MS Addresses Gamertag Bungle

[Virtuoso]

Straight from the mouth of Major Nelson,

I want to take a moment to talk about Windows LIVE ID’s and Gamertags. Recently, there have been a few stories about Gamertags becoming unrecoverable. I want to set the record straight, and let you know what is going on, and what we’re doing about it.

What happens:
In the rare case that you DO NOT sign in to Xbox.com or another website that uses Windows LIVE ID (like Hotmail) it is possible that your Windows LIVE ID expires (goes dormant.) An Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles. Members with dormant Windows Live IDs can continue to enjoy the benefits of their Xbox LIVE Gamertags on their Xbox 360 consoles, including earning Achievements; however, they will not be able to use their expired Windows Live IDs for activities such as account management on Xbox.com.

It is important to note that an Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles.

What you can do to prevent having any problems:
We recommend that people log into their Windows Live ID on Xbox.com or Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the Web at least once every four months.

What we’re doing:
We are actively working on an update that will allow you to link your Gamertag to a new Windows Live ID if one becomes dormant.

This seems like a non-fix to me, and could be pretty much summed up with "Yeah, we fucked up".

From Firing Squad (http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=21312)

[Froggy]

Before I said that this doesn't apply to any of us, and then the Major comes in to prove it.

Virtuoso: Wrong. Anyone who deletes their gamertag from all consoles (and uses a credit card service with an expired email) and then whines that they lost their gamertag (which they just elected to delete) is a grade-A moron. That's not us: we're EvAvers.

[Virtuoso]

Before I said that this doesn't apply to any of us, and then the Major comes in to prove it.

Virtuoso: Wrong. Anyone who deletes their gamertag from all consoles (and uses a credit card service with an expired email) and then whines that they lost their gamertag (which they just elected to delete) is a grade-A moron. That's not us: we're EvAvers.

What if the HDD fails? It would seem that if that occurs and their email is dormant, they are out of luck.

[Sloth]

Before I said that this doesn't apply to any of us, and then the Major comes in to prove it.

Virtuoso: Wrong. Anyone who deletes their gamertag from all consoles (and uses a credit card service with an expired email) and then whines that they lost their gamertag (which they just elected to delete) is a grade-A moron. That's not us: we're EvAvers.

I'm with Froggy. There are so many conditions you have to meet before you're fucked that if it does happen MS should award a prize. I'm sorry but if you can't bring yourself to log into your email account or just go to xbox live marketplace at least every 4 months, there is no hope for you.

The more coddling developers do to compensate for the least common demoniator the less reason all of us have to expend brain power. Which just makes us all mush heads.

[yutt]

Why would I ever, ever, ever check my Hotmail account or go to Xbox Live Marketplace?

Do you people honestly think everyone does that? I haven't used my Hotmail account regularly in close to 10 years. I never buy anything off Xbox Live Marketplace, as I have no desire to burn money on products locked to a console that will be obsolete in a couple years.

As Virtuoso said, this is a fuck up (or more, a terrible design) on Microsoft's part. It no doubt affects thousands of Xbox users who don't regularly use their Live account. Who knows why there is an unrecoverable dormancy system to begin with.

[spdiscus]

... as I have no desire to burn money on products locked to a console that will be obsolete in a couple years.

Doesn't that statement describe all games for PS3 and 360? We have no guarantee that future consoles will be backwards compatible. If we make assumptions based on current revs, PS4 will only support PS2 games, and 720 will only support a random handful of 360 games.

[SpectralWolf]

The more coddling developers do to compensate for the least common demoniator the less reason all of us have to expend brain power. Which just makes us all mush heads.

Okay. That...is a classic quote and if u don't mind, I will sig it! Thanks in advance. :cool:

[PathMaster]

As someone who only periodically has access to highspeed internet, this is a bit of a hurdle to jump over, but one that can be jumped. I do check my email regularly and I occasionally log into the xbl site, yes, even on dial up.