[Update] Reports are doing the rounds that the first phase of the new Xbox 360 system update is available to download now in certain regions. [End of Update]
After a bit of rumour-mongering last week regarding potential PayPal functionality over Xbox LIVE with the release of an upcoming firmware update for Xbox 360, the reports have been confirmed by Xbox frontman Major Nelson.
Nelson wrote:
“I am happy to announce that, as a part of a new Xbox 360 System Update, we’re expanding our integration with PayPal to allow U.S. and international Xbox LIVE users to make purchases on their Xbox 360 consoles with their PayPal accounts.”
All you’ll need to do following the release of the next Xbox 360 firmware update to take advantage of this functionality is link your PayPal account to your Xbox LIVE account over Xbox.com, at which time “you’ll be off and running to use it as a billing option, allowing you to buy content such as Microsoft Points, Xbox LIVE Gold subscriptions and Games on Demand titles.”
Xbox 360 Firmware Update Rolling Out Today
The ‘upcoming’ system update for Xbox 360 isn’t too far off, either. In fact, Microsoft will “gradually” begin rolling the update out to all Xbox LIVE users starting today, and “throughout the next couple weeks to ensure a high quality deployment.”
When the update is available to you, you’ll be notified the next time you switch your Xbox 360 on with a prompt to download it (provided you’re connected to Xbox LIVE).
This update will also bring with it another piece of new functionality – an auto-standby feature “that places your console on standby if it’s idle for more than one hour, helping to reduce power consumption.”
“This feature will be automatically enabled after you download the update. You can change this setting in the System Settings on your console.”
One last item to note is that, according to Nelson, the new Xbox 360 disc format tests were successful and those of you who participated in the testing programme “helped [Microsoft] prepare for the updated Xbox 360 disc format capability that comes with this release.”
Give yourselves a pat on the back, fellows and fellowettes!
(Note: PayPal functionality will not be available in the Xbox LIVE regions of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan.)
Source: Major Nelson’s Blog
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Comments:
Just a request: as a South African gaming site, it would probably help for El33tOnline to report whether these things are available in our region. PayPal functionality, for example, isn't available in SA.
PayPal functionality is available through a certain banking institution in South Africa, so I unfortunately forgot to mention it.
While El33tonline is a South African website, we cater to international readers, too.
Graeme, I have been using Paypal to pay for my eBay purchases since 2006. It's linked to my Nedbank account and whenever I make a purchase, the amount is converted to Rands and deducted from my bank account. I would assume making purchases on LIVE would result in the same process, although I'm no expert on this.
If you want to receive money from others via Paypal, then you would need to have an account with the certain bank Oliver mentioned.
You guys misunderstand me. I've had a PayPal account since 2002 or something, I know it works in SA (even though there was a period where SA users were blocked). What I'm saying is that per Major Nelson, the PayPal functionality on Xbox Live is not available in South Africa. I don't use a South African Live account, and I'm sure many, if not most of the readers on this site don't either, but I feel you should at least highlight the fact that the service isn't available on SA Live accounts.
There you go - I've updated the post.
i checked last night and the update isn't available in our region yet. hopefully it will go live soon. from what i hear the new disc format will be approx. 1GB more, so about 7.9Gb max per disc.
They did say it may be a week or two before it was rolled out everywhere but I imagine it would be before the end of this weekend. Apparently the extra GB of space is freed up by releasing space used by a now-defunct copy-protection system on the disc.