Image courtesy Xbox

Microsoft launched Xbox Live to much fanfare in 2002, and the hype seems justified. Last year, the number of users topped 2 million. And the success of Xbox 360 has increased both the number of online gamers and the amount of time they spend online: almost half of all Xbox 360 players have an Xbox Live membership {ref,ref].

This Xbox Live still offers great head-to-head gameplay, including a matching service designed to give users the best game possible. But the Xbox 360 version also includes the ability to read e-mail, watch movies, view photos stored on your PC, listen to music, and more. Microsoft hopes that the latest version of Xbox Live will appeal to both gamers and non-gamers alike to become a digital media hub.

In this article, we'll learn exactly what users get out of the Xbox Live system and find out how to set it up.