On Friday morning at 3 a.m. EST, serious gamers around the world will be logging on to a new international network of online gamers through Microsoft's new Xbox Live system. Several people I know, including ABC-7's own Janib Abreu, are excited about the launch, which will allow them to play games with people around the world. The system costs $199 for the basic Xbox and then $50 for a starter Live kit that includes a headset that allows you to talk over the Internet (thanks to the Xbox's built-in modem).

The whole Xbox Live phenomenon is just another feature of how good and realistic the video games have gotten lately. I took anchor Steve Bartelstein to J&R Computer World for a video game showdown and we had a great time. We talked about how much better these games are than the games we grew up playing. One thing I learned watching a couple of kids who were trying out the games: they were a heck of a lot better than us.

Resources:
Xbox Live
J&R Computer World

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