August 2nd 2012 8:21 pm PT

Watch the Mars Rover landing on your Xbox 360

A quick reminder that ‘Curiosity’ is scheduled to touch down on the surface of Mars this weekend.
In case you missed it, keep an eye out for the special Mars Rover section of your Xbox 360 dashboard right on the main page.  From here you can take a quiz about the mission, learn about the incredible engineering that has gone into the mission and much more. Plus, from her you’ll be able to join NASA TV live from Mission control at the JPL during the final moments before landing. Don’t forget that while you are waiting for the big moment you can play the free Kinect Mars Rover simulator available for download and get a few achievements and Gamerscore.

Events, Geeky By Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson

permalink: http://majornelson.com/2012/08/02/watch-the-mars-rover-landing-on-your-xbox-360/

  • http://twitter.com/Navarin Buster Wolf

    Question: Will this show up outside the US and will it show up for those of us in the preview beta?

  • http://www.majornelson.com Major Nelson

    It will be available in most regions (I don’t know the exact list) Re: The beta…don’t know…I’ll find out.

    • http://www.majornelson.com Major Nelson

      Re: The beta….there will be a way to watch it added over the weekend.

      • metallicorphan

        any update on this for beta’s yet Major? :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000030330219 Irvel Nduva

    AWESOME

  • Ecliptic_Deimos

    The only way I’ve been able to get to it while in the beta is if you have a Kinect, go to Kinect Central and then click on the Mars Rover icon.

    • http://twitter.com/karlcramer Karl Cramer

      Mars Rover Landing is technically a Kinect Fun Labs game. Launch that from your games library and you should find it there too.

  • Brian Jameson

    Sorry Major. I cant. after the update I am not longer able to connect to Live. I’m not asking for a gold rebate for days lost. But I am sad. I love you guy’s and have been a proud Beta Tester over the years, and I know people are on this. Anyway, Time for the weekend! Have a great one!

    • Nick Peck

      Every so often I have the same issue to where it won’t connect when you turn the system on. Just go to the “test connection” section and it connects just fine, after that back out and connect and it should be ok.

      Has happened to me a few times, though it was my router (because I do have some wireless issues with it, but my Xbox is plugged in via cat5).

  • metallicorphan

    Well i can’t see it,but i will keep my eye on it(did a search in the bing part as well)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003976957614 Willy McBurgle

    “Watch the Mars rover crashing on your Xbox 360″
    -fixed.

  • http://whatleydude.com James Whatley

    UK? :D

  • http://twitter.com/MythicalWolf77 Mythical Wolf

    Have you not got the new dash, major?

  • Lee Rayson

    If im awake ill watch it, it not like it be the first only time to see it

  • dlmayday

    I’m so stoked about this. TY Microsoft…the last live event “Golden Gods Awards” was great too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527436342 Lewis McCrary

    I’ll be there!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527436342 Lewis McCrary

    Even if you can’t connect to XBox for whatever reason, there are multiple ways to watch this. Ustream, Nasa.gov, etc. XBox will be my primary though. :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/mohd.sadiq12 Mohd Sadiq

    I hope it’s for the beta dashboards too…

    • metallicorphan

      doesn’t look like it :(

  • Yi Xu

    This is awesome. Now if the deal of the week can be as good. Yes. I said it. Deal of the Week for gold members. It is a gaming console first, tv box second.

    • Nick Peck

      Get used to the future, they are all fighting to have a “one box does everything” system. Been that way for awhile and all of them will be the same in the future. I don’t mind it as it’s my choice to do what I want to do on the system. I enjoy having all of the options available at least.

      • Yi Xu

        I also want all in one entertainment box. But it is a gaming console first before anything else. They need to focus more on the games first. Look at PSN+ daily deal and Xbox gold deals of week. It is pathetic. I have been a xbox live gold member since 2005, it is first time I seriously consider switching to PSN+.

        • Nick Peck

          I have PS+ along with my XBL Family plan, but I just sold my ps3 again because it’s a major dust collector. Good system but I just don’t care to have both systems as I prefer the Xbox. Just make sure you keep PS+ or you lose the free stuff, it’s a decent deal for sure and I hope MS takes some notes.

          I prefer to DL my games and love games on demand, but they really need to lower some of the prices and offer day one downloads for some major titles. PSN is ok, but is still way behind XBL imo, but again, MS can take some notes of what PSN does right.

          I understand wanting games first, but the landscape has changed big time over the last handful of years and is continuing to change to being more media based than centered round just video games.

          I don’t see the “exclusives” thing as an issue as I just prefer the Xbox. Most multiconsole games are usually better on Xbox and I fully believe that right now, MS has a ton up their sleeves, but hey are holding on the major announcements / dev’s / games until they unleash the next gen system which is why the first party software is kinda slim right now.

          • The Dukenator

            Your choice, but I chose to keep both systems. PS3 can play bluray movies unlike xbox, besides the games.

          • http://www.facebook.com/deism Jim Beranis

            I’ve got both systems myself, my ps3 is basically an overexpensive dvd player as I play all my games on xbox

        • Yi Xu

          I agree most games just better on xbox. I also play most games on the xbox. That isn’t my point here. I am talking about the online component for each. I am keeping my xbox but dropping xbox live gold.

          I feel like wasting money paying just to play online while PSN is free. Just what do I get for being gold status? Online streaming isn’t one of them. Xbox still branded as gaming console, media content just a bonus. You can already get media content from many other devices for cheaper. Google Tv, Apple Tv. Roku. PC. Just to name few. I am watching video from my media PC hooked up to my TV for free.

          MS should take look the PSN+. Not only they offer free game, but also heavily discount DL games for plus members. Don’t even get me started with xbox live free games. Deal of the week just insult to gamer. They keep recycling the same stuff. If I am paying for a subscription. I may well getting the most value. You can argue PSN+ don’t let you keep free games. All those game are DLC only, and they don’t have any resell value anyway. Eventually you going to get bored and move on to new games. Now, if you already locked in to subscription, consider it as rental. I rather have free new games then keeping old games I don’t play anymore.

        • http://www.facebook.com/michael.arangio.9 Michael Arangio

          With PlayStation Plus, you are pretty much paying just for those deals, because almost all the other features of PSN are available to free members.

          With Xbox LIVE you are paying for online play, as well as all the other services and features that come with a Gold subscription. If all that was available for Silver members, then I would expect better discounts and deals, because that’s essentially all I would be paying for.

          • Yi Xu

            Please explain what other service. Online video streaming? Don’t we already have tons other devices can do that? Netflix, Hulu+, Amazon, xfinity? All those require extra subscription on top of xbox live gold. xbox live don’t get any good free games. so you just paying to play online while, again, PSN is free. Deal of week for xbox live is wasteland. We want good deal on games for a gaming console, not a media box.

          • Flawless

            so paying for online and getting apps that are available to use for free on a number of other devices > paying for (good) deals while getting free online and free access to apps?

        • http://www.facebook.com/adamdjt Adam Daniel John Thompson

          The problem is though that most people WANT an all in one.

          • Yi Xu

            It is already all in one. But please focus on the games more. what do you think make most money? Selling hardware, or selling more games?

      • http://www.facebook.com/chris.grub.5 Chris Grub

        The one box does everything doesn’t work if you have to repay for cable channels you’re already subscribed too.

        I get 200 different channels, 500+ with time shifting. Why on earth would I pay $6.99 per month for a channel that I already own?

        Also during any of these live events I can never get my stream to get to HD quality even though I’m dowloading at 25/mbps with the XBOX being the only active connection.

        That’s why that won’t work.

      • Russell Gorall

        Seems more like a “one box does everything except games” console recently.

    • http://twitter.com/MrRadiolips Andrew Dufresne

      Microsoft just needs to produce a t.v. that has console and pc built into one. 3 is the magic number.

    • http://twitter.com/ViralCyrix Warren Crosby

      Always been pegged as an all in one entertainment system IE the name 360

  • http://www.larrynocella.com Larry Nocella

    Very cool. Thanks!

  • ChintuPatel

    if you are in beta just open live even app

  • http://www.facebook.com/fakundo.cuarteroportaz Fakundo Cuartero Portaz

    WE CAN SEE THIS LIVE EVENT IN SPAIN?

  • http://twitter.com/seekul Luke Es | sE ekuL

    Wow I thought the JPL stuff was just a pet project of the Major, but it’s great the full power of the Xbox team is on it. I definitely know of a few people with Kinects that will enjoy giving this a shot.

  • http://twitter.com/lochdoun Bry

    Must Kinect be shoehorned into this? Why control a rover by flailing around the living room like an idiot when you could just use a controller. Pointless.

  • http://www.facebook.com/deism Jim Beranis

    This is awesome, with about a 50% success rate on Mars exploration missions, this is sure gonna be a nail biter. My hopes aren’t high though due to the complexity of the entry.

  • http://twitter.com/DJHardwired Notanee Bourassa

    We will be watching on Xbox

  • http://twitter.com/GarethRossUK Gareth

    I’m in the preview program and I can’t find this anymore.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Knu2Lav Knut Olav Gleditsch

    Will this be available to all, US and non-US? And to us in the Fall Update beta program aswell?

  • http://twitter.com/JAYLEXPWn Alex

    3 hrs left

  • http://www.facebook.com/PatThemuffin Patty Cake

    I cant find it! Where is it on the homepage?

  • http://twitter.com/MaxPow360 Max Power

    its the scrolling list of games on the main page

  • Mrkakaiscomingforyou

    13 mins

  • metallicorphan

    Well done NASA!!! :)

  • Rickard Olsson

    Thanks for this! It was an interesting and exciting morning in Sweden this monday! :)

  • Nick Peck

    Was fun to watch, great job NASA! Now start sending us some pic’s! As for people asking where it was on the Xbox dash, it’s in the first big square lol. Move over to it and hit left n right to cycle through the available panes or just go to it from the kinect central pane at the top right of the first screen.

  • http://brandon2brown.webs.com Brandon Brown

    so no to Canada and beta testers? I cannot find it anywhere i even searched for it

 

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