For those unaware, XSN will enable gamers to create and join leagues online where all of your stats, box scores, and win/loss percentages will be tracked for you by Microsoft. It's like a fantasy sports league where you actually play the games, and if you've ever played fantasy sports on ESPN.com, you'll feel extremely comfortable with the entire look and feel of the design. Gamers will be given a reliability rating depending on how many leagues and tournaments you actually complete (up to five stars), so serious gamers can then start leagues where only five star (the most reliable) players can play without fear of starting a league where one of the teams never shows up for a game. League size can be either 8, 12, 24, or 32 teams, leagues can be made either private or public, and you will even have a trophy case to show off all of the leagues and tournaments that you've won.
One of the coolest aspects of XSN, however, is the fact that you can set up the entire league from your PC, enabling you to easily type in all of the information, rather than using the controller. You will also be able to check on scores and send messages via your PC throughout the day, even if you don't have access to your Xbox. There will be a personal message area, a friend (buddy) list, along with rating stats for games played, games completed, tournaments completed, and leagues completed. And the best part is, all of this will be free?for now. Microsoft does plan on adding more enhancements as time goes on, including a real-time ticker for games being played in your league, along with full player stats for every game you compete in, but with that extended functionality will eventually come a price. We just don't know how much yet. One thing Microsoft does promise, though, is that there will always be a portion of the XSN service available for free, and that indeed is something to bust an Icky Shuffle or Dirty Bird for, at least for the time being.
