production. It ain't. More »

Black Ops Tops Modern Warfare 2 On Xbox Live In Its First Week

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:20:00 EST

The two most-played games on Xbox Live are Call of Duty games, with Halo Reach in the third spot, according to the first Xbox Live popularity ranking released after several data-free weeks from Microsoft. 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 »

Halo: Reach Was Second-Most Popular Xbox Live Game In Its Launch Week [Corrected]

Owen Good — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:20:00 EDT

Xbox Live's Major Nelson released data on Thursday showing that Halo: Reach was the No. 2 game on Xbox Live in its launch week, trailing only Modern Warfare 2. It had four times as many players as Halo 3. 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 »

Reminder: Prepare To Call Major Nelson And Ask Him Stuff

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:00:41 EDT

Kotaku Talk Radio. Recording live from CBS Radio on Wednesday. 11am Kotaku Time. 1pm ET. 10am PT. Host: Me. Guests: Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb and Madden NFL senior product manager Anthony Stevenson. Call-in details will be on Kotaku at showtime. More »

Major Nelson Returns To Kotaku Talk Radio This Week, Bringing Madden Maker

Stephen Totilo — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EDT

Microsoft's Xbox Live hype man Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb will be the first repeat guest on our weekly podcast. On Wednesday, you can call to ask him and a Madden developer, anything you want. More »

Xbox Live Director's Account Hacked! (Are You Next?)

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:00:00 EDT

Larry Hryb, Director of Programming for Microsoft's Xbox LIVE online gaming network, has had his Xbox LIVE profile hacked. Warning: NSFW language ahead. More »

All is Forgiven, Miss America

Owen Good — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:20:00 EST

So Caressa Cameron, crowned Miss America on Sunday, opened her yearlong reign with some alienating things to say about video games. Chalk that up to extemporaneous speaking. Here she assures Major Nelson she wants to learn how to play them. More »

Major Nelson Talks About Xbox Live, Natal, Bannings & More On Kotaku Talk Radio

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST

This morning, the Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb took a few moments from his busy podcasting and Gamerscore inflating duties to chat with Kotaku readers, a very special episode of Kotaku Talk Radio that's now available for download. More »

Kotaku Talk Radio is Live: Let's Talk With Xbox Live's Major Nelson

Brian Crecente — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:55:00 EST

Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's Major Nelson, is today's guest on our live Kotaku podcast. We're starting now. Call in. You could be live on the air with Mike McWhertor and Hryb. More »

Talk Live With Xbox Live's Major Nelson Today

Brian Crecente — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST

As noted on Monday, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, director of programming for Xbox Live, will guest-host today's live Kotaku call-in podcast. Show time's 11 a.m. MT, 1 p.m. ET. More »

Xbox Live's Major Nelson Takes Your Calls During This Week's Podcast

Stephen Totilo — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:30:57 EST

Microsoft's Xbox Live director of programming, Major Nelson, will be our guest host on the Kotaku call-in podcast this week, filling in for ... me. The good Major joins Crecente live, Wednesday, ready to field your live calls. More »

Facebook on XBL Available for Minors — Outside of U.S.

Owen Good — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:00:00 EST

Xbox Live users under 18 outside of North America may now use the social networking tools Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm on Xbox Live. Minors in the U.S. get access Dec. 15. More »

Major Nelson Weighs In On 360 Console Bans

Mike Fahey — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:20:00 EST

Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb discusses the recent string of Xbox Live piracy console bannings, delivering an important caveat to those purchasing used machines in the process. More »

Xbox Live Ops Manager Ain't Going for this Facebook/Games Thing

Owen Good — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:40:00 EST

In the latest thrilling episode of Major Nelson's podcast, the gang raps about the DSi XL and its virtues and drawbacks, and regular guest "e" (Eric Neustadter, the Xbox Live operations manager) says this whole gaming/Facebook synergy? Not diggin' it. More »

Xbox LIVE Features Kratos Head, It Seems

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:30:00 EDT

In the Halloween episode of Xbox LIVE's Inside Xbox, there are heads on the wall — one of which looks like Kratos from Sony's PlayStation franchise. But what could it mean? More »

Unauthorized Memory Units Won't Work in Next 360 Update

Owen Good — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:40:00 EDT

Unauthorized memory units are verböten under the next dashboard update to Xbox Live, which isn't of mainstream concern right now, but will be to those participating in the Xbox Live Preview Program. More »

Look Who's Gonna Buy Uncharted 2

Owen Good — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:40:00 EDT

I've always wondered if Pepsi guys, on vacation with the fams, ever pull into a McDonald's and go, the hell with it, gimme a Coke. Of course, that's a smidge different from deliberately buying and complimenting a competitor's flagship product. More »

All Halo Wars Leaderboard Data Erased from Xbox Live

Owen Good — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:00:00 EDT

All Halo Wars leaderboard data - and by this, "all" means "everything" - disappeared from Xbox Live today, says Major Nelson, meaning braggin' rights have been reset to launch day status. More »

Alright, What, Exactly, is "Xbox 360 Beta?" [Update]

Owen Good — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EDT

Natal? ODST? Whatever it is, Major Nelson, Stepto and other Redmond regulars have been playing it lately. I thought it might be 1 vs. 100, but other friends show that as "Xbox 360 Dashboard." More »

Xbox Live Team Working On Their 360 Dash Speed

Mike Fahey — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:30:00 EDT

According to Major Nelson's latest podcast, the Xbox Live Team is working towards making a harder, better, faster, and indeed stronger Xbox Live Dashboard for the next update later this year. More »

Tell The Xbox Live Team What You Think

Mike Fahey — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:20:00 EDT

The Xbox Live Team is assembling today for one of their regular meetings, and you can be there too, through the magic of Twitter. More »

Xbox Live Issues: It's Not Just You

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:20:53 EDT

Xbox Live is currently having a downtime worst case scenario. It, horrifically, is having issues related to billing, meaning Xbox Live Marketplace purchases are wonky and signing in to Live accounts is shaky. The horror... More »

Microsoft Retires Gamerscore Blog

Owen Good — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 11:00:00 EST

Gamerscore Blog, an important part of Microsoft's Xbox community outreach for several years, is being retired. Microsoft will now focus that effort through Xbox.com and the Xbox dashboard. More »

Castle Crashers with Major Nelson

Brian Crecente — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST

Tune in to hear Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb talk about the year in Xbox 360, his confidence of Xbox Live stability during this year's new adopter holiday crunch and the bet I more than likely lost. More »

Microsoft Exec Wants Crackdown 2

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST

Microsoft Games published Crackdown selling 1.5 million copies pretty much guarantees a sequel. If that doesn't, then two Microsoft execs talking about how they'd like Crackdown 2 should. More »

Microsoft Comments On LIVE Bannings

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:00:00 EST

We've been getting emails about Microsoft once again banning consoles from LIVE. Microsoft's Major "Larry Hyrb" Nelson has too, offering this company reply on what's going on:

In our our continued effort to keep gameplay safe and secure for our community of more than 14 million members, Microsoft has taken action against a small percentage of Xbox 360 consoles that have been illegally modified in order to play pirated games. You should know that modifying your Xbox 360 console is also a violation of the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void your warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE. The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive, both from manufacturers and the local companies that support them. We will continue to employ and bolster anti-piracy security measures to counter piracy in the gaming industry and improve security in the Xbox LIVE community.

This isn't the first time Microsoft has banned modders from LIVE, and it won't be the last time. This will continue and continue and continue and continue some more. And then after that, it'll continue again in what the cool kids these day call an "endless cycle." Xbox 360 Console banning [Major Nelson] More »

Want Early Access To The "New Xbox Experience"?

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:40:04 EDT

We're eagerly anticipating the day the DHL man drops by Kotaku Towers West to casually toss a disc with the New Xbox Experience burned on it. Here's to hoping one of the local transients doesn't snatch it from our stoop first. Yes, we'll be spending plenty of time with the NXE prior to November 19th, the update's official launch date. And soon, maybe you can too. More »

A Look at the New Xbox Live Marketplace

Owen Good — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Major Nelson takes a look at the revamped Xbox Live Marketplace (which is a little like "Action Figure Man: the How to Buy Action Figure Man episode" from The Simpsons) and of course concludes that it's awesome. You can compare the two "experiences" with the images above (bigger on the jump) and more on Hryb's flickr account. For those not necessarily wondering how streamlined their buying experience will be, just when it's all over with, he says "The New Xbox Experience will ship later this year. As in before the New Year." No real news there, but it's nice to have his personal assurance. More »

News About BF:BC Maps Helps Us Speculate About Zune

Owen Good — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Battlefield: Bad Company is getting four free multiplayer maps in the next month. That comes from Major Nelson’s latest ~~podcast~~ “blogcast.” The tidbit is in a 10-minute discussion with Gordon Van Dyke of developer DICE. More »

Major Nelson Has a Gambling Problem - His Wife

Owen Good — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT

The big lure of Fable II Pub Games is that you get a two months head start to pile up gold before the game drops. The big drawback is that it's gambling, not a Pell grant, so you could wind up in the hole when the game drops Oct. 21. Larry Hyrb is — sorta. More »

Bug Major Nelson For Maddenpalooza Tickets

Mike Fahey — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Fans hoping to get into EA's celebration of all things Madden at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California this Monday have pretty limited options when it comes to scoring entry into the event. They can either win tickets via local Southern California radio stations, or stand in line and hope they're one of the first 1,00 people there. Xbox Live's Larry Hryb offers gamers a third option for acquiring Maddenpalooza tickets - email him! More »

Major Nelson Unveils E3 Hub For Xbox 360

Leigh Alexander — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has set up an E3-devoted hub with an ongoing blog and video already available to track the adventures of the Xbox 360 at the event. So if you like your E3 coverage with a decidedly Microsoft slant, you can check it out. More »

Microsoft Announcement Coming Tomorrow?

Mark Wilson — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:20:53 EST

Yesterday we mentioned rumors of a potential Microsoft Japan announcement coming next week, but on Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb's Twitter account, he teases "a special" show coming mid-week that, we'd expect, would feature some fun Microsoft announcement or another. So it looks like either one or two announcements are on the horizon. Any gambling types sitting in the audience who'd care to place some wagers*? More »