Benefits of installing Xbox 360 games to the hard drive

Installing games to your Xbox 360 hard drive gives you many benefits, including faster load times, less wear and tear on the console itself, and a quieter running system. Also, although I do not know exact numbers, significant power savings are achieved by not requiring the disc to constantly spin while playing games. Although you must still have the disc in the drive to start the game I still prefer to install my games to the hard drive for all of these benefits.
There are some games that are designed to stream data from the disc and have been specifically engineered to be played off of the disc. RockStar first said this with Grand Theft Auto IV, and have continued that suggestion by explaining that GTA5 has an install disc, but you should NOT install the Play Disc. Still, overall, I find installing games pretty beneficial – large, open world games may be the one exception, but it certainly won’t do any real harm if you install the games!

Here is how you can install your games to the hard drive of your Xbox 360 console: Continue reading “Benefits of installing Xbox 360 games to the hard drive”

What is Gamerscore and what are Achievements?

I’ve been asked before: “what is gamer score” or “can I use gamer score points to buy games on the Xbox live arcade?” Unfortunately, no, these are not features of earning Gamerscore. Gamerscore points are designed as a way to track your gaming progress. To make purchases on the Xbox Live Marketplace, you will need to use Microsoft Points.

Gamerscore is awarded for completing specific Achievements in games. These Achievements, and their corresponding Gamerscore value, are decided upon by the developers of the game. Continue reading “What is Gamerscore and what are Achievements?”

What are Microsoft Points?

Microsoft points are a form of digital currency created by Microsoft for use in the Xbox Live Marketplace and Zune Marketplace. Microsoft points are different from Gamerscore in that you must actually purchase Microsoft points by charging them to a credit card or buying redeemable points cards available in many retail stores. Microsoft uses the symbol . Continue reading “What are Microsoft Points?”

How can I tell if Xbox Live is down right now?

Whenever there’s the slightest hiccup, people want to know if Xbox Live is down. Microsoft makes it extremely easy to find out if Xbox Live as a whole is down, or just certain aspects, services, or applications are unavailable. All you have to do is head to the Xbox Live Status page and make sure everything has a green check mark! If it doesn’t, then you can start to freak out. 😉