Unlocked Major Nelson Shares His Xbox 360 Memories – Unlocked 717
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Nov 22, 2025 Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, a pivotal figure in Xbox's history and director of programming at Xbox Live, shares heartfelt memories on the Xbox 360's 20th anniversary. He reflects on his journey from radio to Microsoft, discusses the console's innovative features like achievements and Xbox Live Arcade, and recounts the infamous red ring crisis. Larry also praises industry leaders, highlights his favorite games, and emphasizes the importance of cross-platform respect. This nostalgic ride through gaming history is a must-hear for fans!
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From Radio To Xbox: How Major Nelson Joined
- Larry Hryb describes starting at Xbox after noticing game controllers outside conference rooms and asking to join the team.
- He moved from MSN Music to Xbox and became director of programming, creating community shows like Major Nelson Podcast.
Work Where You Can Help Developers
- Join platforms and teams that let you work with developers and communities if you care about games and storytelling.
- Larry recommends Unity for devs because it runs across platforms and has strong learning assets.
Dashboard Features Made Consoles Social
- Xbox 360's dashboard and features like friends lists, party invites and cloud saves brought social to consoles for the first time.
- Those platform-level features turned the console into a living service and earned Xbox Live an Emmy for interactivity.