Major Fefresh Coming To Xbox.com

Xbox.com will get a major overhaul tomorrow that will deliver several new features, Microsoft announced today.

The updated site will offer a browser-based avatar-editing tool that lets users create virtual characters and preview their design before purchasing it. In addition, Microsoft plans to combine "messages, friend, and game requests" into a single pane to make it easier for folks to see what's happening in their gaming network.

The new Xbox.com will feature Web-based games that users can play with their Xbox Live friends, Microsoft said. The site will also include reports featuring information on what a person's family members are doing on Xbox Live. The site's marketplace will feature "more powerful search and more intuitive ways to browse and filter," according to the company.

Starting at 2 a.m. PDT tomorrow morning, Microsoft said, Xbox.com will be down "for a short period of time" to complete the implementation of the new features.


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COD: Black Ops Preorders Higher Than MW2

Call of Duty: Black Ops, the latest title in the venerable Call of Duty franchise, has hit higher preorder levels than its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Gamestop announced yesterday.

"GameStop is tracking to all-time, record reservations on Call of Duty: Black Ops," GameStop senior vice president of merchandising, Bob McKenzie said in a statement. "We are ahead of where we were with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last year, which previously set the industry standard."

If Call of Duty: Black Ops stays on its course and potentially outsells Modern Warfare 2, it would be an impressive feat.

Modern Warfare 2 was called the "biggest entertainment launch in history" after it launched last November. In just its first five days of availability, it generated approximately $550 million in revenue, Activision said at the time.

Earlier this year, Guinness World Records announced that Modern Warfare 2 generated $401.6 million in its first day of availability, making it the biggest launch in the history of the gaming business. It supplanted Grand Theft Auto IV, which generated $310 million on its launch day.

Call of Duty: Black Ops, which is being developed by Treyarch, not Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, is scheduled to launch on November 9 for all three consoles, the PC, and the Nintendo DS.


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