How to Use an Xbox Live Vision Camera on a PC

While the Xbox Live Vision camera was designed for use with the Xbox 360 to take pictures and chat with fellow gamers, the camera is also compatible with Windows-based operating systems. Similar to a standard webcam, the Xbox Live Vision camera is connected through a USB port on your computer and can be used to take pictures or video and send them to others. You can also use the Xbox Live Vision cam for visual chat programs, though the camera does not have a built-in microphone so additional equipment is required.

Turn on your PC. Insert the USB cable from your Xbox Live Vision camera into a USB port on your PC.

Wait for the “Found New Hardware” message to appear on your computer. If you do not see this message, click the “Start” or “Windows” icon on the bottom left of your screen. Select “Control Panel” and then click on “Add New Hardware.”

Select “Automatically Find and Install Drivers” and click “OK.” Windows will download the appropriate drivers for the camera from the Microsoft website. Wait for the process to complete.

Click “Start” and “Run” if using XP, or the “Windows” icon and search bar for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Type “control sticpl.cpl” without quotation marks and press “Enter.”

Scan the list for the Xbox Live Vision camera. If the camera has been installed and connected it will be listed. Click “Refresh” if the camera does not appear.

Open any chat or webcam-based program. Your Xbox Live Vision camera will be detected and then a ring of light around the lens will turn on signalling it is ready for use.