X

Xbox Live long-timers getting free Xbox 360 consoles

People who've been using the service the longest are being treated with a special thank-you gift from Microsoft.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read
Twitter/Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Xbox Live just hit its 10th anniversary, and Microsoft is rewarding its most faithful members with a free Xbox 360 console.

Microsoft Xbox staffer Larry Hryb, better known as Major Nelson, tweeted the news yesterday, saying: "I can confirm we're surprising some of the Xbox Live members that have been with us the longest with one of these." And by "these," he means a brand-new Xbox 360.

The surprise gift includes a custom controller, a logo on the console that reads "decade of entertainment," and a plate on the disc tray door that says "XBL10," according to gaming blog site Kotaku.

The site first learned of the gift when one of its readers said a friend got the console in the mail even though he never ordered it or entered any competition to win one. But he has been an Xbox Live member since the service debuted a decade ago.

Does this mean all 10-year veterans of Xbox Live will be the lucky recipients of a free console? No, unfortunately not.

A Microsoft representative told CNET: "We are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Xbox Live by conducting special promotions for our members worldwide, and today we began to surprise a select number of our loyal 10-year Xbox Live members in the U.S. with special edition anniversary consoles."

Have any of you out there been an Xbox Live member for 10 years? If so, let us know if you stumble on a new console at your doorstep.

Update, 10:15 a.m. PT: Adds response from Microsoft.