NOTE: This article has recently been updated (as of August 12, 2006). Singapore no longer lets you input '00000' as your zip code. Please see below for alternate zip codes.
So you're a Filipino living in the Philippines with a brand-spanking new Xbox 360. You've heard about all the wonderful stories on Xbox Live. You happen to have a pretty good broadband connection. One day, you try out the Xbox Live sign-up options on your 360, and you find out to your dismay that your country is NOT listed. What do you do?
Now, you can probably enjoy your 360 without live at all, but I have to tell you: YOU ARE MISSING OUT. As Peter Moore said in the recent MS Press Conference: "Having your 360 connected to Xbox Live is as vital as having your computer connected to the Internet".
He is so damned right.
I've been playing on Xbox Live for almost a year now (both on my original Xbox and the Xbox 360). Essentially I found out all of this with a little bit of research, a little bit of curiosity, and a little bit of guts. I thought I'd share this information with those of you who want to get on Live but have always thought that Filipinos in the Philippines just can't do it, because we don't have official Microsoft support (and we probably never will, sadly).
So, how do you get on Xbox Live? The information I'll provide is mostly for the Xbox 360, though. Please note that you need a broadband connection to the Internet to get on Xbox Live.
GUIDE ON HOW TO GET ON XBOX LIVE FROM THE PHILIPPINES:
1. Sign up for Xbox Live either through your console or through the xbox.com site. Make a gamertag, and provide honest details about yourself. Oh, before you get to that part, xbox.com or your 360 will ask about your region. I highly recommend picking Singapore, since this is the country that's closest to the Philippines. You could also pick the United States if you want...but I feel more comfortable choosing a region that's nearest to my real location.
2. Fill out the various fields honestly. (Name, address, etc.). When you get to the part where you have to input the ZIP CODE:
a. If you picked the SINGAPORE region, enter '00000' (That's five zeros)*** NOTICE, THIS DOESNT WORK ANYMORE, please see the bottom of this article***
b. If you picked the UNITED STATES region, pick the state CALIFORNIA and enter the zip code '90210'.
3. After filling out the various fields honestly and successfully, your gamertag should be up and running in no time!
4. If you were filling out the details for your gamertag via your Xbox 360, you will get prompted if you want to get the free Xbox Live Silver account or if you want to subscribe for a Gold account. I recommend going with Xbox Live Silver first, to see if you can complete the process with no problems. Besides, Xbox live silver lets you have some presence on live, have a friends list, see the marketplace, etc. We'll discuss getting Xbox Live Gold later in this guide. Another benefit of choosing Xbox Live Silver first---you get a free month of XBOX LIVE GOLD! So you get to try it out first before you decide to go all out and subscribe to the service.
So there it is, a simple guide on how to get on Xbox Live even if you live in an unsupported region! Note that you get a free month of Xbox Live Gold when you first register. Note that:
1. You need Xbox Live Gold lets you play multiplayer against friends online.
2. Xbox Live Silver only gives you the basic features, like the friends list and the marketplace downloads
When your free month of Xbox Live expires, your account will revert back into an Xbox Live Silver account. You'd have to buy a subscription in order to continue enjoying the benefits of Xbox Live Gold.
A 1 year subscription to Xbox Live Gold is about $50.00. You only pay $50.00 ONCE A YEAR (it isn't monthly)...so buying a one year subscription is no different from buying a game.
Now, how do you buy a subscription?
1. You can buy a code through one of the online stores on the internet, or....
2. You can simply buy a subscription via your 360.
Either way, you'd need a credit card. VISA or MASTERCARD will do. The easiest method to get a subscription is to go to the Xbox Live Marketplace on your 360. There's a tab there for buying a one year subscription or a monthly subscription. Fill out the required details (again, be HONEST, please) and give correct billing information on your credit card. If there's a field for ZIP CODE or STATE, follow the instructions given above ('California, 90210' for a US account or '00000' for a Singapore account). If you provide correct details on your card number and billing address, you should have no problems and be able to purchase a Gold subscription.
Just a few last reminders...
1. In providing personal details, credit card information, etc., in signing up for Xbox Live...I can't state this enough:
PLEASE. BE. HONEST.
We are very VERY lucky that their system thus far allows us gamers from unsupported regions to get into Xbox Live.
That said, it's very very HIGHLY LIKELY that if they get a lot of garbage data from users originating from our country, that they will disallow all access from IP addresses originating from our country.
This CAN be done by Microsoft. All I'm saying is, if you're getting on Xbox Live, be honest so that they won't have a reason to start blocking our IPs from entering their network!
2. Do not attempt to log in to Xbox Live if you have a modified Xbox or Xbox 360. Do not play backup/pirated games on Xbox Live. This can get your gamertag and your 360 banned for life from the Xbox Live servers.
Support original software. Making games is very difficult. I should know, I'm a software developer myself; making sofware is no joke, and by supporting game companies you are helping them continue to make games now and in the future.
That said, good luck....if you have any questions, just post them in the comments section here, I'll try to help you any way I can.
********************************
UPDATE, AUGUST 12, 2006: If you really want to register in Singapore, try this postal code instead: 188504
Or you can try this one: 247729 (thanks to the official tourist's guide to singapore handbook for that one!)
Looks like they're on to us on Xbox Live. Let me stress once again the importance of HONESTY here. They haven't banned us yet, which is good. Don't put bogus addresses in the fields! Just put the bogus zip code, but for everything else, PLEASE BE HONEST SO THAT FILIPINOS WONT GET BANNED. Thank you.
I really wish that Microsoft would have official Xbox Live support in the Philippines....so we won't have to resort to this.
*****
UPDATE October 16, 2008:
If you want to make a USA Xbox Live account, you can use the zipcode "90210", State "California", and use the phone number "00000000000" (basically just type in as many zeroes as you can).
So you're a Filipino living in the Philippines with a brand-spanking new Xbox 360. You've heard about all the wonderful stories on Xbox Live. You happen to have a pretty good broadband connection. One day, you try out the Xbox Live sign-up options on your 360, and you find out to your dismay that your country is NOT listed. What do you do?
Now, you can probably enjoy your 360 without live at all, but I have to tell you: YOU ARE MISSING OUT. As Peter Moore said in the recent MS Press Conference: "Having your 360 connected to Xbox Live is as vital as having your computer connected to the Internet".
He is so damned right.
I've been playing on Xbox Live for almost a year now (both on my original Xbox and the Xbox 360). Essentially I found out all of this with a little bit of research, a little bit of curiosity, and a little bit of guts. I thought I'd share this information with those of you who want to get on Live but have always thought that Filipinos in the Philippines just can't do it, because we don't have official Microsoft support (and we probably never will, sadly).
So, how do you get on Xbox Live? The information I'll provide is mostly for the Xbox 360, though. Please note that you need a broadband connection to the Internet to get on Xbox Live.
GUIDE ON HOW TO GET ON XBOX LIVE FROM THE PHILIPPINES:
1. Sign up for Xbox Live either through your console or through the xbox.com site. Make a gamertag, and provide honest details about yourself. Oh, before you get to that part, xbox.com or your 360 will ask about your region. I highly recommend picking Singapore, since this is the country that's closest to the Philippines. You could also pick the United States if you want...but I feel more comfortable choosing a region that's nearest to my real location.
2. Fill out the various fields honestly. (Name, address, etc.). When you get to the part where you have to input the ZIP CODE:
a. If you picked the SINGAPORE region, enter '00000' (That's five zeros)*** NOTICE, THIS DOESNT WORK ANYMORE, please see the bottom of this article***
b. If you picked the UNITED STATES region, pick the state CALIFORNIA and enter the zip code '90210'.
3. After filling out the various fields honestly and successfully, your gamertag should be up and running in no time!
4. If you were filling out the details for your gamertag via your Xbox 360, you will get prompted if you want to get the free Xbox Live Silver account or if you want to subscribe for a Gold account. I recommend going with Xbox Live Silver first, to see if you can complete the process with no problems. Besides, Xbox live silver lets you have some presence on live, have a friends list, see the marketplace, etc. We'll discuss getting Xbox Live Gold later in this guide. Another benefit of choosing Xbox Live Silver first---you get a free month of XBOX LIVE GOLD! So you get to try it out first before you decide to go all out and subscribe to the service.
So there it is, a simple guide on how to get on Xbox Live even if you live in an unsupported region! Note that you get a free month of Xbox Live Gold when you first register. Note that:
1. You need Xbox Live Gold lets you play multiplayer against friends online.
2. Xbox Live Silver only gives you the basic features, like the friends list and the marketplace downloads
When your free month of Xbox Live expires, your account will revert back into an Xbox Live Silver account. You'd have to buy a subscription in order to continue enjoying the benefits of Xbox Live Gold.
A 1 year subscription to Xbox Live Gold is about $50.00. You only pay $50.00 ONCE A YEAR (it isn't monthly)...so buying a one year subscription is no different from buying a game.
Now, how do you buy a subscription?
1. You can buy a code through one of the online stores on the internet, or....
2. You can simply buy a subscription via your 360.
Either way, you'd need a credit card. VISA or MASTERCARD will do. The easiest method to get a subscription is to go to the Xbox Live Marketplace on your 360. There's a tab there for buying a one year subscription or a monthly subscription. Fill out the required details (again, be HONEST, please) and give correct billing information on your credit card. If there's a field for ZIP CODE or STATE, follow the instructions given above ('California, 90210' for a US account or '00000' for a Singapore account). If you provide correct details on your card number and billing address, you should have no problems and be able to purchase a Gold subscription.
Just a few last reminders...
1. In providing personal details, credit card information, etc., in signing up for Xbox Live...I can't state this enough:
PLEASE. BE. HONEST.
We are very VERY lucky that their system thus far allows us gamers from unsupported regions to get into Xbox Live.
That said, it's very very HIGHLY LIKELY that if they get a lot of garbage data from users originating from our country, that they will disallow all access from IP addresses originating from our country.
This CAN be done by Microsoft. All I'm saying is, if you're getting on Xbox Live, be honest so that they won't have a reason to start blocking our IPs from entering their network!
2. Do not attempt to log in to Xbox Live if you have a modified Xbox or Xbox 360. Do not play backup/pirated games on Xbox Live. This can get your gamertag and your 360 banned for life from the Xbox Live servers.
Support original software. Making games is very difficult. I should know, I'm a software developer myself; making sofware is no joke, and by supporting game companies you are helping them continue to make games now and in the future.
That said, good luck....if you have any questions, just post them in the comments section here, I'll try to help you any way I can.
********************************
UPDATE, AUGUST 12, 2006: If you really want to register in Singapore, try this postal code instead: 188504
Or you can try this one: 247729 (thanks to the official tourist's guide to singapore handbook for that one!)
Looks like they're on to us on Xbox Live. Let me stress once again the importance of HONESTY here. They haven't banned us yet, which is good. Don't put bogus addresses in the fields! Just put the bogus zip code, but for everything else, PLEASE BE HONEST SO THAT FILIPINOS WONT GET BANNED. Thank you.
I really wish that Microsoft would have official Xbox Live support in the Philippines....so we won't have to resort to this.
*****
UPDATE October 16, 2008:
If you want to make a USA Xbox Live account, you can use the zipcode "90210", State "California", and use the phone number "00000000000" (basically just type in as many zeroes as you can).