This is the quick, visual, one-stop tutorial for everyone who wants to get maximum fun and entertainment out of their Xbox 360, Xbox Live, and Kinect controller. Gaming experts Christina and Bill Loguidice cover everything Xbox has to offer, uncovering cool features and tools most users won't ever discover on their own. You learn how to get started with Xbox 360; fast-network your Xbox 360s; run the media content in your Windows PCs; personalize your Xbox experiences; find great stuff on Microsoft's Game, Video, and Music Marketplaces; get acquainted with your Xbox friends and communities; get to know the Kinect controller and Hub; and find great Kinect games and get better at playing them. This book's concise, step-by-step instructions link to callouts on Xbox screen captures that show you exactly what to do. Tips and Notes help you discover powerful new techniques and shortcuts, and Help features guide you past common problems. This book is designed for all 50,000,000 Xbox 360 owners: from those who've just purchased their first system, to those diving headfirst into Kinect gaming, to millions of Xbox Live subscribers who want to get even more out of Microsoft's online services.

Chapter 1 Getting Started 3 Unboxing Your Xbox 360 3 Understanding the Xbox 360 Models 4 Breaking Down the Components 5 Setting Up Your Xbox 360 9 Positioning Your Xbox 9 Connecting to Your TV 10 Setting Up Your Controller 20 Powering On for the First Time 24 Playing Discs 29 Setting Up Your Headset 31 Setting Up Storage 33 Transferring Content Between Consoles 36 Updating Your Dashboard 39 Understanding Your Warranty 43 Chapter 2 Networking Your Xbox 45 Connecting to Your Home Network 45 Establishing a Wireless Connection 46 Establishing a Wired Connection 48 Examining Xbox LIVE 51 Understanding Xbox LIVE Memberships 51 Joining Xbox LIVE 53 Understanding Microsoft Points 60 Paying for Purchases with PayPal 63 Accessing Xbox LIVE Anywhere 64 Understanding Updates 67 Chapter 3 Personalizing Your Xbox Experience 69 Establishing User Profiles 70 Creating a Profile 71 Signing In 73 Building an Avatar 73 Selecting a Base to Work From 74 Change My Features 75 Change My Style 78 Marketplace 80 Accessing Awards 82 Gamer Picture 83 Choosing a New Avatar 86 Moving, Deleting, and Recovering a Gamertag 87 Using a Gamer Profile on Another Console 87 Recovering Your Gamertag from Xbox LIVE 88 Deleting a Gamer Profile 89 Navigating the Xbox 360 Dashboard 90 Bing Channel 91 Home Channel 91 Social Channel 92 TV Channel 92 Video Channel 92 Games Channel 93 Music Channel 93 Apps Channel 94 Settings Channel 94 Xbox Guide 94 Accessorizing Your Xbox 97 Controllers 98 Keyboards 100 Media Remotes 101 Racing Wheels 102 Rhythm Game Controllers 103 Big Button Pads 104 Xbox 360 Arcade Sticks 104 Xbox LIVE Vision 105 Chapter 4 Getting to Know Your Xbox 107 Working with Game Discs 107 Playing a Game Disc 108 Installing a Game on Your Hard Drive 109 Deleting a Single Game from Your Hard Drive 111 Copy, Move, or Delete Multiple Games from Your Hard Drive 112 Digging into Your Profile 113 Main Profile 114 Profile Information Under Settings 118 Understanding and Enabling Media Sharing 126 Media Sharing with Zune 126 Media Sharing with Windows Media Player 128 Accessing Your Media Libraries 130 Watching Your Video Library 130 Getting Down with Your Music Library 131 Viewing Your Picture Library 131 Interacting with Images in Your Picture Library 132 Connecting with Windows Media Center 133 Adding Your 360 to Windows Media Center 133 Adjusting Family Settings 134 Turning on Parental Controls 134 Setting Ratings and Content 136 Setting the Family Timer 137 Setting Xbox LIVE Access 138 Setting Xbox LIVE Membership Creation 139 Tweaking System Settings 139 Searching with Bing 140 Using Cloud Storage for Game Saves 142 Chapter 5 Playing on the Games Channel 145 Getting to Know the Games Channel 146 Browsing the Game Marketplace 146 Searching Among the Marketplace Selections 149 Purchasing Selections 151 Finding Arcade Games 155 Finding Games on Demand 158 Finding Indie Games 162 Finding Xbox Originals 166 Trying Out Demos 169 Downloading a Demo 170 Grabbing Add-Ons and Extras 171 Checking Out My Games 174 Understanding Backward Compatibility with the Original Xbox 176 Transferring Content Licenses to a New Console 177 Chapter 6 Viewing the Video Channel 179 Taking Control of Video Playback 179 Understanding Display Modes 180 Enjoying TV Shows and Movies with Zune 182 Downloading the Zune Application 182 Navigating Zune 183 Renting and Purchasing Media 187 Watching Videos on Netflix 188 Downloading the Netflix App 188 Navigating Netflix 189 Enjoying a Movie or TV Show 190 Watching Video on Hulu Plus 192 Downloading the Hulu Plus App 192 Navigating Hulu Plus 193 Enjoying Hulu Plus Content 194 Watching Video on YouTube 195 Downloading and Signing in to the YouTube App 195 Navigating YouTube 196 Playing YouTube Content 197 Changing YouTube Safety Mode 198 Watching Sports on ESPN 199 Downloading the ESPN App 200 Navigating ESPN 200 Adding Favorites 202 Watching Other Video Services 203 Checking Out Your Video Library 204 Playing DVDs 206 Using the Playback Menu Options 207 Chapter 7 Tuning into the Music Channel 211 Taking Control of Music Playback 211 Playing Music in the Background from the Xbox Guide 213 Restoring In-Game Background Music 214 Enjoying Music with Zune 215 Getting a Zune Pass 215 Navigating Zune 216 Managing Your Zune Account 218 Playing Music 219 Personalizing Radio with Last.fm 222 Tuning in to Last.fm 222 Navigating Last.fm 223 Playing Music 226 Getting iHeartRadio 227 Downloading the iHeartRadio App 227 Activating iHeartRadio 228 Examining iHeartRadio Content and Features 229 Working with Stations 231 Checking Out Your Music Library 232 Playing a CD 233 Ripping a Music CD 235 Chapter 8 Getting Social with Friends 239 Managing Friends 240 Sending Friend Requests 240 Managing Friend Requests 243 Removing a Friend 245 Viewing Your Friends 246 Displaying a Friend's Profile and Gamercard 248 Enabling Chat and Xbox LIVE Parties 251 Changing Your Online Safety Settings 251 Managing Xbox LIVE Parties 253 Inviting Friends to a Party 253 Inviting Friends to a Game 254 Accepting Party Invitations 255 Working with Messages 256 Sending a Message 257 Accessing Received Messages 259 Playing Voice Messages 260 Comparing Games 261 Managing Beacons 262 Setting a Beacon 262 Removing a Beacon 265 Live Chatting with Your Friends 266 Conducting a Private Chat 266 Adjusting Your Chat Channel 267 Getting Mobile with Xbox LIVE 268 My Xbox LIVE for iOS Owners 268 Xbox Companion for Windows Phone 268 Chapter 9 Exploring Social Apps 271 Connecting and Sharing with Facebook 272 Setting Up Facebook 272 General Controls 274 Exploring the Menus 274 Updating Your Status 277 Launching a Slideshow 278 Adding Facebook Friends to Xbox LIVE 280 Enabling Facebook Sharing 281 Sharing and Discovering with Twitter 282 Signing Into Twitter 283 Getting a Handle on the Interface 284 Enlisting with Halo Waypoint 290 Downloading Halo Waypoint 291 Exploring the Halo Waypoint Interface 293 Going Mobile with Halo Waypoint 296 Chapter 10 Getting to Know Kinect 299 Unboxing Your Kinect 300 Kinect Sensor 300 Kinect Adventures! 301 Calibration Card 302 Power Supply 302 Setting Up Your Kinect 303 Clearing Your Play Space 304 Hooking Up Your Sensor and Console 305 Installing the Sensor Software 306 Setting Up Your Sensor 307 Playing for the First Time 307 Recalibrating Your Kinect 310 Getting into Kinect Adventures! 311 Understanding the Game Modes 312 Getting to Know the Minigames 313 Troubleshooting Problems 317 Sensor Doesn't Work Properly 317 Sensor Doesn't See You 318 Sensor Motors Don't Adjust Properly 318 Sensor Doesn't Hear You 319 Chapter 11 Using Kinect 321 Accessing Kinect on the Dashboard 321 Using Your Voice 322 Using Your Body 322 Navigating the Dashboard with Kinect 323 Controlling with Your Voice 323 Controlling with Gestures 324 Working with the Kinect Guide 325 Searching with Bing 326 Setting Up Your Kinect ID 326 Creating a Kinect ID 327 Changing or Removing Your Kinect ID 329 Optimizing with the Kinect Tuner 329 Using the Avatar Editor 330 Experimenting with Kinect Fun Labs 332 Getting Started 332 Playing with the Gadgets 336 Controlling the Media Services 336 Using Voice 338 Using Gestures 339 Chatting with Video Kinect 340 Setting Up Video Kinect 340 Controlling the Chat 341 Accepting a Video Chat Invitation 342 Chatting with Windows Live Messenger Friends 343 Finding Kinect Games 344 Getting Help with Your Kinect and Xbox 360 346 Index 349