New Xbox 360 Dashboard next month

newsguy 0 485 Views

According to BIOS Magazine there is a new Xbox 360 Dashboard interface coming our way real soon now, like next month.

In a move that has been designed to make it easier buy additional functionality as well as improve the social aspects of the Xbox 360 gaming experience, Microsoft is also reported to be launching the sale of user generated game content for the console.

"The first major change to the system involves basic navigation" the article says, adding "The top-level channels now consist of six items that closely resemble the menu structure of Windows Media Center: Spotlight, Games, My Xbox, Primetime, Community, and Videos. Each option contains additional functionality in sub-menu options and contains major innovations."

Interestingly, when you press the controller guide button during game play a miniature version of the dashboard blades pop up allowing access pretty much from anywhere at any time.

Then there is that user generated content to consider. "The Games channel will let you easily find games to purchase and explore" BIOS says, which will include demos, full downloads and game previews.

Dani AI

Generated

Short take: the BIOS item posted was an early leak/preview of what eventually shipped as Microsoft’s "New Xbox Experience" (NXE). The NXE rollout did not arrive the next month — Microsoft began the public NXE update on November 19, 2008. (gamespot.com)

What NXE actually added (beyond a visual redesign) included avatar-based profiles, deeper Marketplace integration, social features such as Primetime and expanded party chat, and the ability to install games to a hard drive to improve load times. Those were central parts of the official NXE announcement and preview coverage. (news.xbox.com)

The user-content angle became an official program: Microsoft announced Xbox LIVE Community Games (an XNA/Creators Club storefront) that let indie authors sell titles through Marketplace with preset price tiers and a revenue share model. At the same time, NXE introduced a new storage requirement; Microsoft publicly offered upgrade options for HDD-less consoles and reporting at the time noted minimum storage numbers varied (press reporting cited a 128 MB minimum while some materials referenced 256 MB for full avatar functionality). If you were following the original rumor thread, those were the concrete follow-ups that actually landed. (news.xbox.com)

Practical notes for anyone looking back: before applying major dashboard updates, confirm free storage (System > Storage), back up important saves, and prefer the official Xbox Live delivery or Microsoft guidance rather than leaked builds. If a console lacks room, Microsoft ran a memory-upgrade program at launch that’s worth checking historical support posts for. (gamespot.com)

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.

Edit Preview