The New New New Xbox Experience Halo4 Dash

[^Katsu]

Hmmm the old dash is slow enough already
Similarities with other platforms aside for a second, whilst this may attempt to be pretty etc is it going to be any slicker is the only question on my mind?

[huxley]

Valid point, doesnt the current dash run off of a small rom?
Then again if the games are going to be able to run off of the harddrive cant the same be done for the dash extras.
oops forgot the arcade users.

[Magnakai]

New display support. Because you asked for it, we are adding 16X10 over VGA or HDMI, and support for 1440x900 or 1680x1050.

**** YES! Three years in the making!

[anephric]

MASS EFFECT from HDD! Yesh pleash!

[MattyD]

I'm very pleased to hear this. Hopefully it'll stop streaming games stuttering so much on my machine with it's dodgy disc drive

I'm also hoping this means developers will be able to use the HDD to improve their games and maybe even compress most of the data on the DVD and have you install or cache it for in-game use, so they can't whine about the 'limited' space on a DVD-9 any more.

[El Leone]

http://gizmodo.com/5025122/xbox-360-fall-dashboard-update-details

• There might not be any de-listing of content from the marketplace now. MIGHT. Microsoft says they haven't de-listed anything "yet", and the whole point of the new dash is to make things easier to find—the problem that de-listing games was going to solve.
• Playing from the hard drive still requires games to be in the drive while you play, which means you can't just load all your games onto your Xbox and swap games from your couch.
• Hard drive gaming is mostly for saving load times.
• The current blade-based dash design still exists inside the Guide, and they've ported a lot of the current dash features there so you can actually access much of it from inside games. No browsing marketplace though.
• The new dashboard is fast and fluid, getting rid of the delays that come up when you're switching blades (occasionally) and loading up the thumbnails of your XBLA games. There's also an Apple TV-like reflection under each icon representing games, and the whole thing looks vaguely Cover Flow-like.
• There's a new Quick Launch feature from the Guide (the thing that pops up when you click the Xbox button on your controller) that lets you switch to any game you currently have installed. XBLA games or retail (if the disc is in your drive).
• Avatars will be used in XBLA games, Xbox 360 retail games and Xbox Primetime games.
• Avatars will be available for everyone, even Xbox Live Silver members. If you don't like them, you can still use gamerpics instead.
• "Primetime" games are like gameshows and will be more of a streamed experience rather than a boxed game or an XBLA game. It's a third type of game on the Xbox.
• All of the marketplace content will be listed on xbox.com so you can browse and queue up downloads for them to your Xbox. If your console is on, it seems like stuff is downloaded as you add them to your queue.
• The 8-people party system lets you basically chat with all your friends no matter where you are in any game, and then be able to drag each one through games with you. People who don't have the game the party leader loaded will get a screen telling them to go buy it.

[ezee ryder]

So there is gonna be no section for Marketplace?

[Myth]

Mini Guide has a Marketplace section.


Also by the looks of these menus I assume its part of a Marketplace menu. (May be wrong)

[El Leone]

So there is gonna be no section for Marketplace?

You can still access the marketplace. Just not through the guide.

[EvilBoris]

Apart from in both Pictures there is clearly a blade on the Guide that says "Marketplace" :P

I think they have put the marketplace stuff under the appropriate section on the dash

Game will have A-Z listings
Music Likewiese
Movies also

[ezee ryder]

I see, sounds interesting. I like to look of the dashboard just really not into the whole avatar thing but I am willing to give it a go

[ChrisF]

Official trailer for the new dashboard


I really like the look of it.

[EvilBoris]

That one is up on marketplace too

[sj33]

HDD install?! Awesome! My 360 has been DRE'ing at certain points in some games, but those games might manage an install. This could save my 360.

[Red Hogg]

I hope in this Autumn update they include a codec that enables media playback that doesn't make the screen go black while the sound carries on regardless.

Having the disc in the drive to play installed games is slightly self-defeating, I was hoping it would rid me the inconvenience of having to keep reaching up to my shelf to swap games.

Other than that it looks pretty good and I am delighted that I won't have to use one of those pathetic Mii things.