Just a quick thumbnail sketch here to get my expectations in line.

So with 2 X360s I will:

- need Live account for both
- shuttle any particular gamertag/account between the two on a memory card or recover tag every time I want to switch that tag between the two, or can I just type in the name to access a particular Live account.
- Install to hard drive always (?) requires the actual game disc to be present in the tray (?) so I'll need to take the games back and forth.
- finally have something to make use of that "back-up" hd dvd add-on.

Thanks in advance - it's too early to search. :o

Live attaches to the Gamertag, not the box. If you just want to play on Live with one account, then put that account on a memory card, add some Live, and move the card between boxes.

Thanks, dlj.
Maybe, I'll hold off on the second Live then, untill there is a need for it - like absolutely having to watch two Netflix movies at the same time. If switching the Live tag I have now between the two will allow for updates on both machines, I can probably wait.

I can see the HD being swapped out to make all of the GH/RB dlc portable.

cc,

lets call your main 360 360A and your new one 360B.

you and any other gamertag can plan dlc and xbla games on 360A without needing to be signed into xbox live. this is because the 360 that the purchase is made on has special permissions.

you can redownload all your dlc/xbla onto your new 360B for free. it will only work if at least one controller is signed into your gamertag.

i would move your gamertag onto a memorycard and just take that with you to whichever 360 you want to play. for a slight bit more convenience you can actually copy your gamertag onto both 360s with one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Transfer-Kit/dp/B000G02KGG

we have 3 xboxen and its turned out great...

"I can see the HD being swapped out to make all of the GH/RB dlc portable."

Plug the memory card with your Gametag on it into the second 360. You can now download all of the RB/GH tracks again. They will even work just fine on both machines as long as both machines are connected to Live (Silver or Gold). On the second machine, they will only work when the owning Gamertag is logged in though. At least that is my understanding. I have a second 360 as well, but it is really just a Netflix box (dead disc drive, got it for free :)). I'll have to figure out what you are needing to do right now in a month when my 1 month Gold trial runs out. I'll probably just get a second Live subscription for that box's Gamertag to avoid the need to move profiles around.

"for a slight bit more convenience you can actually copy your gamertag onto both 360s with one of these:"

What behavior do you see when you turn on 360B when 360A is already signed into Live? Does it kick the first 360, or just not allow the second one on under the same Gamertag?

I hope cueCrew doesn't mind if I piggyback onto his thread, but this question seems related:

I've bought a bunch of arcade games over the last 3 years. As I understand it, they are "attached" to my gamertag. So whenever my kids want to play the games, I just have them play as me (using my profile). Is there a way they can play without being me? Or do I need to re-buy the games for each of my kids? Same for guests. How can they play the arcade games I've bought without being me?

Someone said the console on which the games were bought has special permissions. What does that mean? Unfortunatey, that console succumbed to RROD a few weeks ago. I am now using a new console I got as a gift. How do I get the "special permissions" moved to the new console?

Thanks...

You can't. For some reason, downloaded content can be used with any gamertag on the console and hard drive you originally purchased on but once you switch consoles, you can only access it with the gamertag you downloaded with.

Ummm, that sucks.

Bad advice, mrlittlejeans. Sooke, come back and get the proper answer! :)

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/licensemigration/?WT.svl=nav

This is a process that you are only allowed to do once a year, but it makes your new 360 act like your old RROD'd one did as far as permissions go. So, others can use your stuff without you being signed in.

Actually. XBOX has a license transfer tool which wil allo the other suers on the new xbox play the games again...

search for it on xbox.com

Thanks darklord, I'll try that.

Interesting. Thanks for the link darklord. I spent a good two hours arguing with xbox customer service about this last year and they told me I was SOL. I wonder how long you have been able to do this and why they didn't know about it.

I hope cueCrew doesn't mind if I piggyback onto his thread, but this question seems related:

I've bought a bunch of arcade games over the last 3 years. As I understand it, they are "attached" to my gamertag. So whenever my kids want to play the games, I just have them play as me (using my profile). Is there a way they can play without being me? Or do I need to re-buy the games for each of my kids? Same for guests. How can they play the arcade games I've bought without being me?

Someone said the console on which the games were bought has special permissions. What does that mean? Unfortunatey, that console succumbed to RROD a few weeks ago. I am now using a new console I got as a gift. How do I get the "special permissions" moved to the new console?

Thanks...

The Arcade games/Down load content etc, are attached to your gamertag AND the serial number of your console. I have 2 Xboxes, and I usually download the arcade games to my kids Xbox. Thus, who ever plays on that Xbox can access those arcade games without the need of my gamertag (because the games are attached to the Xbox, and as I have found out the hard way, when they change your Xbox via RRoD etc, the serial number changes, and they have to transfer the DRM liscences to the new Xbox). Similarly, I can also download them 'again' to MY Xbox, and since I play on my gamertag only there, I can still play. Thus if the game has multiplayer, and you have 2 gold accounts, you can play with each other (I have done this to get some multiplayer achievements).

If you have only 1 Xbox, then you do not have to let your kids use your account to play.

Thanks for all the tips.

ileff,

When you have your gamertag on more than one x360, are your stats dowloaded and maintained away from the actual console?

I set up a separate Live account figuring that we may need to use both at the same time (for whatever reason, movies, movies + games, ...) but it would be convenient to have all of the stats/gamesaves at any machine without jockeying the mem card back and forth.

The transfer cable will help me put "cueCrew" account on both systems? This is different than "recovering" gamertag and saving to mem card, right?

If you have only 1 Xbox, then you do not have to let your kids use your account to play.

This is a consideration, but I also know that I'll be banished there now and then when the rest of the place needs to be "quiet." :D

I like how the parental settings filter out content in your Netflix list. Only the "kids" movies show up on the new x360.

"I like how the parental settings filter out content in your Netflix list. Only the "kids" movies show up on the new x360."

That's pretty rad! I didn't realize that the 360's Parental Controls were that tightly integrated with the Netflix player.

They are even integrated with actual discs. My kids can't just plop in any movie on their 360 and watch it....it can't be above my set rating.

"I like how the parental settings filter out content in your Netflix list. Only the "kids" movies show up on the new x360."

That's pretty rad! I didn't realize that the 360's Parental Controls were that tightly integrated with the Netflix player.

Too be complete, I'll add that the cover art is blocked but the movie title is still there at the bottom. For example, the movie cover is greyed-out but you see "Dirty Harry" at the bottom.

"for a slight bit more convenience you can actually copy your gamertag onto both 360s with one of these:"

What behavior do you see when you turn on 360B when 360A is already signed into Live? Does it kick the first 360, or just not allow the second one on under the same Gamertag?


Yeah, its signs you out of the first xbox. I try to avoid doing it too much since you are kinda cheating on their rules, but the few times I did it on accident nothing bad happened.

I also have a Second 360 on the way. Can anything be transferred between the 2 via the network? Or using one of my networked pc's as a middle man?
Also, are any of the multiplayer games like GOW playable in same household with only 1 disc?
Also, already have 2 live gold accounts on 1 xbox360.. I can enable the accounts on both by using the sd card, or need the transfer gizmo.. Why cant just transfer over the network?..
Steve

There are no retail titles which can be played with only a single copy of a game. A copy of the game DVD must be present in the drive of each machine; HDD installation does not waive this requirement, regardless of the status of other machines on the network.

Xbox 360s do not "share" content with each other. They can play games with each other, obviously, but there's nothing to transfer between the two. Gamertag recovery should be avoided if at all possible, since it invalidates the existing access keys, which can lead to all kinds of problems (including loss of save games).

How do the xbox's treat non-Live profiles? Do they need to be transferred with the MU or can I just create the same profile name on both boxes? Are they recognized as the same profile by game saves on the MU?

I picked up a second 360 today and am planning on starting with just a memory unit and going from there.