More reports are coming in, which all seem to verify the unconfirmed word we received yesterday regarding Microsoft's standing order of 1 million banned Xbox  consoles on XBL. InformationWeek has now reported that Microsoft has in fact already effectively locked out as much as one million Xbox 360 owners. MS, for their end, has finally released an official statement regarding the bannings.

To ensure that users get an age-appropriate environment, Microsoft has decided that the Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm features soon-to-come on Xbox Live will be restricted to Xbox Live Gold users aged 18 and above. Minors, don't worry. Microsoft is now working on a patch to let you guys use the features, provided that your parents approve, that is.

Xbox Live director of programming Major Nelson (also known as Larry Hryb) has clarified Steve Ballmer's statement yesterday regarding the apparent confirmation of a Blu-ray drive accessory for the Xbox 360.

Oh that was certainly quite a ruckus Steve Ballmer stirred up this week for Microsoft, wasn't it? Even after Aaron Greenberg came rushing to the rescue to clarify that there will be NO new console by 2010, even Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) has spoken out to express that a new console is out of the question cos the Xbox 360 is all set with the company's support "long into the next decade."

Major Nelson himself made it clear on a recent podcast that the new Xbox Live Experience is an optional experience for users. For those folks who aren't "flipping their bit," as Major Nelson put it, at the news of the new interface, they can choose to do everything the way they're used to via the Xbox Guide. Learn more about this after the jump!

We just uncovered a new job posting place by Microsoft for a Games Producer in its Xbox Live team. So why this concerns you as a gamer? Well, it means that a a new content is soon heading your way.

This was confirmed by the job posting itself, citing "changes" in the whole Xbox Live experience. Know more after the jump!

Remember that hacking incident where a hacker spirited away a Halo 3 gamer's most prized Recon Armor? None other that Microsoft's own Xbox Live director Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb's on the case, and maybe we can see a resolution to this problem real soon. More details in the full article!

While they've taken down the "up and running" message from the Xbox Live status, it doesn't change the fact that the service is still experiencing a lot of problems up until now. Major Nelson has updated his Xbox blog to reassure gamers that the Operations Team is working non-stop to get the issue resolved as soon as possible.

Take a look at what else Major Nelson had to say in the full article!

Just when you thought everything was okay, Major Nelson has retracted his previous statement about the Xbox Live service issue being resolved by the Operations support team.

Despite the fact that the official website states that the service is "up and running", reports are still coming in that gamers are still having difficulties logging on to and using the Xbox Live service. For more details, visit the full article by clicking on "Read More..."

2007 will soon be over and the Xbox community has become witness to a lot of milestones for this year alone. A lot of major games had been released, not to mention the several other upgrades done by Microsoft to Xbox Live.

It is in this light that Xbox.com has opened the Xbox 2007 Community Choice Awards to pay tribute to the excellent performers of 2007. Know the categories and how you can cast your votes after the jump!