[E3] Xbox 360 gets avatar system, new dashboard

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Grand Master

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Yes, we heard the rumors and they turned out to be true. At Microsoft's E3 keynote, they finally revealed the new dashboard, complete with 3D slides and Avatars. John Schappert, head of Live services and software, told the audience: "The new look and feel is more fun, more social, and simpler to use. You'll have a Gamercard, but there's also something new... it'll be more personal with avatars. Express your personality and style, share it with your community and friends. ... pants, shirts, hats... everything you need, it's all here."

"Create, share, and have fun with all of your friends... but avatars are just the beginning. The new Xbox is tailored for the living room. Here we are at the community channel -- instead of a list of friends, you actually see them. You can chat with or send messages to your friends, but there's something new: create a Live party, private groups of up to 8 people, always connected and chatting as a party."

The Mii-like Avatars are just the beginning, he says. The new Dashboard adds a community channel, which allows you to send messages to friends or invite them to a "live party." With this upcoming update, Xbox 360 becomes an even more social experience.

Joystiq
Immediately following this morning's press conference, we got a chance to sit down with Xbox VP of Strategy and Business Development, Shane Kim, to pick his brain about the new Dashboard (called the "New Xbox Experience") and its various components, like the Netflix integration, Avatars, Party support, Primetime, and more.

Netflix

  • You must be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber as well as a Netflix subscriber to use the new Netflix service
  • Similarly, anyone you share your movie with would also need to be an XBL and Netflix subscriber
  • Like Netflix's current streaming service, all content will be SD only for now. They could offer HD streams as soon as Netflix is ready to deliver

Avatars

  • They're not looking to create a "Home-like" environment for your Avatars ? that doesn't mean a third-party wouldn't be able to do that, however
  • You'll be able to keep your gamertag pics if you so choose, though they're encouraging everyone to transition to Avatars
  • Games can reward you with items for your Avatar (chainsaw, please!)
  • There will be no increase in the 100-friend cap on Xbox Live this Fall
  • There will not be any Group (think Facebook) or Clan support in this update ? they're hoping the "Party" system will satisfy those requests (spoiler: it won't)<Lips, Primetime
    • They're not ready to discuss the availability of lyrics, beat charts, etc. for Lips when using your own music ? sounds to us like they're going to charge for that content, but aren't saying how much
    • Not ready to discuss the business model for Xbox Live Primetime ? subscription-based? Free with Gold? Per game purchase?
    • "Without being specific" prizes for Primetime will be similar to a television show (thinka new car car, etc.)
    • Primetime would be a "lightweight client" that would be "somewhat extensible" depending on what kind of content is being plugged in
    • It's "programmatic" so the experience will be programmed, but it won't necessarily occur during "primetime" viewing hours. It's just a name, peoplePrice cut cut
      • Kim wanted to be clear they're not trying to mislead people with the 20GB price cutWei>We tried to be very clear about the [availability of the] 20GB and that a 60GB unit was coming." (Emphasis Kim's)
      • They have a timeline for when the 360 would be under $200 ? the pricepoint where the majority of sales occur ? but he wasn't talking, unsurprisinglyBack-compatk-compat
        • Though Kim wouldn't say definitely that there would be no further backwards compatibility updates, he did say they're not actively pursuing it and that it wouldn't be a part of the new Dashboard update. WBeyond Good & Evilmp; Evil to work, that's all ...
Joystiq

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg and Marc Whitten lead a Community Roundtable discussion following the company's E3 media briefing, giving us further insight into the changes coming to the Xbox 360 dashboard. Officially dubbed the New Xbox Experience, the update was said by Whitten to be a response to the glut of content on Xbox Live, a system he claims was built with hundreds of pieces of content in mind, not tens of thousands ? or potentially millions, as Whitten posited.The new look and feel for the Xbox 360 dashboard was designed to be navigable by those unfamiliar with the current "blades" interface, with the New Xbox Experience akin to a TV remote control UI. In person, it's pretty slick ? the Xbox 360 logo radiates a constant pulse in the bottom right corner, with iTunes Cover Flow-style reflections and navigation giving gamers a quick clean look at their games and content.

Fans of the current "blades" interface may be saddened to learn that the update isn't an optional redesign, it's a total replacement. They'll still get a taste of the old interface via the new Guide look and feel. Hit the jump for a phoThe New Guidehe New Guide

That's the new look of the Xbox 360's Guide, accessible from the big old Guide button on the standard controller. You'll have familiar access to your games, media and settings, via the pop up Guide, which loads faster and more smoothly than the current iteration. You'll also be able to hop directly into anything from your Games library ? Live Arcade games, movies, installed Xbox 360 retail games ? regardless of what you're currently using your 360 for.

The new Guide and the NXE interface are both said to load faster, even if you have 100+ games in your library. Whitten noted that the LIVE team is very focused on optimizinYour Old Stuff...our Old Stuff...

...will still work in the new interface. The gamerpics and themes you downloaded will work with NXE. And while we didn't get to see it in action, Marc Whitten swears they look "beautiful" on tPlay From Hard Drive From Hard Drive

Details on ripping games to your Xbox 360 HDD are still to be announced, but it appears that the only limitation on users is that the game disc must be in the drive in order to play. That means no leHistory Channel: Battle for the Pacific for the Pacific to get around, you know, owning the thing. The feature is said to work with all Xbox 360 games past, present and future and is primarily a method to rNetflix & The Instant Queuehe Instant Queue

Xbox Live's Larry Hryb showed Netflix integration in action, updating his queue via the Web, which then updated automatically on the Xbox 360. That newly added movie was then streamed via Netflix's servers. The quality was definitely below DVD quality, but sWhere Do The Ads Go?e Do The Ads Go?

Microsoft said more than once that they'd be releasing more information on the update ? including things like what real estate advertising will occupy in NXE ? at a later date. Ads weren't visible in the demo version we were shown, but we won't be surprised when they pop up in the less sexier, real world version of Mystery Science Theatre 360 Science Theatre 360

With Avatars, LIVE Party and the ability to stream movies and TV shows with other Netflix subscribers while chatting, wouldn't that make for an excellent vehicle for mocking the worst of the worst movies? The wink and a smile that Whitten gave the Community attendees certainly made us think so, but we don't know if Microsoft plans on officially supporting the overlay of Avatars on NThere Will Be No Browsere Will Be No Browser

At least, not in the NXE Fall update. A Web version of Xbox LIVE Marketplace is coming, but IE 360 isn't happening right now, according to Whitten.

Kotaku
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Grand Master

ACTIONpack

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Looks too much of an Apple/Wii clone to me.

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Brad.

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I love the current dashboard too! Although I can't wait to get a feel for this new interface. the avatar system looks great and so much better than the Wii's Mii's.

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Kupo-Cheer

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I'm seriously hoping for this to be an optional thing. I like the current dashboard a lot (though I will admit that some organization updates are needed with all of the new stuff that has been added that was not taken into account from the beginning), and the current gamerpictures thing is just fine with me. There is one huge problem with changing avatars: people have already spent money on picturepacks (I didn't, but I'm sure many others have). What are they going to receive for compensation in this new upgrade? I'm sure it will be nothing, which I could understand if this was a feature in a new console altogether, but as an addition to a current console, I don't think that it's fair.

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Grand Master

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Would be interesting to see a few more Photo's of it, it looks good but I think I would prefer my current Dashboard than the new one! ;)

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Boktai1000

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Hopefully when this update comes, it will give the user to interchange between the current dashboard and the new one, and also provide all these new features for users on the old one, probably with another blade if needed. Not that i really care, but what about all the themes currently out and to some extent the gamerpics, even if they stop offering them with the start of this new dashboard it would be nice if you could use ones that you already have.

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Grand Master

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I'm seriously hoping for this to be an optional thing. I like the current dashboard a lot (though I will admit that some organization updates are needed with all of the new stuff that has been added that was not taken into account from the beginning), and the current gamerpictures thing is just fine with me. There is one huge problem with changing avatars: people have already spent money on picturepacks (I didn't, but I'm sure many others have). What are they going to receive for compensation in this new upgrade? I'm sure it will be nothing, which I could understand if this was a feature in a new console altogether, but as an addition to a current console, I don't think that it's fair.

I didn't think it was fair for MS to charge money for gamer pics and themes, nickle and diming us, so I chose not to purchase. Am I laughing at others who did, sort of, but really what did people expect after all their 1 and 2 dollar purchases?

Oh my god, what the hell is that, kill it!

Why all the hate? People have been asking for a stream lined service for a while now and when it finally comes, I can't believe the reaction.

I think it looks polished, streamlined, etc. I can't wait to use it.

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Grand Master

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The new dashboard looks awesome!

But the avatars just scream Wii HD.

I'd of preferred a 1:1 copy of Sony's realistic Home avatars, or even better, making the avatars optional like Home.

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Sethos

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Why all the hate? People have been asking for a stream lined service for a while now and when it finally comes, I can't believe the reaction.

I think it looks polished, streamlined, etc. I can't wait to use it.

So people I've never met, seen or heard about asked for this pile of ass and I need to be happy about it?

I love the Dashboard the way it is, sick of everything has to be "Stream lined and minimalistic".

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Grand Master

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So people I've never met, seen or heard about asked for this pile of ass and I need to be happy about it?

I love the Dashboard the way it is, sick of everything has to be "Stream lined and minimalistic".

I'm didn't say you had to be, I asked why people feel the need to complain when the majority of gamers have been asking for it. Whether or not you were in the majority its happening.

Trust me, a few months after it is out, people will complain about it and we will be in the same situation we are in now.

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Grand Master

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The new dashboard looks awesome!

But the avatars just scream Wii HD.

I'd of preferred a 1:1 copy of Sony's realistic Home avatars, or even better, making the avatars optional like Home.

The thing is realistic avatars would't work very well in the games the avatars are meant to be integrated into. the games where realistic avatars would work, they have their own main characters that are far better done than a home avatar. The stylized cell shaded(somewhat) avatars also work a lot better for itnegrating into gamercards.

As for the way they integrated them into everything, this demonstrates the difference between MS and Sony, at least this generation (wich is mostly a result of Sony having to tack everything on after launch). When MS decides to do somethign and add it into the system, they fully embraceit and make it part of the whole experience. They don't tack everything onto each other as optional parts. Games have to support Live, They have to support the Guide, The avatars are part of you and your experience.

And I also think they took what Sony dd and made it the way I and many others would have preffered Sony to have done it. Instead of having avatars wander around gimicky apartments and all that, they Added the avatars and added all the features Home promises, but stripped away the gimmicky fluff. You have the avatars and the party stuff, but all the image sharing, ovi watching gaming is done easily and instantly through the Dash, without having to walk to the arcade first or walk over to the movie room and sit down in the sofa, pick up the remote, load in the disk hit play, skip through the "dvd" menu .... (yeah okay, slightly exaggarated but :p).

besides do you really think ither console could handle 100+1 unique photoreal avatars in the primetimes 1 vs 100 game ? Neither consoles has the meory for all those unique textures and models. sure the consoles could and do handle that amound of characters on screen in other games, but then most of the enemies share the same graphics resources.

I'mnot sure how often I'll actually use the avatars, I might use the primetime gaes sometimes, since you can win real prices, that's assuming you can win all over the world and not just the US. But while games like Scene IT are cool and all that I don't have that many "local" gamerfriends, at leats not who'd be interested in playing a quiz game :) but I'm sure we'll see interesting games making use of the avatars down the line.

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Grand Master

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^

Well let's wait and see what's coming from Home tomorrow!

All I said was I'd prefer real looking avatars if any, I didn't comment on how MS are using them.

I'm fine with my Wii looking kiddy, but I do not want my PS3 or 360 to look like it's aimed at young teenagers.

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Sethos

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^

Well let's wait and see what's coming from Home tomorrow!

What are we 'expecting' to be announced/shown? Just more random screenshots and videos or something exciting this time?

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Grand Master

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What are we 'expecting' to be announced/shown? Just more random screenshots and videos or something exciting this time?

Release date and a demo of the whole service working - Game launching, how TV/Movie shows may work, demos of the exclusive Home integration coming to games like Uncharted/Warhawk and Bioshock, ect.

And importantly, a good look at how Trophies will work in Home.

Basically just everything shown that's going to be in Home come release, and maybe a touch on what will be added as the months progress from release.

There's been a bit going on in the beta testers realm as of recent, you know ;)

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Grand Master

Ayepecks

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Personally, my main fault with it is the Flip 3D-style navigation. I just don't like the way it looks. I know that's extremely nitpicky, but I've just got to be honest about it.

I like the simplicity, but I don't really care for the avatars idea either. I just really don't see much of a point for them besides for arcade games. I actually do like the grey background, though. Seems very simplistic as I said earlier, but also sleek and professional looking. I wonder if the Windows Media Center update will be out by then and change its look as well?

I'm really psyched about the new dashboard because of the 16:10 support (thank you, Microsoft!) and the ability to install games on the hard drive.

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Grand Master

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Personally, my main fault with it is the Flip 3D-style navigation. I just don't like the way it looks. I know that's extremely nitpicky, but I've just got to be honest about it.

I'm really psyched about the new dashboard because of the 16:10 support (thank you, Microsoft!) and the ability to install games on the hard drive.

I liken the new dashboard to the DiRT's dashboard if anybody remembers it. I think that is the key reason why I will enjoy this new one. Everybody raved about DiRT's dashboard before even getting into the game, but when it comes to the 360, complaints are rampant. I know there are so many things wrong with that comparison, but no matter what MS had to show, people are going to complain.

So why didn't they talk about some of the stuff Major Nelson did that is pretty huge like hard drive installs?

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Kreuger

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I'm surprised to see so many people like the current dashboard. I don't mind it but I don't really like that one any better.

Looks too much of an Apple/Wii clone to me.

Yeah, I agree

Apple? How?
It reminds me a lot of one of their programs (I cant think of the name)
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