Microsoft launched Xbox Live in late 2002 as a high-stakes bid to reshape the game industry and to distinguish its console.
While the service is primarily designed for game-playing, it also includes voice and video capabilities and is considered a major part of Microsoft's plans to take over the digital living room.
Microsoft cleared a significant hurdle to Xbox Live adoption earlier this year when it recruited leading game publisher Electronic Arts, which had objected to Microsoft's business model for the service.
