Xbox Live Reaches 1.4M Members

By Ian Bell Published January 20, 2005

The success of Xbox Live reinforces a stellar holiday season for the Xbox platform, which saw Xbox lead competitors in consoles sales, according to recently released data from NPD Funworld.* Other highlights from NPD Funworld include these:

Monthly share for Xbox has grown year-to-year every month for 14 consecutive months, climbing 11 share points to 37 percent in December.
Xbox was the onlyplatform to see year-to-year growth during the fourth quarter of 2004 and the full calendar year 2004, while Xbox competitors and the overall market declined year over year for both time periods.
Xbox annual 2004 console unit market share increased an impressive 12 points compared with 2003 and ended the year with a 37 percent share.
Xbox had three titles in the top 10 in December: No. 4, “Halo 2” from Microsoft Games Studios (including sales of the Limited Edition); No. 6, “Need for Speed: Underground 2” from Electronic Arts Inc.; and No. 10, “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2” from LucasArts.
Xbox software sales led the way in 2004 as unit sales increased 46 percent year-over-year, and increased 55 percent (annual 2004 vs. annual 2003).

There are now more than 200 Xbox Live -enabled titles, making it the richest library of online console games available today. “Halo 2,” which has sold more than 6.4 million copies worldwide since November, helped propel the service to new heights. The overall “Halo” franchise, which includes predecessor “Halo: Combat Evolved” for the PC and Xbox, has sold a collective 12.8 million copies in just three years. The “ Halo 2″ sell-through in the United States is just shy of 4.4 million units in less than two months.

Publisher

I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?

Gaming

Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works

Basim perched on a ledge overlooking Baghdad

In a company interview with CEO Yves Guillemot posted on the Ubisoft website Thursday, the executive reveals that there are remakes of Assassin's Creed games in the works, although he doesn't specify which ones.

"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

Gaming

Surfaced patent shows what an Xbox streaming console would’ve looked like

An Xbox Series X sits next to both Series S models.

There have been a few Xbox devices that have never come to fruition, one of which was Keystone, a prototype for an affordable game streaming device you could hook up to your TV or monitor. Thanks to a surfaced patent, we've gotten an even closer look at what it would've potentially looked like.

The patent, first spotted by Windows Central, gives us a more complete view of the device. We've previously seen the Keystone in the flesh. Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer is known for hiding teases and interesting collectibles on the shelf in his office. In a 2022 X (formerly Twitter) post congratulating Bethesda on Fallout's 25th anniversary, you can see a small white device on the top shelf that's actually a Keystone prototype. Xbox told Digital Trends that it was a version of the device made before it decided to "refocus our efforts on a new approach.”

Gaming

Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for June 28

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on June 28, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "ORDER." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter D.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle can refer to a large number of animals, particularly livestock like cattle or sheep, that are moving together in a group.