XBOX 360 FOR BEGINNERS
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 PART I XBOX 360 OUT OF THE BOX 5 CHAPTER 1 MEET THE XBOX 360 7 CHAPTER 2 SETTING UP YOUR XBOX 360 23 PART II THE XBOX 360 BLADES 39 CHAPTER 3 DEALING WITH THE DASHBOARD 41 CHAPTER 4 THE LIVE BLADE 61 CHAPTER 5 THE MEDIA BLADE 83 CHAPTER 6 THE SYSTEM BLADE 107 CHAPTER 7 THE GAMES BLADE 127 PART III XBOX 360 IN YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM 139 CHAPTER 8 HDTV EDTV PLAIN OLD TV 141 CHAPTER 9 GETTING THE BEST AUDIO EXPERIENCE 157 CHAPTER 10 CUSTOMIZING YOUR CONSOLE 179 PART IV PUSHING THE OUTER LIMITS 187 CHAPTER 11 PARENTAL CONTROL 189 CHAPTER 12 LAN PARTIES 211 CHAPTER 13 WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER EXTENDER 225 PART V THE PART OF TENS 243 CHAPTER 14 TEN GREAT WEB SITES 245 CHAPTER 15 MORE THAN TEN GREAT GAMES 257 CHAPTER 16 TEN TIPS FOR PARENTS 269 CHAPTER 17 TEN WAYS TO MAKE FRIENDS 279 CHAPTER 18 TEN GREAT ACCESSORIES 291 INTRODUCTION W ELCOME GAMERS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED LET US TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS BOOK XBOX 360 FOR DUMMIES STARTED LIFE AS A LITTLE BOOK THAT I BRIAN STARTED WRITING IN ORDER TO HELP MY NEPHEWS AND OTHER FAMILY MEM BERS GET THEIR ORIGINAL XBOX CONSOLES ONLINE WE WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE FAMILY TIME PLAYING GAMES CROSS COUNTRY WHEN THE XBOX 360 WAS ANNOUNCED WE DECIDED TO WRITE THE BOOK WITH THE NEW CONSOLE IN MIND FOR THAT TO WORK OUT I NEEDED TO BRING IN A COUPLE OF BIG GUNS TO HELP I CON TACTED LARRY MAJOR NELSON HRYB WHO WAS IMMEDIATELY INTERESTED IN HELPING USERS GET UP AND RUNNING WITH THE XBOX 360 WE ADDED DUNCAN FESTIVE TURKEY MACKENZIE BECAUSE HE S AN EXPERT IN AUDIO DIGITAL MEDIA HDTV AND THE WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER PC WE VE COME UP WITH A BOOK WE HOPE HELPS GAMERS GET UP AND RUNNING QUICKLY WITH THE XBOX 360 WE ALSO WROTE THIS TO HELP PARENTS UNDERSTAND THE CONSOLE AND GET A FIRM IDEA WHAT GAMING IS ALL ABOUT AS YOU CAN PROBABLY TELL THE XBOX 360 HOLDS MUCH MUCH MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE THERE HASN T BEEN A GAME CONSOLE QUITE LIKE THE XBOX 360 AND NEVER HAS A HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM BEEN ANYWHERE NEAR THIS POWERFUL THIS BOOK S ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO HELP YOU GET THE MOST YOU POSSIBLY CAN FROM YOUR XBOX 360 WHAT S IN THIS BOOK THIS BOOK IS DESIGNED TO GET NEW USERS UP AND RUNNING QUICKLY WITH THE XBOX 360 IN THE COURSE OF WORKING ON THE BOOK WE DISCOVERED SOMETHING PRETTY INTERESTING THE XBOX 360 WORKS REALLY WELL OUT OF THE BOX MUCH OF WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO AS ADVANCED GAMERS IS RIGHT THERE AND PRETTY EASY TO FIGURE OUT THIS BOOK ISN T FOR THE ADVANCED GAMER IT S FOR THE MAN WHO S HOOKING UP HIS XBOX 360 TO A TV FOR THE FIRST TIME IT S FOR THE MOTHER WHO WANTS AN TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THE GAMES HER CHILDREN PLAY WITH THAT IN MIND WE WANTED TO MAKE XBOX 360 FOR DUMMIES A REALLY GOOD REFERENCE FOR USERS WE ADD INTERESTING USEFUL TIPS WHERE APPROPRIATE WE OFFER CURSORY ADVICE ON EQUIPMENT AND WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE CONNECTEDNESS OF THE XBOX 360 THAT IS WE MAKE IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO HOOK UP YOUR CONSOLE TO THE INTERNET TO OTHER COMPUTERS AND TO YOUR HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM FINALLY WE WANT TO HELP NEW GAMERS DISCOVER THE POSSIBILITIES FOR COMMUNITY AROUND THE XBOX 360 XBOX LIVE PRESENTS A UNIQUE COMMUNICATION OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THINGS CHANGE SO FREQUENTLY IN GAMING WE SET UP A SITE TO SUPPORT THE BOOK AT HTTP XBOX4DUMMIES COM YOU FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE XBOX 360 UPDATES AND A CHANCE TO E MAIL US WITH YOUR IDEAS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK HOW TO USE THIS BOOK YOU CAN READ THIS BOOK FROM COVER TO COVER OR YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE PIECES OF INFORMATION IF YOU BOUGHT THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU GOT THE XBOX 360 YOU CAN PREPARE FOR YOUR CONSOLE S ARRIVAL REVIEW THE FIRST COUPLE OF CHAPTERS TO FIND OUT ABOUT HOOKING UP YOUR XBOX 360 TO YOUR TV AND HOW YOU RE GOING TO CONNECT TO XBOX LIVE THROUGH YOUR HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION IF YOU RE LOOKING FOR A TV OR HOME THEATER SYSTEM TO GO WITH YOUR NEW XBOX READ CHAPTERS 8 AND 9 IF YOU RE LOOKING FOR A QUICK READ HEAD ON TO THE PART OF TENS FOR WEB SITES WORTH VISITING XBOX 360 ACCESSORIES WORTH OWNING AND GAMES WORTH CHECKING OUT IF YOU RE GETTING AN XBOX 360 FOR YOUR FAMILY BE SURE TO CHECK OUT CHAPTER 11 AND CHAPTER 16 THESE CHAPTERS SHOW YOU HOW TO SET UP THE XBOX 360 WITH A PASSWORD HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED XBOX 360 FOR DUMMIES IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE PARTS EACH OF WHICH EXPLAINS A DIF FERENT ASPECT OF XBOX 360 GAMING AND MEDIA PLAY PART I XBOX 360 OUT OF THE BOX THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK EXPLAINS WHAT THE XBOX 360 IS AND HOW IT CAN FIT INTO YOUR DIGITAL LIFESTYLE WE TELL YOU ABOUT THE CONSOLE WE INTRODUCE YOU TO ONLINE GAMING AND WE HELP YOU GET A NEW XBOX 360 HOOKED TO YOUR TV AND TO THE INTERNET 2 INTRODUCTION PART II THE XBOX 360 BLADES THE XBOX 360 IS A UNIQUE GAMING CONSOLE BECAUSE OF ITS RICH USER EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF GAMING THE XBOX 360 ISN T A PC BUT IT S A LOT LIKE A COMPUTER THE BLADES LET YOU DO THINGS YOU PROBABLY HAVEN T DONE THROUGH YOUR TV BEFORE THIS PART TOURS EACH BLADE AND MAKES IT EASY TO USE SOME OF THE POWERFUL FUNCTIONALITY BUILT INTO THE CONSOLE PART III XBOX 360 IN YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM WE HELP YOU PICK A NEW HDTV AND SOUND SYSTEM EXPLAIN THE PARENTAL CON TROLS DESCRIBE CONSOLE CUSTOMIZATION AND REVEAL WAYS YOUR CONSOLE CAN ENTERTAIN GUESTS PART IV PUSHING THE OUTER LIMITS YOUR XBOX 360 DOES LOTS OF COOL STUFF HERE S THE MAXIMUM CHILL PART V THE PART OF TENS THE PART OF TENS LISTS INFORMATION WE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING WHAT ARE SOME WEB SITES THAT DETAIL YOUR CONSOLE HOW CAN YOU MAKE FRIENDS ONLINE HOW DOES THE SYSTEM FIT INTO YOUR FAMILY S SCHEDULE WHAT COOL ACCES SORIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE SYSTEM ICONS USED IN THIS BOOK IF YOU RE A FOR DUMMIES FAN THEN YOU LL QUICKLY RECOGNIZE THESE ICONS IF YOU RE NEW TO FOR DUMMIES BOOKS WELCOME THIS ICON INDICATES A LITTLE PIECE OF KNOWLEDGE THAT S GOING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER TAKE A LOOK AND SAVE IT FOR LATER TIPS ARE FUN AND THEY CAN MAKE YOU SEEM OH SO SMART YOU NEED THIS INFORMATION ALMOST ALL THE TIME WHILE YOU RE GAMING 3 INTRODUCTION