[Official] New Xbox Experience (or Fall 2008 Update)

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Grand Master

BajiRav

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NXE ? What You Want to Know: Themes 2.0 and Friends Channelb>

Ahhh Themes - There's been a lot of chatter about whether or not you can keep what you have, how they will look and how the new stuff will be different. We'll be tackling all of that today so pay attention! Also in this week's Developer Diaries, we're going to show you more on the new Friends Channel - another area we got a lot of questions about after we first showed it to you at E3.

This fall, themes are getting even more detailed with the New Xbox Experience. Themes will take over more than just the background of your Dashboard ? they will be present on every channel in cool, dynamic ways. Yes, I said, "DYNAMIC." Check out the screens below that show the Underground Theme on the Dashboard and the Friends Channel. (Remember, to see the images more clearly, click on them and you will be sent to our flickr feed.)

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Every graphic on each channel will tie into your theme and change if you choose a different one. You can really see this on the Friends Channel ? each of your friends' Avatars will stand next to a different graphic or environment. These graphics will match the theme you choose and will change dynamically as you navigate from channel to channel. But that's not all; the themes will be subtly animated. This is some pretty cool stuff when you see it.

This is what your Dashboard and Friends Channel would look like with the Signature Theme ? picture the bubbles in the background moving, shrinking, growing ? you get the idea.

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Also on the Friends Channel, you'll be able to see your friends' Avatars rally when you host a LIVE party. You can see who is online and offline by what their Avatars are doing, too. Online? Your friends will emote and be able to wave you over to jump into their party. Offline? Well, they're snoozing, of course.

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Finally (and many of you have asked us about this) don't worry ? you can still use the themes you previously purchased with the New Xbox Experience. They'll look even better over the new UI, especially in high-definition. Below is what a current "Gears of War" theme would look like:

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That's it for this week's Developer Diaries. We hope you like what you've seen so far, and check back next week for more details on the New Xbox Experience.

Gamerscoreblog

Dynamic:cool:s...? :cool:

Looks like NXE is happening sooner :Dan later. :D (My totally unscientific deduction from #1 beOh Noes! No Xbox LIVE for a Day?!ay?!

As I'm sure you're already aware, Xbox LIVE is going down for maintenance on Monday, September 29 starting at 12:01am PT. It will be down for 24 hours so you're going to need to find something else to do in that time.

Here are a few suggestions from the Xbox team:

  1. Sign up for Netflix and start creating your queue. This may take some time? Netflix offers more than 12,000 instantly watchable movies and TV episodes
  2. Read the unofficial strategy guide to "Braid" so you can boost your Achievements and finally beat the game
  3. Head over to the nearest mall to search for inspiration and design ideas to use when creating your Avatar. We hear cowboy hats and asymmetrical blazers will be in this year
  4. Go out and take some great pictures to share with your friends during an Xbox LIVE Party. Wear your cowboy hat and asymmetrical blazer
  5. Catch up on your favorite TV shows that you downloaded from the Xbox LIVE Video Store before the service maintenance. We recommend "Chuck"
  6. Download XNA Game Studio 3.0 and start creating your Xbox LIVE Community Game. You might find your game on Xbox LIVE Arcade one day
  7. Read the Gamerscore Blog and MajorNelson.com to catch up on the latest features coming with the New Xbox Experience
  8. Play some couch co-op on "Viva Pi?ata: Trouble in Paradise" and grow your garden, but watch out for Professor Pester, please
  9. Play through the story-mode of the original "Gears of War" so you have a story refresher before "Gears of War 2" launches in November. Practice your Roadie Run
  10. Get some sun. You are going A LOTng A LOT more time inside once the New Xbox Experience launches

Number 10 sounds good to me as the weather woman said that this Monday will be the last really nice day to get out and enjoy the sun. Woohoo for rain. YEAH BABY!!! Good thing I just bought some new wipers. I guess I'll be putting them on, too.

Gamerscoreblog

Grand Master

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Graphically as I always say looks amazing.

Please release a theme creator though MS, don't mind if you sell your own themes, but let us make our own for free :p

I'm not paying for themes, but I'm sure the default will look awesome anyway.

Grand Master

magik

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Themes look pretty awesome. I'm really starting to like the new UI.

As for the Avatars, they're starting to grow on me a bit too, but I'll have to start using them to really like them I guess.

... is it just me, or does the default Avatar stance come off as really homosexual? :wacko:

Grand Master

Brad.

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Graphically as I always say looks amazing.

Please release a theme creator though MS, don't mind if you sell your own themes, but let us make our own for free :p

I'm not paying for themes, but I'm sure the default will look awesome anyway.

I'd love to be able to create my own backgrounds/themes. The UI does look really neat and I can't wait to ''experience'' it for my self ;)

Grand Master

magik

Posted
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Graphically as I always say looks amazing.

Please release a theme creator though MS, don't mind if you sell your own themes, but let us make our own for free :p

I'm not paying for themes, but I'm sure the default will look awesome anyway.

I highly doubt they would ever do that as the fact of the matter is themes/gamerpics make them a nice chunk of change.

But, although I don't buy themes or gamerpics, I wouldn't mind paying for a Theme Creator or something. I'd definitely buy that if it meant I could put in my own pictures...

Grand Master

Xerxes

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I still think we are a month away... but... I would love for MS to prove me wrong..

Yeah I think so too, from what I understand the downtime is to lay down the groundwork for NXE, so when it releases in a month or so time, it goes (hopefully) smoothly.

November can't come soon enough.

November can't be further away for me :p I just don't like the "kiddie" look they are going for. If you want the kiddie interface and avatars get a Wii, leave the 360 how it is (with the Blade interface) is my view on all of this :p :laugh:

NOTE: I could end up eating my own words and liking the NXE, but currently from the videos/screenshots I don't.

Grand Master

DrunknMunky Veteran

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explorer01.bmp

With Xbox Live down for maintence, everybody is digging for more information on the upcoming Xbox Live experience. Saturday, Xbox released a new site to preview some of the features for the new experience. They may have released more information then they wanted. If you look at this video with Xbox Live General Manager, they come across a ?Browse? feature very breifly.[/quotSource: Analoghype

Video at the source

Grand Master

DrunknMunky Veteran

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Sounds more like browsing through the game library or something?

Why don't they just come out and say that though. They told us they've not announced every new feature, so it could be possible. The demand has grew for the feature since the PS3/Wii came on the scene and this whole update is because the old dashboard couldn't expand much further the way it was.

Who knows :p

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

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As the others said looks like a way to browse content on your 360.

Although even if this browse button has nothing to do with the internet, it wouldn't surprise me if MS put a browser on the 360. Consoles browsers have their uses and I guess better off having them than not.

As long as it's free but, I was laughing my ass off when Nintendo decided to start charging for the Wii browser after offering it for free initially.

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