Tag: Anniversary

Xbox Turns 15, Celebrates So, So Many Gaming Hours!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Can you believe that the Xbox brand turned 15 today?

Microsoft’s first console released when I was just 11 years old, and what a time its been. The original Xbox was actually the first platform that I played Half Life 2 on, I had some of my first four-player multiplayer experiences with Halo, and my friends all loved Fusion Frenzy even though I thought it stunk. I think I may even still have one of those giant early controllers in a box somewhere.

To help celebrate this momentous occasion, Microsoft has shared some incredible data marking just how much Xbox has grown over this period. Some of the numbers are pretty incredible:

– Number of players: 222,468,423
– Number of total gaming hours: 100,539,390,670
-Number of total multiplayer hours: 29,000,304,183
– Number of Achievements unlocked: 32,667,582,157
– Gamerscore racked up: 572,605,554,587
– Highest Gamerscore: 1,416,465
– Number of Xbox Live friendships made: 4,233,891,482

That highest Gamerscore though… Wow.

Naturally, there’s a hashtag to go with the celebration, and Microsoft would love it if you shared your favourite Xbox memories on social media using #15YearsOfXbox.

Here’s what else is going on, straight from Xbox Wire:

Team Xbox Gaming with the Community

The team here at Xbox is full of gamers, so most of us will be spending the day on Xbox Live, playing games with and against our awesome community. In fact, we’ll have kiosks set up around the Xbox offices that will allow any employee to hop on Xbox Live for a quick multiplayer match. All you need to do is follow us at the Club named “Celebrate 15 Years of Xbox” and get to playing! Or, if you want to focus your gaming energy solely on Halo, join the “Halo” Club to take on the developers.

Livestreams

If you’re not able to join us on Xbox Live for some gaming, why not watch some of the talented folks on our teams play instead? You can take a look at the Forza livestream on Beam starting at 1PM PT at www.beam.pro/ForzaMotorsport. Then, beginning at 3:43PM PT, check out our Halo live stream at www.beam.pro/Halo or www.twitch.tv/halo, featuring videos from various members of the 343 team and Bungie sharing memories of Halo, live gameplay with community influencers, and more.

We also have special Game With sessions planned throughout the day starting 11:00AM PT. Major Nelson will kick off the day followed by special appearances from the Killer Instinct Team, Back Compat Team, Beam Team, Ambassadors Team, and a surprise executive Game With! Tune in to www.beam.pro/Xbox or www.twitch.tv/Xbox for an exciting day of Game With Xbox.

In-Game Events and Giveaways

A few of our teams are working on special giveaways and in-game events in honor of our 15 year celebration. First up, the Forza team is gifting a 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor complete with a custom livery celebrating Xbox’s 15th anniversary. All players will receive this livery for free and Forza Horizon 3 VIPs will receive a bonus truck with an alternative Xbox 15th anniversary livery as well.

There will be two Rivals events created as well, with one in Forza Motorsport 6 and the other in Forza Horizon 3. In addition, there will be a special Bucket List Challenge in Forza Horizon 3 (TITLE: Celebrate #15YearsofXbox), which players can find by traveling to the Pink Lakes Bucket List point in the game.

If you’re a Halo fan, if you simply log in to Halo 5: Guardians between November 15 at 10AM PT and November 22 at 10AM PT, you will receive a free “15th Anniversary REQ Pack”, which contains consumable items for use in Warzone game modes and the legendary Mark IV Gen 1 armor set, worn by Spartan IIs in the darkest hours of the Covenant War!

What’s been your favourite Xbox game or memory over the last decade and a half? Sound out below!

Watch Geekscape’s 400th Episode LIVE Right Here!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s almost here, guys.

We’ve been building it up for weeks now, and we even created our own you-might-get-alcohol-poisoning drinking game that will definitely help you get through the show (and pass out long before the Oscars).

Now, the feed is live, and the countdown is on. Episode 400 is almost here, and we’re shaking with anticipation (or is that just nervousness).

We go live on Sunday, February 28th at 1PM. Among many other things, we’ll be sharing some of our favourite Geekscape memories during the show, and would absolutely love to see yours in the comments below!

Enjoy, and again, thank you for the years (and years) of support!

Be A Part Of Geekscape’s 400th Episode This Sunday With The Geekscape Drinking Game!

by GeekscapeStaff

We can’t believe that we’re here.

Sure, we’ve been teasing it on the Geekscape podcast for some time now, but this Sunday, after more than nine years of Geekscape, we’re set to record a fantastic 400th episode.

The world was a very different place when Geekscape began all those years ago. The console war between the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 had just begun (and so did the war between HDDVD and Blu-Ray). Rocky Balboa and Children of Men had just hit theatres (and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still a couple of years away). Nintendo’s 3DS was still 5 years away. Breaking Bad wasn’t a thing yet, Heroes had just begun, and Lost was in its third season. Hell, Palm Pilots were in and the iPhone hadn’t been announced yet.

Now, Nintendo is set to release games on mobile phones, Batman and Superman are about to duke it out onscreen (at least for a few minutes before teaming up), the internet on my cell phone is faster than my internet at home, and Netflix and Marvel are releasing incredible television.

It’s a different world, and we’ve gone through a ton of changes, ups, downs, revisions, and evolutions over the years. We’re still here, we’re still kicking, and we love all of you writers, contributors, readers, guests, and listeners for your incredible support over the years.

So, why not celebrate with us?

This Sunday, February 28th at 1PM PST at theStream.tv we’ll be broadcasting our 400th episode live. It’s set to be a crazy couple of hours, filled with guests, surprises, and crazy Geekscape antics.

We’d love for you to take part and get your pre-Oscar buzz on by playing the new Geekscape drinking game.

Yep, it’s been 400 episodes, and we know Jonathan pretty well, so we figure that it’s about damned time. Of course, we designed this for the upcoming 400th episode, but go ahead and use it every week.

The rules are simple. One of the following happens, and you take a shot. Duh.

Be safe. Have fun. Stop before you have alcohol poisoning. If you’re a long time listener, we’d love to hear of any classic, consistent Jonathan moments that’ we’ve missed!

Drink when:

-Jonathan wonders why Laura hasn’t left him yet.
-Jonathan does his hyena laugh.
-The audio and/or video breaks.
-Jonathan mentions Jean-Claude Van Damme.
-Jonathan says ‘Um’ (careful with this one).
-Jonathan does any impression.
-You realize that Jonathan’s impressions are either weird low voice or weird Mickey Mouse voice.
-Jonathan (or Kenny or guests) mention Amiibo.
-Jonathan says “I have an addictive personality.”
-Jonathan references himself and / or us ‘Scapists as ‘socially retarded’
-Jonathan makes fun of Shane.
-You feel weirdly uncomfortable from a Shane story (be careful with this one too).
-You feel sorry for Shane.
-DANGANRONPA!
-Jonathan mentions Rufus, Texas, or Chappy (double for Cheebs).
-Jonathan (or guests) question the lyrics of the Geekscape theme song.
-Jonathan makes an inappropriate Kenny joke.
-Jonathan moves a guest’s microphone
-You  <3 Jonathan.

What did we miss? Comment below, and we’ll be sure to add them!

theStream.tv, Sunday, 1PM PST. See you there! Here’s to 400 more (sorry, Jon)!

400

It’s Geekscape’s 6th Birthday! Watch A Livestream Of Our AWESOME Anniversary Party!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Geekscape just turned 6 years old. For those of you who like your numbers a little bit bigger, that’s 2191 days, 52594 hours, 3.15…. you get the picture. We’re old! Over half a decade old!

Tonight’s the night to celebrate. We wouldn’t be here without you readers, so every single one of you is invited. Here’s the address (it’s also the Ranker office if you’re familiar with the area):

Suite 880, 6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
90028

Of course, that’s in Los Angeles and we have readers all over the place. We’d love to physically fly you all out to celebrate with us, but it’s a little late for that. You’re not totally out of luck though! We’ve set up a live stream of the event, so you can watch and laugh and generally wish you were there. We’ll be recording a live podcast, and will also have plenty of news about Geekscape’s bright and shining future. You can watch the very special live feed, well, right at the bottom of this page!

Thanks readers, and from a long time fan, thanks Jonathan, writers, and Geekscape! Let’s make it a night to remember! Don’t forget to wish Jonathan a happy birthday while you’re there!