10-Year Xbox Live Members Receive Avatar Items, Free Consoles

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Decade-old members of Xbox live are receiving various gifts in the mail from Microsoft this week as a thank you for their dedication to the service. This largely unexpected promotion honors those dedicated to the service by sending free custom consoles and avatar items to members who have paid subscription fees since the company birthed the service in 2002.

Various Reddit posts have been made over the last week speculating over who is getting which rewards and why they are receiving them. One distraught gamer posted a thread titled “That guy gets a free console for his 10 year Xbox LIVE anniversary, and all I get is this?” which links to the image below. Discussion continued as to why some members are receiving measly Avatar rewards while others are receiving consoles. Early speculation leads to the belief that Microsoft is not only taking into account the number of years members have subscribed, but also other factors such as gamer score and number of games played. While we are not all too sure who is getting what, it appears that the special edition Xbox is only being sent to a select few.

The special edition console has a beautiful gloss finish and features flagrant orange and green accents. It’s marked up with multiple tenth-anniversary commemorative logos which include designs to resemble the history of the console — from the original Xbox controller to the Kinect. Also worth noting is that the console comes with a matching glossy silver Xbox controller, however it does not have the tenth-anniversary logo that we see on the console.

Sorry United Kingdom readers, Eurogamer reported yesterday that the offer will not be making the jump across the Atlantic. It almost makes sense, with Microsoft being founded and based in the United States. While no gamers — U.S. or otherwise — are entitled to any freebies at all, those of you who aren’t receiving a present from Microsoft can rest assured that the company has something in mind for you too. Eurogamer quotes a Microsoft UK spokesperson saying: ”The Special Edition Xbox Live Anniversary console is a US promotion, but we will be engaging our members in various ways worldwide as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Xbox Live.”