There's been a fair amount of controversy surrounding the Xbox Live's Code of Conduct, concerning what you can and can't say on the service. One of the more hot button issues was the ban of anyone declaring their sexual preference in their profile or Gamertag. It's been a point of contention between Microsoft and users for some time, with Microsoft saying that it could lead to harassment, while users just wanted to express who they were.

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Microsoft's decision to end Xbox Live support for first-gen Xbox titles did not go unnoticed behind the walls at Bungie. "Halo 2" will be among those games losing online multiplayer support, and if you count yourself among those wanting to send the game away from the XBL network properly, you won't be alone.

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If you waited seven years to buy and original Xbox and were hoping to begin your online multiplayer career with it, you have officially waited too long. An era of online video gaming will come to an end in April as Microsoft reorganizes its Xbox Live services and discontinues support for the first-generation Xbox and its games. The reallocation of resources comes as as the company looks ahead to its Xbox 360-compatible services and makes changes that it claims are necessary for the future.

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Microsoft wanting to generate more synergy between Xbox Live and Windows Mobile-enabled devices isn't necessarily big news, but details posted in a new job opening name a few ways they want to put Xbox Live access on phones. Avatars, social media and "multi-screen experiences" will all be included in the new employee's projects, in addition to overseeing Xbox Live-linked games.

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You don't have to play "World of Warcraft" to own a virtual pet for your avatar anymore, as Microsoft has officially announced that the Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace will be opening up an animal shop. In addition to clothing and accessories, XBL avatars will now be able to wrangle their own fauna while interacting with pals online.

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Infinity Ward isn't the only company in gaming faced with gamer-related hacking dilemmas on the heels of the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" launch. Microsoft took decisive action this week by initiating mass bans of 600,000-1 million Xbox Live users found to be playing on modded consoles, which may catch a few cheaters, as well as unsuspecting console owners, off guard.

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Rewards program memberships won't be the only thing arriving in email inboxes from Microsoft this week. Russ shared his impressions of Facebook on the Xbox 360 earlier this month, but by Friday Microsoft plans on opening its new dashboard demo up to more users. The update, which will incorporate Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm functionality into the Xbox Live experience won't be ready for everyone this week, but after soliciting sign-ups from existing XBL users, new invites should be out in the next few days.

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Microsoft emails promising "cool stuff" have reportedly been distributed to select Xbox Live users as part of a new mystery rewards program. Though the emails don't explicitly say what users will receive for signing up by the October 21st deadline, they do brandish large headlines implying exclusivity and shiny things.

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The number of unauthorized Xbox 360 memory devices that are compatible with Microsoft's console is about to get crunched. A new system update coming to the system will cripple any plugged in hardware that Microsoft hasn't approved, and save files could suffer if they happen to get caught in the crossfire.

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Remember those Facebook and Twitter capabilities that would be available on Xbox Live for Christmas? One paragraph from a Microsoft's Xbox price-cut announcement this morning stirred up headlines by implying that Facebook and Twitter integration for Xbox Live users would only be open to Gold members. An official statement from Microsoft, however, appears to have back-peddled from that claim and leaves a morsel of hope for non-paying players on XBL.

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