Turning on the console after the update released prompts you to update. Accepting sends the usual grey half box across the screen with a progress bar, this progress bar only takes a few moments and is probably the actual firmware update itself. After that is applied the screen goes black, the console reboots and you are presented with the familar xbox360 logo. The next thing that happens is new. Indications of things to come.
A small bllue box appears in the middle of the screen, inside it a progress bar which says it's installing the nxe. I think the nxe is already here, it's just the avatar software which is being downloaded and installed now. When the progress bar reaches the top in about four minutes The blue box states welcome to the new xbox experience. Along the top of the box in white writing is "update complete" and the time. Pressing A to continue we get a video showing game like things dancing around on the xbox planet logo.
We are asked to sign in using out gamertag, which signs us into xbox live.We are asked to accept terms and conditions of service. No point in saying no now is there.
We are sent to the avatar creation program. Various avatars run onto the screen and stand looking at us. We are asked to pick one as a starting point. floaty steel drum music plays in the
background. We are able to Change hair, eyes, eyebrows, ears, nose facial hair, chin, mouth and body shape from a varying number of presets, about 10 to 20 for each item.
Then I move onto clothes we are able to pick from tops, bottoms, headwear, makeup, head and body accessories and shoes. I try and make it as close to me as possible, give it some jeans and trainers. There are a lot of options to choose from. I hope game makers get into giving extras as rewards for completing games.
Now we are on the new dashboard. It's weird, seems like the old system has been turned on it's head, scrolling up and down a list seems to be the same as sliding across the old blades. The new options seem to be called channels. There is a welcome channel which seems to be designed
to welcome people to the xbox or the new dashboard. It has the option to hide it, and I do, don't
think I will need it again.
Lets go through the channels/blades.
Friends
The main part of the screen changes to a scrollable image of the persons avatar and a background, seems like guitars and xbox's are the defaults, although each friend has a variation. Clicking on one of the friends brings up a screen with their gamertag and what they have been
playing along with their last achievements. Moving left and right on this screen changes to an
interact menu with messaging chat and comparing options.
Inside Xbox
Is just as it was, only given it's own channel. moving left and right through it's pages takes you
to a text and image screen like a simple web page or to a streaming video.
Video Marketplace.
This starts with explore video content, which allows you to browse movies available to download.
There are three submenus which appear at the top left once the explore video content box is
selected. They are All videos, Movies and Independent & music viideos. Each sub menu lets you
explore the relevant content and download it. Scrolling left to right on the video marketplace channel lets you look at a range of selected videos, new or popular, or just paying for exposure, clicking on them gives you text based story summary and images, oh and the ability to pay and download too. Scrolling to the end of the menu lets you access the videos stored on the hard drive.
Video library first lets you choose the storage device, i.e. hard drive, media streamer, usb
stick, portable hard drive etc. You can now browse your content, things look slightly better than
the last dash, but it's only a cosmetic improvement.
Spotlight
This channel is essentially a what's new or what's paying for advertising space. Clicking on the various images that scroll left to right allows you many options, from getting downloads that are relevant to seeing images and reading about the game or movie. I notice something called photo party which is free and seems to be about sharing pictures with friends.
Game Marketplace
This seems the same, two main options bookending a series of advert boxes. The first main option is explore game content. This takes you into a sub menu consisting of All games, game videos, game demos, xbox originals, themes and gamer pictures, community games, game add
ons and arcade. So just like the previous dash really.
Most important here is that 20 new community games have popped up from nowhere, they must have been keeping these back for nxe launch day.
My Xbox
This seems to be the main channel. All the options are real options and little in the way of content promotion. I have to state that though things seem to be getting pushed at us in an
advertising fashion they are all xbox 360 games or movies, there is no pure advertising other than movie themes and gamer pictures. First box option is the game that is in the tray, since i have no game in it's blank.
Next is my gamer tag. I can see my avatar which is moving around slightly like a fidget. I can see my five last played games and it tells me I am signed into xbox live. Selecting it sends me to a
menu where i can send messages, change profile, avatar, theme and manage accounts. moving left and right shows me the achievements for all the games I have played. Which seems to be 190 pages. Also seems quicker than the old dash acheivement screens, and neater. You can see the description of the achievement just by highlighting it taking away the need for another scree level that the old dash had.
Games library is just as it was on the old dash only neater and maybe slightly faster at seeking
through the hard drive for content.
Video library is already described in the video marketplace section, this option takes you to the
same place.
Music library is same as before, if slightly neater.
Pictures and media centre as as usual.
System settings is here and looks fairly identical.
There we have it a quick trip through the menu's did all that sound riveting, I bet it didn't. Its
really just cosmetic.
There are a few new games today for the avatars, A kingdom for keflings, which promises to let you use your avatars and Hardwood hearts and Uno updated for avatars.
At first it all seems a bit new and overwhelming, after a good explore you settle down and realise that it is business as usual. I am hoping that the games for the avatars will be expanded upon as after having created my avatar there does not seem to be that much to do with him. I will have to get the trial of Kingdom for keflings to see what that is like.
I suppose it's just the same as the wii, once you have created a mii, there is little to do with him until you get to use him in retail games.
I have not tried the installing a game option. To be honest I am unlikely to either. I was raised on games on the zx81 where you had to type the blasted things in before you could play. Loading times are rarely an annoyance for me unless you have a long load after death in a game, that really gips as you want to get right back in there.
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