Xbox LIVE on Windows 8 Release Preview FAQ

Xbox LIVE on Windows 8 is available in the following locations (languages in parentheses):

• Australia (English)
• Austria (German)
• Belgium (Dutch and French)
• Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese)
• Canada (English and French)
• Chile (Spanish)
• Colombia (Spanish)
• Czech Republic (Czech)
• Denmark (Danish)
• Finland (Finnish)
• France (French)
• Germany (German)
• Greece (Greek)
• Hong Kong (Traditional Chinese)
• Hungary (Hungarian)
• India (English)
• Ireland (English)
• Italy (Italian)
• Japan (Japanese)
• Korea (Korean)
• Mexico (Spanish)
• Netherlands (Dutch)
• New Zealand (English)
• Norway (Norwegian)
• Poland (Polish)
• Portugal (Portuguese)
• Russia (Russian)
• Singapore (English)
• South Africa (English)
• Spain (Spanish)
• Sweden (Swedish)
• Switzerland (French and German)
• Taiwan (Traditional Chinese)
• United Kingdom (English)
• United States (English)

The free Xbox Companion app lets you access entertainment content through your Xbox LIVE account using your Windows 8-based computer or Slate and then play it back on your TV through your Xbox 360 console. You’ll be able to use any available input including touch, mouse or keyboard to navigate and control your content playback with the app. In addition, the app shows you detailed information about the movies, TV programmes, games and music that you’re enjoying.

You don’t need to create a new account, but you can if you want to. On your computer, when you go to PC settings and sign in using the Microsoft account (formerly Windows Live ID) for your gamertag, you’ll be automatically signed in to any Xbox LIVE app that you open in Windows 8.

Microsoft Studios is bringing strong studio support with several great titles for Windows 8 at launch. We’ll continue to add more from them and from other game publishers in the months ahead, and we’ll provide more information then.

The Music and Video tiles on Windows 8 are Xbox LIVE applications that you can use to play your local media files. Because we’re still early in the development process, the Windows 8 apps aren’t fully operational, so the tiles may change at launch.

To add music to the Music app in Windows 8 Release Preview:

1. At the Windows 8 default screen on your computer, find and click the Desktop tile. This will take you to the classic desktop view.
2. Select Windows Explorer (the manila folder next to the Internet Explorer icon).
3. Under Libraries, select Music.
4. Right-click Music, and then select Properties.
5. Click Add.
6. Include the folders where your music is stored.
7. Click OK.

Note If music content is stored externally (for example, on a USB flash drive or an external hard drive), you can copy or move the content to any folder in the Library locations field and the Music app will pick up the content.

You can browse and search the music marketplace and buy individual songs or full albums. You can see the music in your local collection and play it back in a Now Playing experience that includes artists’ pictures and details like biographies and discographies. You can also snap the Music app to the side to play music while using another app, and you can share a selection using the Share Charm.

To add videos to the Video app in Windows 8 Release Preview:

1. At the Windows 8 default screen on your computer, find and click the Desktop tile. This will take you to the classic desktop view.
2. Select Windows Explorer (the manila folder next to the Internet Explorer icon).
3. Under Libraries, select Video.
4. Right-click Video, and then select Properties.
5. Click Add.
6. Include the folders where your videos are stored.
7. Click OK.

Note If video content is stored externally (for example, on a flash drive or an external hard drive) you can copy or move the content to any folders in the Library locations, and the Video app will pick up the content.

• Browse the movie and TV marketplace to buy (in supported locales) the TV episode or movie of your choice
• Watch the videos in your personal collection in a touch-optimised playback experience
• Use Play to Xbox to cue up the movie or TV episode on your Xbox 360 console
• Use the Share Charm feature to share your favourites with your friends