Posted October 27, 2008 Did anyone else here manage to sign up to be selected to have the Dashboard early (not everyone who signed up will get it, though)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 27, 2008 nope, I'm happy to just wait it out... it's just an interface change thats gonna happen whether we like it or not :/ granted it looks good and hopefully will improve things but I'm just kind of attached to the existing one... I know it's still "there" when you press the guide button but it's not the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 27, 2008 it's just an interface change thats gonna happen whether we like it or not Don't forget about things like the new party mode. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 27, 2008 Don't forget about things like the new party mode. Yush ^^ I know about that (sure I mentioned something about other improvements) just that I don't mind waiting until everyone has it and it becomes standard, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 27, 2008 so when is this due? quite looking forward to seeing how it pans out... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 27, 2008 so when is this due? quite looking forward to seeing how it pans out... 19th of November. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 27, 2008 This will please alot of people So sad, yet so excellent! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 19th of November. Cool! I thought that date was for America... Is it a worldwide release then? Or am i just very wrong! lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 Well, we shall see tomorrow if i'm in the preview or not. I thankfully managed to get into it. I doubt i'll be accepted though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 We knew this would be coming... November 19 will see Avatars released with the Xbox 360's New Xbox Experience. Next spring will see Avatar crap gamers can buy. Luke totally called it! Microsoft has revealed that game items like T-shirts from publishers and non-game items like football things apparently will be for sale in the Avatar Shop. While the New Xbox Experience will make available free avatar stuff, Microsoft plans to sell items and make them unlockable much like Achievements are. Robin Burrowes, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) product manager for Xbox LIVE, explains: Yes, more animations, more customise capabilities in terms of emotions and features but then also as well wardrobe enhancements over the course of time, so fashion brands hopefully launching new ranges through Avatars being one route. Obviously the whole world of Spore, football, etc, lends itself to this environment. Games themselves where you can customise your Avatar like the character from a game as well, these are all possibilities that Avatars will explore over the course of 2009 and beyond, definitely. The pricing model for the spring Avatar Store is currently "discussion right now." Me and the lads were on about this the other week, we thought it would be cool if our Mii60s could have our favourite footy teams shirt and it looks like it could happen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 Unlocked with achievements? Fantastic Unlocked with purchases? No thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 It's not like it's any worse than the Gamerpics/Themes you have to pay for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 So with avatars, what happens in Fable II when your gamerpic appears on the orbs? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 Your gamerpic will either be your avatar's face (scalable up to the whole body or any part you want, i will be using breasts... I wish) or you can use your normal gamer picture that you have now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 The grandly-titled "New Xbox Experience" is currently slated for a massive rollout on November 19 -- and begs a few questions. First, why a complete interface overhaul at what's thought to be the midpoint of the console lifecycle? And if the goal of Microsoft's recent initiatives -- adding family-friendly entertainment "channels," avatars and, most recently, price points low enough to make the Wii look even whiter -- is to draw in a new casual consumer, then how will the company inform these relatively uninitiated audiences about the update? Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg tells Gamasutra that such an update at this stage is just the next step in a progression. "We are already delivering games and entertainment in high definition; we have already got storage built in," he says. "We already have high speed internet connectivity -- so we are no longer limited by the power of the hardware." So for Microsoft, the next frontier for innovation is, logically, software. And Greenberg says the company's aiming high: "As dramatic as going from the original Xbox was to when we launched Xbox 360, this is just as much of a dramatic jump with the New Xbox Experience," he says. Clearly, the new Minority Report-inspired Dashboard is a dramatic visual overhaul, but what about it is so momentous as to compare to the last console transition? "I think it really does transform us from being a game console to an entertainment system," Greenberg explains. "I think that it makes the Xbox 360 much more approachable and inviting to a much broader range of consumers." While Greenberg stresses the addition of new features like improved navigation, chat and other functions requested by the existing consumer base, he says the company also realized -- "hey, as we're looking at our fourth holiday in the marketplace, the type of consumer that buys a console at this point in the life cycle is different from people that bought year one." New buyers found the current "blades" interface "intimidating," Greenberg says -- even something as simple as showing "real boxes of titles" rather than game lists is a decision made with accessibility in mind. So if the aim is ultimately to draw in brand-new audiences, how does the company plan to engender awareness of the changes among the type of consumer who isn't already familiar with the console? The lower price points across the board for its console models were part of that attraction strategy, Greenberg explains: "Dropping to the $200 price point was really significant." "The fact that we are now cheaper than the Wii and half the price of the PS3, I think, is a pretty big deal when the consumers are looking at comparing us to the competition." But the "re-launch" of the entire Xbox 360 experience will also be accompanied with in-store outreach, says Greenberg. "We will be launching the largest marketing campaign in the history of Xbox," he says. "We will be spending more money in marketing in advertising this holiday than we ever have in the history of our business." Finally, what Greenberg claims is the industry's "biggest and broadest" games lineup rounds out the appeal, he says. "We have had some broad-appeal games in the past, but we have never had a year where we had... Think about the music genre and all the titles we have there; from Rock Band, to Guitar Hero, to Lips, to the social games like You're in the Movies and Scene It." Alongside core titles like Fallout 3, Fable II and Gears of War 2, Greenberg says, "we really have the best and broadest lineup we have ever had." "So, we feel like the best games, the largest online community, and the best price puts us in a pretty good position heading into the holiday season." www.gamasutra.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 Kinda looking forwards to this now! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 28, 2008 the new dashboard or the avatars? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 30, 2008 After watching these the only thing I like is the guide and netflix. I hate everything else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 30, 2008 And we don't even get netflix.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 30, 2008 I tell a lie. I like the party system/multiple persons chat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 30, 2008 So anyone get in? I didn't... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted October 31, 2008 I've got the preview now. It's pretty cool, seems much nicer than the old dashboard. Plus the avatars are good, too. A lot better than the Mii's, if I'm honest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
