November 25, 2008

  • It's been just about a week now since Microsoft has unveiled the "New xbox Experience" (NXE), which alters the whole dashboard interface of the xbox 360 game console, and the general consensus is that it's good. It is good, and I'm glad they did this. Although the previous dashboard was not bad at all, it wasn't going to be able to keep up with all the new features that Microsoft wanted to include.

    The biggest addition that I'm most pleased of is the unlimited ability to use the xbox 360 with Netflix's streaming video service. Based on how fast your internet connection is, streaming movies in both standard and High definition is a breeze. With a streaming catalog of 12,000+ titles (more titles added monthly), this is like having a virtual video rental hooked up to your TV instantly. Currently right now I have over 400 titles in my "instant watch queue" for use with this feature. However disappointingly and suspiciously, this service does not have Sony's movies available due to some "licensing issues."

    Another welcome addition is the ability to browse the xbox live marketplace through your own computer with a web browser. This is a feature that I've been waiting for since xbox live started. With this new ability, it also allows you to queue up items, that will start downloading immediately once you turn on the xbox 360. Going through the marketplace on the xbox 360 itself is now visually more appealing and technically easier to navigate, although I don't think I'm used to it just yet.

    Other significant changes and additions are the "avatars," which is the xbox answer to the Nintendo Mii. Just like the Mii, these avatars will be useable as game characters in certain games. Along with that, they also included a "party" interface that enhances connecting with other gamers.

    Another feature that a lot of gamers were excited about is the new ability to install a game disc to the xbox hard-drive which theoretically should increase load times. They also added "premium themes" which adds a visual flair to the friends list, although the NXE kind of cripples the previous "multi-blade themes" that now only shows you one or two of the images from those (as oppose to the standard four images).

    Also for a great opportunity for regular computer programmers who want to make a game and get the opportunity to sell it, the NXE also has an addition to the marketplace called "community games." If some of those games look like they were made by one teenage boy, it probably was. This is like the youtube for video games, so it's got potential for something great.

    With future features like "xbox live primetime" and other things that may pop up, the "New xbox Experience" really is like a re-launch of the xbox 360 for the better.