Pictures/Details Of The New XBL Dashboard Update (125 Improvements)

H

Hardknock

Veteran
- Active Downloads (multiple, background, etc)
- Boot to Dashboard Option
- Redesigned Marketplace
- Instantly play downloaded trailers, apply downloaded themes, etc instead of going through menus
- Fast forward and rewind for trailers
- Improved data retrieval for CD's
- Resume Playback on DVD's
- Will be marked as idle on your friends list if you are away

xbox_screen012.jpg

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xbox_screen007.jpg

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Here are the rest of the pics:

xbox_screen001.jpg

xbox_screen002.jpg

xbox_screen004.jpg

xbox_screen009.jpg


Also, it's interesting to note that there will be a fall update as well with even more robust features.
 
http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showpost.php?p=765305&postcount=26 ;)


more teasers

no date yet but maybe soon.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151874.html


Other updates to the various media functions of the 360 include fast forward or rewind capabilities (up to 16x speed) in Marketplace videos, improved data retrieval for names of CDs and individual tracks, and the ability to resume playback on a DVD from where it was last stopped.

Sometimes, 360 owners just want to unwind with a game of Geometry Wars Evolved or listen to some tunes, but when powering on the machine, the game that was in the drive boots up. Not anymore. Gamers will have the option of setting the 360's default startup to the dashboard or whatever disc is in the drive.

The system's online functions will also have a few extras as well. Now when a gamer is idle, it will say so on players' friends lists. There will also be an option to have separate gamer pics for friends and the general public. Presumably, this is gearing up for the compatibility with the Xbox 360 camera peripheral, which is supported by this update even though it won't be released until this fall. Until then, gamers can use available pics.

Though the update sounds like it will take up a large chunk of space, it doesn't require a single byte on the hard drive. It actually doesn't need a hard drive at all. The update is flashed to the 360's internal hardware, and won't be stored on the hard drive, making it compatible with either SKU of the Xbox 360. It will initially be available online, and may be available on disc further down the road.

Microsoft is already at work on a fall update, which the company says will be even more robust and will include more features.
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a few pics, more at GS

http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2006/news/05/25/xbox_screen007.jpg
http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2006/news/05/25/xbox_screen012.jpg
http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2006/news/05/25/xbox_screen001.jpg
 
While they are at it, they might as well remove the damn Videos section on the Media blade unless they plan on allowing us to actually put some video on there, otherwise its pointless.

But, I am happy that not only does background downloading appear to be in it, but a queue as well :LOL:.
​
 
NucNavST3 said:
While they are at it, they might as well remove the damn Videos section on the Media blade unless they plan on allowing us to actually put some video on there, otherwise its pointless.​


But, I am happy that not only does background downloading appear to be in it, but a queue as well :LOL:.​
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I think that's where the VOD stuff will go...eventually ;)

This update is sweet, pretty much nailed everything all at once. Vastly improved categories for live, arcade, boot to dash feature, active downloads, FF for trailers, not bad not bad.
 
I love the update, you just knew they were going to have to do something about the categories. I had a person on my friends list that couldn't find the Test Drive Demo...after going through three different methods of finding it I finally was able to pass along the info.

Hopefully, he found it ;)

The whole not being able to play a trailer or game from "Play Now" after you have downloaded something has always baffled me, maybe it was their way of showing us where they were putting stuff, you know since videos didn't go in the video section...lol, ok, that was my last time ribbing them for that one. Overall, I think its great, I am all for fewer larger updates than many rapid fire updates. The only other thing I would request from a usability standpoint is maybe not checkmark the incomplete downloads, maybe mark them as incomplete, or not mark them at all.

EDIT: From a usability standpoint, my biggest pet peeve, is themes, there have got to be usability guidelines for themes, I should be able to READ the menu items on every screen. Try the Kameo fire theme, hit the guide button and see how readability drops to damn near impossible. You can actually use just about any theme and watch the readability drop way-off.
 
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Concurrent downloads would be much better for my puroposes considering that Live never saturates more than about 1/8th of my bandwidth.
 
scooby_dooby said:
I think that's where the VOD stuff will go...eventually ;)

This update is sweet, pretty much nailed everything all at once. Vastly improved categories for live, arcade, boot to dash feature, active downloads, FF for trailers, not bad not bad.
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I completely glossed over the "Television, Music, Sports, and More" category.

...I'm still looking for my X-button as "Add to Playlist" from the Music Player menu.
 
This update can't come soon enough. I just hate having to let my 360 sit while it downloads some huge demo. Then when I come back to check on it, it's usually failed and I have to resume the download.

And yeah, the "Play Now" button that doesn't actually "play now" baffles me as well.
 
Video walkthrough
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/3954

very cool, you can even shut off your console and it will resume downloads on start up. automatically remember your position in a dvd movie, even if the disc has been ejected, so you can be watching a movie, get a friend request, put in your game disc and then resume watching your movie.

custom soundtracks don't cut out between games/dashboard anymore, it remembers volume and other settings now on shutdown, custom soundtrack will detect ingame cutscenes and stop playing, in addition when you watch trailer's or other video's, soundtrack will stop, and then resume when you leave the video. So much more polished than before.

Also the new categories for game downloads is much improved, demo's finally has it's own category! And 'new' is now hardcoded to everything under 2weeks which is a much better implementation than before imo.
 
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scooby_dooby said:
Video walkthrough
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/3954

very cool, you can even shut off your console and it will resume downloads on start up. automatically remember your position in a dvd movie, even if the disc has been ejected, so you can be watching a movie, get a friend request, put in your game disc and then resume watching your movie.

custom soundtracks don't cut out between games/dashboard anymore, it remembers volume and other settings now on shutdown, custom soundtrack will detect ingame cutscenes and stop playing, in addition when you watch trailer's or other video's, soundtrack will stop, and then resume when you leave the video. So much more polished than before.

Also the new categories for game downloads is much improved, demo's finally has it's own category! And 'new' is now hardcoded to everything under 2weeks which is a much better implementation than before imo.
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One thing they didn't realize in the video is that before this update, the Video section on the Media blade was only for the pre-loaded stuff, hence my bitching, now it appears that the Video section on the Media blade will actually have all of your videos, be they pre-loaded or trailers.
 
Tap In said:
allegedly coming tomorrow June 6th
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Technically the 6th here now - nothing available yet.

including for DVD playback
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About friggin' time! Some DVDs look simply awful, and the stuttering can be terribly annoying sometimes.

The VGA cable improvement is a nice addition too.
 
Guden Oden said:
Technically the 6th here now - nothing available yet.


About friggin' time! Some DVDs look simply awful, and the stuttering can be terribly annoying sometimes.

The VGA cable improvement is a nice addition too.
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6/6/06 2am -PST
 
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Ok..so I guess it's not too early to get started on the next list for the MS team:

- Add sorting within categories, specifically the ability to sort by date, or title
- Add an option for 'detail view' for the MCE extender, no reason everything has to use giant icons.

I'll wait to dowload the update before adding anymore ;)
 
One thing I would add that has irked me since day one is when you're playing your own music and you want to change tracks. Instead of the current setup, how about when you press the guide button they map the L and R triggers as "previous" and "next" for the tracks in your playlist with out having to move the cursor all the way down to the music player section and pressing the button each time?
 
Hardknock said:
One thing I would add that has irked me since day one is when you're playing your own music and you want to change tracks. Instead of the current setup, how about when you press the guide button they map the L and R triggers as "previous" and "next" for the tracks in your playlist with out having to move the cursor all the way down to the music player section and pressing the button each time?
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That one doesn't bother me as much because I tend to have my beloved Harmony 880 next to me at all times downstairs, and my poor little Harmony 659 in the bedroom. With the remotes I can just skip to the next track.
 
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