Microsoft Expects More Regular Xbox 360 Updates Going Forward


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By Patrick Klepek

When Microsoft unveiled the New Xbox Experience last year, it also promised an infrastructure that would allow it to deliver more regular updates to the dashboard. That?never happened. It's been nearly a year since the dashboard has seen any new features, but I recently chatted with Xbox Live chief of staff Steve Willet, who told me the team has spent much of the past year ensuring that's not an issue in the future and why Microsoft was cautious about new updates.

"When you make a transition like we did last year," explained Willet over the phone last week, "where you're really trying to fundamentally overhaul the way people had come to experience the device they had purchased, we were maybe, in retrospect, a bit overly cautious about how much change or increment we would do shortly after that release."

It's not like the Xbox Live team wasn't immediately aware of issues that needed to be addressed or features that would make sense in the short term, but the completely revamped dashboard look spooked them from tinkering too much, he claimed.

"We [didn't] want to send a statement out there that says 'oh, this isn't what we expected to have happen, we're gonna change this now,'" he said. "But I think the other side of that ? I really do think it allowed us to look at and have a view of gamers and members on the service in a way that we've really never had before."

This feedback resulted in the slew of changes, both big and small, that are included in the latest dashboard update. The first wave of tweaks will drop to all users on August 11th and includes a revamped Netflix application (including the ability to browse categories and add new movie to your personal queue), a number of welcome but tiny interface tweaks and new places to spend your money, like the Avatar Marketplace and Games On Demand. What's not in this update are the Facebook, Twitter or Last.fm applications; those come later this year.

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"I think what you will see as we go into the summer here and into the fall," said Willet, "[is] the extendibility story of not having to wait for every single thing we have in the hopper to go on exactly the same date. I think you'll see a much more methodical, regular and reliable rhythm of how we bring on either new partners or new functionality, new applications, new kind of social entertainment experiences."

Though he couldn't speak to how that rollout would proceed once Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm are added, Willet did say Microsoft plans is to roll out features when they're ready, not let them queue up. At the same time, Microsoft doesn't want to overload users with system updates every two weeks. It sounds like Microsoft is looking to straddle a new balance between their old style (long stretches between updates) and criticisms of Sony's approach (too many tiny updates).

"I do think the consideration and the focus and our energy is to be as agile as we can be, bring things on when they're ready, not just when the right logical release schedule is," he said. "Part of what we've lived through this year is finding what are the key things that we want to bring to the service, let's release them when they're ready and not hold up the rest of the release until every single thing is in our prevue is ready to release."

The first wave of updates drops on August 11th. Any requests for the future?

http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/697993/M...ampaign=TheFeed

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That's good to hear. I definitely agree with finishing a couple things and pushing an update, instead of waiting for a whole laundry list of stuff. I mean, what would've been the point of making us wait for the Netflix/Avatar/OnDemand update until FB/Twitter/Last.fm was done?

-Spenser

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Requests? Sort out the bloody resolutions available when using HDMI, something that you even claimed you were doing in this update, then didn't.

Still, one thing I have to give Microsoft's updates is that they always seem rather small, file-size wise, compared to the PS3's. It always irrated me having to download a 130Mb update that added sod all to the system, at least the 360's is like 8Mb.

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I think we can rest in knowing that was a mistake in the description Kushan, and you shouldn't be expecting it anytime soon (if at all).

Unless it's coming in the final update, who knows.

It's not exactly #1 priority either way.

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Requests? Sort out the bloody resolutions available when using HDMI, something that you even claimed you were doing in this update, then didn't.

Still, one thing I have to give Microsoft's updates is that they always seem rather small, file-size wise, compared to the PS3's. It always irrated me having to download a 130Mb update that added sod all to the system, at least the 360's is like 8Mb.

Couldn't agree more. Not to mention that you can't use your PS3 without updating it before hand, which is incredibly frustrating when you're just trying to jump on for a quick session.

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I think we can rest in knowing that was a mistake in the description Kushan, and you shouldn't be expecting it anytime soon (if at all).

Unless it's coming in the final update, who knows.

It's not exactly #1 priority either way.

Well they asked for requests, so I gave them one =P

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Couldn't agree more. Not to mention that you can't use your PS3 without updating it before hand, which is incredibly frustrating when you're just trying to jump on for a quick session.

That's now changed, minor updates aren't forced, 2.80 wasn't, you could carry on using 2.76.

This is good news for me, I really don't see the point in hoarding finished updates just to bundle them altogether, if it's done and has gone through Q&A, release it. However that's just my opinion and I know how serious some people get over updates this generation. I enjoy updating, there's something about seeing "up update is available" that gets me all excited :p With everything though, I even enjoy updating my iPhone :laugh:

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Ugh I hate updating my iPhone, it's the most tedious task ever when you need to jailbreak and load all the music back on (N)

That's true actually, I hardly had any music on it for 3.01, so I didn't notice as much. The whole syncing thing does my head in, even if it's checked for manually manage music/videos it still ties itself to your iTunes/PC, older iPods didn't.

Now I don't even have a phone :p Apple store in Glasgow better accept it as a return.

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That's good to hear. I definitely agree with finishing a couple things and pushing an update, instead of waiting for a whole laundry list of stuff. I mean, what would've been the point of making us wait for the Netflix/Avatar/OnDemand update until FB/Twitter/Last.fm was done?

-Spenser

this and

At the same time, Microsoft doesn't want to overload users with system updates every two weeks.

I think too many updates will ruin the fun. every 4/6 months is probably a better pace.

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Every few months is fine with me, 2-4months, 6 tops imo. I would've liked this to be the norm from the get go, but MS tried to go with bigger updates so they could draw more attention I think.

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What I'd like is an update whenever a new feature is finished. Facebook integration? Update. Zune Video? Update. But please, PLEASE, tell us what's in each update.

Also, no random tiny updates that add nothing unless it's a major security issue. And then tell us what said issue was.

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Lots of those tiny updates in the past were for things like compatibility with accessories (rockband & guitar hero etc). Other times they were in preperation for changes to Xbox.com or an update that was coming later down the line.

If you visit Major Nelson's blog he'll usually explain what they are for.

They won't disclose the specifics for security patches just like they don't do it for Windows. Gamer's don't need to know when that sort of patch is issued, just be happy it was patched in the first place.

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On the 360, I couldn't care less about how frequent the updates are because the thing updates so fast. Back in the golden PS3 days where you had to download a pretty big update through their slow ass servers every other day was too much.

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This latest update, if they had delivered it silently, I never would have known the difference, other than maybe I would have noticed the dash is running a bit faster.

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