Microsoft will announce their next Xbox console tomorrow and Shacknews will have live updates. All day today, we'll take a look back at the Xbox 360 and discuss what the future holds.

With Xbox 360 now over seven years old, gamers that have subscribed to Live Gold have spent over $400 to access the service. Tomorrow, Microsoft will announce their next-gen console--but will they announce a next-gen Live service to go along with the new hardware? If so, what does Microsoft have to do in order to keep people paying year after year?

Many gamers are quite content with paying for Gold, if only because the service offers more than the competition. Fans like @rezonolicious think the fee is worth it for the "superior online" offered by Live. @passthemstickss points out that Live has private and party chats, and the addition of new media partners on Live allows him to "use it as a cable box," helping him save $15 every month.

Read more: PlayStation Plus, Netflix, 1 vs 100 »

The LeBrons, the animated web series based on Nike commercials based on the internal dialogue of a famous basketball player, has been given a second season. The Xbox 360 exclusive web series will start up again on May 10, with new episodes due each week.

Read more: Wacky hijinks afoot »

Update: "If you were one of the members who was having issues signing in to Xbox LIVE, good news! This issue has been fixed! Thank you so much for your patience during this time, feel free to go enjoy your favorite games and content!"

Uh-oh. Looks like Xbox Live is down for quite a number of users. According to a Microsoft status page, "users may experience difficulties signing in to Xbox Live." But it appears most apps and matchmaking services are online--assuming you can actually connect in the first place, of course.

"If you are one of the members being affected by the current issue members are having signing in to Xbox Live, we are still doing everything we can to fix the problem," Microsoft says on its support page. "We thank you again for being so patient as we work this out."

Read more: The internet responds »

Sony has been aggressive in experimenting with re-selling its legacy content. From MAG to Starhawk to, most recently, Uncharted 3, the company has been open to selling games "piecemeal," with the single and multiplayer functionality sold separately. Microsoft is sort of copying that approach with today's release of Halo 3: ODST "Campaign Edition," available for $14.99 on Xbox Live Marketplace.

Read more: Multiplayer completely jettisoned »

Who would win in a fight? Batman, Wonder Woman, or Lex Luthor? While the answers are available in my fanfic, you can create your own story in the free playable demo of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Available on April 2nd on PlayStation Network and April 3rd on Xbox Live Marketplace, the demo will include these three characters and the "Gotham City" stage.

"Fans can get a taste of the included characters' unique super powers and individual move-sets as they destroy elements of the world and fight through the multi-tiered arena," the press release notes.

Watch: Batman vs. Wonder Woman »

April 2nd will be the day the music died.

Read more: Rock Band no longer in 'active development'

Unlike Xbox Live Arcade or Xbox Live Indie Games, "Games on Demand" allows players to buy full retail games directly on their Xbox 360. However, downloadable games typically appear weeks and months after their boxed counterparts. For example, the most recent batch of titles include Risen 2, Dance Central 3, and PES 2013--games that are at least five months old.

Games on Demand senior business manager Erik Yeager said that the delay is due to a "strong partnership" with retail.

Read more: Partnerships important because of console sales »

Xbox Live Games on Demand typically ends up making you pay more than retail price--even during sales--for games which don't need to be pressed, packaged, shipped, or stored, which makes it essentially a costly way of saving shelf space. Microsoft's knocking up to 85% off off loads of games in a string of daily deals it's calling 'The Xbox LIVE Ultimate Game Sale,' starting with the Halo series, and for once it actually makes digital Xbox 360 games (mostly) cheaper than physical.

Read more: $40 for Halo 4, $10 for 3 or Reach »

Those PlayBoxes in the corner of your living room have been increasingly presented as (or increasingly become, at least) some sort of magical portal to all manner of non-game things, and the next generation will surely be moreso. Microsoft yesterday announced that it's formed a new studio to make more "true interactive content" for the Xbox and other devices, things like the Election 2012 Hub and Grammy Awards coverage.

Read more: Headed by former CBS TV president »

To tie 2012 up all nice with a bow before burying it in the woods out back, Microsoft has revealed the most popular Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Live Indie Games, and Games for Windows Live titles from that dead year, dead dead dead dead. Unsurprisingly, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was the most-played Live game, while, you've guessed it, Minecraft topped XBLA.

Read more: GTA IV tops GFWL »

For Achievement hunters, one of the most compelling reasons to pick up a Windows Phone is the ability to earn Gamerscore through Xbox Live-enabled games on Microsoft's mobile platform. However, Achievements are no longer exclusive to Windows Phone devices. You can finally earn Gamerscore on *shock* an Apple device.

Read more: Get 50G for free »

Microsoft's first foray into free-to-play on Xbox Live has become something of a success. Today, the developer has revealed that Happy Wars has reached over 1.2 million players worldwide. Given the price of entry is simply an Xbox Live Gold account, it's unsurprising that players would give it a try.

"We put a lot of effort into making a game that would appeal to every type of player, but it is still incredible to see so many join the battle so quickly," game director Yoichi Take said in a press release.

Read more: New Holiday Update coming »

Minecraft's runaway success caught many off-guard, none more so than Markus "Notch" Persson, creator of the game. Millions of copies later, he founded Mojang, and a new documentary focuses on the challenges of running a video game company. Minecraft: The Story of Mojang is a feature-length documentary that looks at Persson's rise to fame, and offers a detailed look at his new studio.

Watch: A ten minute sneak peek »

Microsoft is rolling out a veritable boatload of entertainment apps in the coming weeks and months, across all regions. The company is launching more than 40 apps between now and spring of 2013, and some of them are coming this week.

Read more: CNET, Maxim this week »

If your Xbox is getting a bit lonely, kept offline by a lack of Xbox Live Gold membership, get on your glad rags and dancing shoes because Microsoft is treating it to a few nights on the town. Gold features, like online multiplayer, Netflix, and Internet Explorer will be opened up to all and sundry this weekend, in the hope that you'll be swayed into buying it a little Gold as a keepsake.

Read more: Runs Thursday to Sunday »