Traditionally a non-violent sort, Xbox Avatars will soon be able to "fight, throw fireballs, cast spells and much more " in NinjaBee's downloadable strategy game Band of Bugs.

The developer will release a free update to the game on July 8, which enables Xbox Avatars to be used in the story and multiplayer modes of the Xbox Live Arcade game. Released in June of 2007, Band of Bugs sells for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

In addition, a new downloadable content pack entitled "Tales of Kaloki" will arrive on that day. Priced at 240 MS Points ($3), the add-on brings story and other content inspired by NinjaBee's space-themed Outpost Kaloki X into the turn-based world of Band of Bugs.

"The Tales of Kaloki DLC is Band of Bugs but with long-range combat using lasers, rocket launchers, OO rays and a ton of other sweet weapons to blow attacking space ships to smithereens," explained NinjaBee president Steve Taylor. "It's all the wackiness from Outpost Kaloki X and tactics from Band of Bugs rolled into one."

Continuing the roll out of season items, Microsoft has unlocked several more summer-themed clothing options for Xbox 360 avatars.

At last, male avatars finally have some swim trunks and a "white vest" (seen left) to go along with their flippy floppies. You'll be the envy of everyone in 1 vs. 100, or you would be, if that pesky desk wasn't blocking your lower half. Still, if you happen to be The One...

As with past clothing updates, you simply need to sign into Xbox Live to obtain the free additions. Just remember that the time of charity is soon coming to an end, as Microsoft is preparing to roll out a virtual marketplace to sell premium-priced avatar items.

Male
• Rashguard
• White Vest... Read more

The good news? Xbox 360 owners now have flippy floppies in their Avatar's virtual closet.

The bad? Actual swim trunks have yet to arrive, so those hoping to be on a boat might as well be at Kinko's straight flipping copies--you can forget about riding dolphins or climbing buoys.

A list of the new fabulous free footwear, courtesy Major Nelson, follows below. As with past updates, the new items are automatically acquired upon signing into Xbox Live.

Gentlemen
• Flip Flops
• High Top Sneakers
• Socks and Sandals
• 70's Leather Platforms
Ladies
• Sunny Day Sandals
• White 60's Boots

The birds are chirping and spring is in the air, and what better way to celebrate than a fresh new look for your Xbox Live Avatar?

Fortunately, Microsoft has just unleashed a new set off free clothing options for said Avatars, adding all kinds of fancy "hip hop" items.

Just sign into Xbox Live and you'll be able to deck out your Avatar with these new parts:

Boys
• Denim Shorts
• Faded Jeans with Print... Read more

A new Xbox 360 system update today fixes interruption issues in unspecified games.

Microsoft's Major Nelson indicates on his blog that the update "addresses interruption issues that some Xbox LIVE users may have experienced when playing a limited number of Xbox 360 games." Who? What? When where why? We might never know.

You will be prompted to download the update when you next sign into Live.

Microsoft's latest Xbox Live avatar clothing update adds a fine selection of businesswear to at long last bring the workplace into your home.

Hop onto Live and into your avatar's closet then try on the yellow-starred smart new threads. Or the scruffy outfit modelled here by eFaylor.

Ladies

• Pencil Skirt
• Slacks
• Pinstripe Blazer
• Twin Set

Gentlemen

• Blue Formal Shirt
• Moleskin Pants
• Waistcoat and Shirt
• Suit and Tie

Another batch of free Xbox Live Avatar clothing has been released by Microsoft, this one allowing users to dress up like rodeo heroes.

The free Western-themed ensemble is now available to all Xbox Live-connected Xbox 360 users. You'll find them in your avatar's virtual closet, designated with a bright yellow star.

Boys
• Black Cowboy Hat
• Black Trench Coat
• Western Duster
• Rodeo Jeans
• Cowboy Boots
Girls
• Rhinestone Cowgirl Hat
• Cowgirl Shirt
• Denim Skirt
• Dungarees
• Cowgirl Boots

To celebrates today's release of the Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable Grand Theft Auto IV expansion The Lost and Damned, Microsoft has added a number of free biker-themed items to the closet of your Xbox 360 avatar.

As usual, the new clothes can be found after signing into Xbox Live, and will be designated by a yellow star.

Guys:
• Rocker Jacket
• Pixie Boots
• Grunge Pants... Read more

A mandatory dashboard update for the Xbox 360 debuted earlier this morning, with Microsoft claiming it will resolve the sound issues some HDMI-users have had.

The problem, which popped up following the November 19 launch of the New Xbox Experience, left some Xbox 360 users without sound on certain HDMI-connected displays. Prior to the NXE, these devices properly outputted Xbox 360 HDMI audio.

Xbox 360 users will be prompted to download the update upon signing into Xbox Live. Some New Xbox Experience beta testers received the update earlier last month.

Microsoft hired design firm Gridplane to prototype several versions of the New Xbox Experience, and now the company has posted a few images of one of its early concepts.

"These examples represent one of many concepts that we worked on," writes Gridplane on its website. "In addition to the menu systems, we dreamt up an immersive 3D environment for users to explore."

Check out the floaty concepts in the following gallery.

Another batch of new clothes for Xbox Live avatars have been released. According to Major Nelson, the theme is supposed to be "European National Football Teams."

Personally, I'm more inclined to call today's update "a variety of new t-shirt colors with teeny-tiny soccer team logos you can barely see." That picture to the left should give you an idea of what I'm talking about--the flag is rather small, but hey, new colors.

In all, 18 additional free shirt choices are now available. Just sign into Xbox Live, choose the Customize Avatar option, and bam! New threads!

Teams represented in the update are as follows:

• Austria
• Belgium... Read more

Tired of every Xbox Live avatar wearing the same set of ravilicous attire? That should change today, as a new selection of everyday work clothes is now available. Expect everybody who's somebody to get all fancied up--your friends list will never be the same!

Suspenders with hi pants! Rainy day boots! Scarlet pumps! And ...a hacking jacket?

As with the past avatar clothing updates, the new threads are free and immediately available. Just pop into your avatar's closet and you'll be able to don the following:

Boys:
• Striped Polo Shirt
• Striped Jacket with Polo
• Checked Jacket with Polo... Read more

Today's videogame news was pretty dismal. Case in point, I am now about to update you on the status of digital clothing available on Xbox Live. Two free wetsuit costumes for Tomb Raider: Underworld were released today. You can see them in the screenshots above. They're pretty amazing.

Equally stunning are the newly released Xbox Live avatar articles. Microsoft's Major Nelson gives us the runway rundown:... Read more

The first update to the Xbox Avatar clothing selection brought winter-themed clothing, and now you can making your digital self look dashing using newly available formal wear. Available for free through the Avatar Editor, the following pieces of clothing are new

Men
• Blue Tuxedo
• Black Tuxedo
• Shirt with Cummerbund
• Black Trilby
• Bowler Hat

Women
• Elegant Ball Gown
• Little Black Dress
• Formal Trouser Suit
• Elegant Watch
• Red 60's Shades
• Strappy High Heels
• Platform Shoes

Earlier this week, Microsoft released a free Xbox 360 "holiday theme" meant to celebrate the festive time of year. Now, the company has taken things one terrifying step further.

An Xbox Live Holiday Snow Globe is currently available within the Xbox 360's Spotlight channel, allowing Xbox Live-connected gamers to toss the avatars of their online pals about with a mere press of the A button.

For another random selection of all-too-eager victims, just hit X. Happy holidays!

Sales of downloadable Xbox Live Arcade games "almost tripled" in the week after the November 19th launch of the Xbox 360's new interface, Microsoft has announced.

In particular, Cabonated Games' UNO saw a 650% sales jump in just one day, a feat attributed to the fact that it was updated with support for the new customizable player avatars. NinjaBee's A Kingdom for Keflings, an avatar-utilizing game launched on November 19, "registered the second-best first week of performance ever."

In addition, Xbox Live members have added an average of 33% more friends since the New Xbox Experience hit, Xbox Live programming director Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb observed on his blog, though no explanation or hard numbers were given.

Narrowly meeting its promise of new parts "every two weeks", Microsoft has released some new winter-themed clothing and accessories for the Xbox 360's player avatars.

The free items, including a coat and winter hat, are automatically unlocked after signing into Xbox Live. New selections are designated by a yellow star in the Avatar Creator Tool.

It's the first clothing update for the customizable avatars, which arrived as part of the New Xbox Experience on November 19. Microsoft has stated plans to release new items across the next six months, though it's not known if all the parts will be free.

An avatar parts store is slated to eventually hit the Xbox Live Marketplace, and will sell various avatar-related items at unknown prices. In addition, future Xbox 360 games may provide new game-specific avatar parts by earning and unlocking achievements.

The launch of the New Xbox Experience brought more than just a new interface and a few temporary Xbox Live issues. Since the new Xbox 360 dashboard hit on November 19, some HDMI-connected owners have literally been playing their games in silence.

The problem appears to afflict a select group of devices that properly handled Xbox 360 audio prior to the New Xbox Experience, such as the BenQ G2400W monitor. It is believed that the issue stems from an updated HDCP handshake--the protocol used to establish an HDMI connection--which the older devices are not compatible with.

Now, Microsoft has acknowledged the issue in a statement to Shacknews, apologizing for the "inconvenience" and noting that a fix is in the works. Said Microsoft:

While the vast majority of our users worldwide are enjoying the New Xbox Experience with no problems, we are aware that a... Read more

A week after they were removed, select films from Sony subsidiary Columbia Pictures are now once again viewable through the Xbox 360's streaming Netflix service.

"Almost everything, from Ghostbusters to The Karate Kid in your Netflix Instant Queue can now be streamed to the 360," reports Joystiq. Some notable movies, such as Superbad and Spider-Man 3, are still blocked from Xbox 360 streaming.

Last week, Netflix claimed that the blockage of these films was a license issue. However, the company later issued an updated statement on its blog, noting that the "temporary [Xbox 360-only] unavailability" was "not necessarily a license issue."

Microsoft has taken notice of problems that came with yesterday's launch of the New Xbox Experience, and the Xbox team's Larry Hryb has stepped in to keep gamers abreast of Microsoft's work to resolve the issues.

"We are aware some of you may be experiencing a few hiccups along the way," wrote Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, on his blog.

Yesterday's Netflix snags have been fixed, as have some problems with the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Shack staff has found that most console functions work smoothly and has also observed that the Marketplace performs well on the console, but the new web storefront has shown difficulty with making some purchases.

The web-based Marketplace issues are known to Microsoft and are being worked on. "The Live team is closely monitoring the Live service and Xbox.com," wrote Hryb. He added, "The team is actively working on the issues, so thanks for bearing with us."