I play a good deal of Madden 13 on Xbox Live, and a large number of my opponents use their headsets. I choose not to, if only to remain superficially separated from the undignified netherworld of video gaming. Still, Xbox Live has a weird quirk that allows you to hear players chattering into their headsets through your televison’s audio. Why these players would wear headsets when no one’s on the other end – well, that’s another matter.

The long-rumored potential deal between ESPN and Microsoft’s XBox 360 to stream sporting events on the console is official. Gaming/tech reporters live-blogging Microsoft’s press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo just reported that the two sides have a deal – and it looks like a big one.