'Xbox Live Labs' open for business

Microsoft has just launched a new feature called Xbox Live Labs, whichawards freeAvatar items and zero-point Achievements for giving up your XBL connection while Microsoft performs varioustests. The online outage can last up to six hours before Microsoft completes its analysis.

There are three different 'tests' available. One ties up your Xbox Live connection for 30 minutes, another for one hour, and a final one for six hours. Each test you sign up for will net you a zero-point achievement as well as an Avatar item.

The items up for grabs are a lab coat, a brain helmet and "crazy mad scientist hair."

Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb described the effects of the tests, saying, "You will not be able to participate in other Xbox LIVE activities, such as gaming, watching movies or downloading music, while running Xbox LIVE Labs, and your Internet connectivity may be slower than usual. Sound good?" Not really, but the free items do.

Xbox Live Labs will be open until March 27, so if you absolutely have to look like Albert Einstein (or are feeling rather magnanimous towards Microsoft), be sure to download the testing app from the Xbox Live Labs panel, which is located in the dashboard's community channel.

[Source:Major Nelson]

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Mar 10, 2011