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

[Smashing Pumpkin]

Hopefully when NXE is out someone will make a league table of games with the most improved loading time from a HDD install at the top, to the most minimal improvements at the bottom. That would be really helpful.

[Kushan]

Weird, the new dash doesn't look low-res to me at all.

[magik]

I thought they touted the NXE as being 'crisper' than the old dash? Strange... maybe this isn't the final build?

[DR3AMxCATCHER]

I'll be putting Gears of War 2 whenever the NXE update comes out. Who is really ready for this update after no spring update?

[Ricardo Gil]

I thought they touted the NXE as being 'crisper' than the old dash? Strange... maybe this isn't the final build?

It's too crisp as it is. A little AA post processing would do wonders.

[Ayepecks]

Does anyone else get long loading when signing a second account (non-Live) in? It takes forever for me.

[Kushan]

Works fine for me.

[Ayepecks]

Well it works fine for me, it just seems to take a bit longer.

[ozgeek]

Will this update be free or do I have to pay for this update? I'm just silver membership.

[Guest]

Will this update be free or do I have to pay for this update? I'm just silver membership.

It's free for all Xbox owners.

[what]

http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/11/07/...-part-deux.aspx

[magik]

Nothing yet. Anyone get anything?

[zach_]

Yeah if you got in the second round, the dashboard would've updated already.

[Minifig]

Chill guys.

It's 10 days away.

[Hupp]

my question about HL2 orange box and NXE is finally answered

Among some of the most improved games were The Orange Box, which saw load times nearly cut in half (44.5 seconds vs 22.5 seconds for Half-Life 2)

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/11/11/eu...r-halo-3-worse/

[magik]

Wow, Halo 3 is actually worse with a HDD install. That just goes to show how advanced Bungie is on the 360-platform. Always pushing the envelope. I guess that's a direct result of being Microsoft's baby. :laugh:

Although, they did just test the Campaign. I wonder if the Multiplayer would see any difference.

[Kushan]

Wow, Halo 3 is actually worse with a HDD install. That just goes to show how advanced Bungie is on the 360-platform. Always pushing the envelope. I guess that's a direct result of being Microsoft's baby. :laugh:

Yeah! They totally should have made full use of feature that's been released a full year after the game itself!

[magik]

Yeah! They totally should have made full use of feature that's been released a full year after the game itself!

Haha, I think you misunderstood my post. I meant the fact that it's faster loading off of their optimized DVD than from the HDD goes to show the advanced caching system and unique use of the 360 hardware versus other developers. I meant it as a compliment. :p

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Hard drive streaming/loading should be faster than DVD.

Just the game isn't optimized or has "glitches" loading from the hard drive. I'm sure it'll be patched to at least run 1:1 with DVD.

Halo 3 is hardly pushing the 360 either, many 360 games look much better. GoW2 a good example, and it runs good off the hard drive.

[magik]

Hard drive streaming/loading should be faster than DVD.

Just the game isn't optimized or has "glitches" loading from the hard drive. I'm sure it'll be patched to at least run 1:1 with DVD.

Halo 3 is hardly pushing the 360 either, many 360 games look much better. GoW2 a good example, and it runs good off the hard drive.

"Pushing the 360" (your words) doesn't necessarily mean just graphics. ;)

[Kushan]

Hard drive streaming/loading should be faster than DVD.

Just the game isn't optimized or has "glitches" loading from the hard drive. I'm sure it'll be patched to at least run 1:1 with DVD.

Halo 3 is hardly pushing the 360 either, many 360 games look much better. GoW2 a good example, and it runs good off the hard drive.

Actually it makes a lot of sense that certain games will load slower off of the hard drive. Think about it, a game like Halo is almost certain to cache stuff to the hard drive as it is, so when it comes to loading screens, it can load some stuff from the hard drive and other stuff from the DVD at the same time. However, if you install the whole game to the Hard Drive, it has to load the same cached stuff AND the stuff from the DVD, which is ultimately going to take longer. I believe that's what Microsoft was referring to when they said that the HDD installs wouldn't make much difference to some games that were already "optimised" or something.

Has anyone tried playing Halo 3 without a hard drive and timing the loading screens then?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

"Pushing the 360" (your words) doesn't necessarily mean just graphics. ;)

In what way do you think Halo pushes the 360 then?

It's a technically solid game, but I certainly hope you don't think it's pushing the 360. Far better 360 games technically, graphics wise/physics wise/etc will come out than Halo 3, and already are.

Actually it makes a lot of sense that certain games will load slower off of the hard drive. Think about it, a game like Halo is almost certain to cache stuff to the hard drive as it is, so when it comes to loading screens, it can load some stuff from the hard drive and other stuff from the DVD at the same time. However, if you install the whole game to the Hard Drive, it has to load the same cached stuff AND the stuff from the DVD, which is ultimately going to take longer. I believe that's what Microsoft was referring to when they said that the HDD installs wouldn't make much difference to some games that were already "optimised" or something.

Has anyone tried playing Halo 3 without a hard drive and timing the loading screens then?

I'd still believe hard drive loading will outpace DVD any day.

What I think it is is Halo 3 is optimised for DVD, however if it were patched/optimised for hard drive also, it would be quicker or on par at least.

[Ricardo Gil]

In what way do you think Halo pushes the 360 then?

It's a technically solid game, but I certainly hope you don't think it's pushing the 360. Far better 360 games technically, graphics wise/physics wise/etc will come out than Halo 3, and already are.

I'd still believe hard drive loading will outpace DVD any day.

What I think it is is Halo 3 is optimised for DVD, however if it were patched/optimised for hard drive also, it would be quicker or on par at least.

It did kind of push the 360 in raw horsepower, the way it was used however wasn't so good.

When the 640p "scandal" broke, I remember they confirmed it, but also stated that they were actually rendering two separate frames with different lighting and then combining both to get the final render. I don't think it was worth it in the end, the game still looked weak in graphics :/ but whatever.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

It did kind of push the 360 in raw horsepower, the way it was used however wasn't so good.

When the 640p "scandal" broke, I remember they confirmed it, but also stated that they were actually rendering two separate frames with different lighting and then combining both to get the final render. I don't think it was worth it in the end, the game still looked weak in graphics :/ but whatever.

Raw horsepower? :blink:

Dunno what you mean by that.

Oh well, no point in arguing, I just stand by my case I don't think many, if any games are pushing the 360 yet.

Just going by the usual console cycle, where we don't see the console bought to it's knees until about the 5/6th year.

Stuff like GoW/Alan Wake/etc is probably some of the best you'll see on the 360, but there will still be room for more. Halo 3 does not look as good as those two games.

[Ricardo Gil]

Raw horsepower? :blink:

Dunno what you mean by that.

Oh well, no point in arguing, I just stand by my case I don't think many, if any games are pushing the 360 yet.

Just going by the usual console cycle, where we don't see the console bought to it's knees until about the 5/6th year.

Stuff like GoW/Alan Wake/etc is probably some of the best you'll see on the 360, but there will still be room for more. Halo 3 does not look as good as those two games.

Just saying that they were pushing the console hardware wise, but since like half of it was wasted rendering an extra frame that really didn't achieve anything groundbreaking, the console's potential was basically wasted on that. Wasted cycles IMO.