Microsoft is rewarding the members who have been on Xbox Live the longest with special consoles. As revealed by Xbox Live’s Major Nelson on Twitter, Microsoft is “surprising some of the Xbox Live members that have been with us the longest” by sending them a special limited edition console featuring 10 year anniversary imagery.

A Microsoft spokesperson explained to IGN that “we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Xbox Live by conducting special promotions for our members worldwide and today we began to surprise a select number of our loyal 10 year Xbox Live members in the U.S. with special edition anniversary consoles. These consoles were created for a special promotion and will not be available at retail locations.”

The console features a special “Xbox Live: A Decade of Entertainment” logo that includes imagery from the original Xbox, Kinect, the Vision camera and much more from Xbox’s history. In addition, the disc drive says “XBL 10” instead of the usual Xbox 360.

It’s unclear how many of the systems will be manufactured and what the specific qualifications are to earn one, but we’ve reached out to Microsoft and will update with any additional info we receive. Until then, watch out interview with Bungie’s Harold Ryan about Xbox Live’s 10th anniversary on Up At Noon:

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

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Having just wrapped up the Breaking Points arc, writer Peter David focuses his title on the littlest of X-Factor members, Pip the Troll. Although the character has been known to frost the edges of David’s scripts with entertaining bits of sarcasm, he has had scant few opportunities to factor in as a major character since the Infinity Gauntlet saga. Here, Pip’s given the spotlight, and an amusing diversion builds into a major turn of events in the history of the character.

Admittedly, X-Factor #246 gets off to a slow start. David goes with a tongue-in-cheek noir style to capture Pip’s unique personality, and, while it works on more than one level, it appears – initially, at least – to signify nothing more than a momentary departure from the title’s rolling bundle of threads. Add to this the misshapen faces and variable proportions of Paul Davidson’s art, and you have a setup that does the job without inspiring slack-jawed admiration.

Things begin to turn around when we see Pip back in his natural environment at X-Factor Investigations. The glimpse of his secret contributions to the organization are interesting and amusing, but the interlude's biggest contribution is in serving as an effective separation between the story’s beginning and its ending. By the time the conclusion rolls around, the story feels nicely rounded, with Pip successfully filling the role of a sympathetic lead.

As the cover to X-Factor #246 suggests, the pieces of Peter David’s puzzle are slowly coming together, and Pip rises to a significant role. The story is good without being great; however, its contributions serve as an emotional touchstone for the series and a deepening of the title’s intrigue, making it well worth a read.

Poet Mase is a regular contributor to IGN who is happy to see Pip getting a little lovin' (if not from the ladies, then from the writer). Follow Poet on Twitter @PoetMase, or post a message on his IGN profile PoetMase.

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EA has announced release dates for Battlefield 3’s Aftermath downloadable content. Battlefield 3 Premium members on PlayStation 3 can get Aftermath on November 27th, while Premium Xbox 360 and PC players can get it on December 4th. Non-premium players on PlayStation 3 can get Aftermath on December 11th, and non-Premium Xbox 360 and PC players will round out the schedule on December 18th.

As with all Battlefield 3 content, Aftermath will cost $14.99 (1200 Microsoft Points) and will be free to Battlefield Premium members. Aftermath is the fourth of five packs for Battlefield 3, coming ahead of End Game, which will be released in March 2013.

Separately, EA announced today that in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of Battlefield and the milestone of Premium passing 2 million members, it will offer Battlefield 1942 as a free download. Players can get 1942 on Origin’s official site, which notes that it will require an Origin account and will expire on March 1, 2013.

EA also revealed some interesting stats for Battlefield 3, noting that since its launch in 2011, players have passed 95 billion total heals and four billion total revives, destroyed three billion vehicles and fired two trillion bullets. "[Premium] has been an ambitious way to give our fans fresh, high-quality content at a great value," said DICE vice president and general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson. " This achievement is helping us define the new standard by which all other shooters deliver content and exclusive bonuses to their player communities."

For more on Aftermath, check out the details DICE revealed in July. For any other Battlefield 3 needs, look no further than our Battlefield 3 wiki guide.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

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