Using the interface for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. The added 3rd dimension to the layout means the plain evenness, that the original dashboard had, is broken up.

After the update is installed you can customise your avatar. Whilst doing this, you can control the expression on the avatar’s face as well as being able to make him/her spin and get dizzy (try this one to extreme for an even funnier outcome!). After customising your avatar

you can take a picture of it and set it as your gamerpic.

The party feature works well allowing up to eight people chat regardless of the game or activity they are doing. Another party feature is Photoparty, however, ease of access to this feature doesn’t seem to be a priority. At present, the Photoparty component has to be downloaded (20MB approx). Once downloaded where can one activate it from? Well at the moment there is a tile for Photoparty under the Spotlight menu, but this section seems like an area where features and games are advertised, rather than long-term fixed menus. So unless Photoparty is going to stay in the Spotlight section forever, it will need a more intuitive menu position as I was ignoring this area when initially looking for Photoparty (why would it be in such a place?). A better place to move the link would be to Picture Library or the Party menus within the Guide (which is where I first started looking).

To download Photoparty you can go to the Spotlight menu and go into the Photoparty tile. If you don’t already have it installed, you will be asked if you want to download it. Once downloaded you can go to Play Now. When you want to start a Photoparty session at another time, just go back to the Spotlight menu to open up the Photoparty download screen, as you already have it just go to Play Now.

Games can be installed to the hard drive and to facilitate this is you are a frequent installer is the ability to change the start up behaviour when you insert a game disc. Previously, when putting a game in the drive tray and closing it, the game would start up. Now you can choose to stop this autoplay, leaving you to choose to install or start the game for the menus. Another start up option offered is to start the Xbox 360 in Media Center, handy if using the console as a media extender.

With the 3D avatar comes the 3D appearance of the friends list and other menus. As with the old dashboard, themes are still a feature and four of them come with the NXE update: Xbox 360; Day; Night and Spectrum. Give them a go and check out change in the Friends List when using the Night theme. When friends are in a party with you, you will see their avatars on the friends list in a group standing around you, sometimes they will do Mexican waves and other expressions. Other friends playing the same games will show up in a group standing next to each other also. Offline friends are represented by a snoozing avatar.

To make use of the avatars, games will be available and updates available for some that are already out eg: Uno. One game that makes use of avatars is A Kingdom for Keflings, a trial is available so check this out but you’ll have to go via the Marketplace rather than the link on the Inside Xbox menu which prompts you to buy the game only.

One feature I’ve seen a few people asking for in the past is the ability to remove games with 0 gamerpoints and demos. This wish has been granted.

I have a gripe or two with the new interface regarding the new layout and the excessive sub-menus. Lets take themes as this is the most obvious one. Now, a little while ago, I was looking to see what free themes were available for the new dashboard so looking at the top level of the dashboard menu we have the options:

Welcome
Inside Xbox
Friends
Video Marketplace
Game Marketplace
My Xbox
Spotlight

Out of these options which would you go into for a theme? Nothing seems obvious, there is a Game Marketplace and a Video Marketplace, there is some differentiation so may be a theme/gamerpic marketplace would be logical, especially as not all themes and gamerpics are game based, but it isn’t there.

The next logical place to check might be to check the Game Marketplace anyway even if it isn’t glaringly obvious. Maybe a rename to Live Marketplace or just Marketplace would be more appropriate.

Within Game Marketplace we have the Themes & Gamer Pictures section, lets go into that. Here we have four sub-sections:

New Arrivals
All Themes & Gamer Pictures
Gamer Pictures
Premium Themes

So where would the free themes go? If one wanted a free theme they would have to trawl through the All Themes & Gamer Pictures section which is broken down into even more sub-sections game-by-game!

Another unfortunate thing besides the Photoparty and themes accessibility is the delay of the Primtime feature. Players would have been able to take part in gameshow style events one of theme being 100 to 1. I read a rumour that this will be released in the new year as it didn’t make the NXE launch.

Unfortunately, being in the UK, I don’t have access to Netflix, only a second rate streaming service from a BT Vision box. The experience in this case would probably be the same as using the Media Centre feature with a PC where the Xbox would be a media extender.

Overall it brings a much needed refresh to the old Xbox 360 dashboard but not one that is without its quirks and shortcomings, not least having a 3D friends list means seeing less friends’ names on the screen at one time. The problems are cancelled out by the addition of new features and improved accessibility in some areas. Once feedback is received on problems and things that could be made better (any idea where feedback can be left), I’m sure that changes will be made in a future update. Read up more about the NXE update at the following links:

NXE install – majornelson.com
Avatars – majornelson.com
Netflix and NXE – gamerscoreblog.com
NXE HDD vs DVD load times – eurogamer.net

NXE Dashboard - courtesy of Majornelson.com

Gaming on the Xbox with a few friends and family sometimes requires co-ordination skills, especially when connecting to games throws up problems you might expect on the PC. At present, users can only chat from the dashboard with one person and to speak to others they must initiate a chat session and switch to the next person whilst the former sits twiddling their thumbs. Imagine this scenario if one or more of your group cannot get into a game and are all sending chat invites for your attention. You might as well keep your phone nearby or sign-in to a messenger app. Now a number of people can form a party from the dashboard to view photos and chat together. The party can also go into a game from the dashboard as a group, providing all members have the game. This leads to a more connected and seamless experience, which should have been a feature from the start. Once released we just have to see how seamless it is, if NAT problems will cause party connection problems as in multiplayer lobbies where some users cannot connect to others.

Other features of note include the new Avatars on the Gamercard. Appearing to be heavily inspired by the Wii’s Miis, the Xbox’s Avatars can also be customised with mention of new items being available for them. Whilst a considerable number of items are already available to apply to the Avatars, no doubt this will provide an additional stream of income with people buying new clothing and accessories for their Avatars, maybe there will be Horse Armour too! Users will also be able to take a picture of their Avatar and use that as their Gamer Picture. The addition of Avatars goes hand-in-hand with the redesign of the Dashboard interface overall. The navigation method is similar to Sony’s XMB with button presses in the X and Y axes to move through the menus. Rather than left and right through the main menus and up and down to go through the sub sections, the Xbox Dashboard will use up and down for the main sections with left and right for sub sections.

Users in the US will have access to Netflix connectivity. Having an account with Netflix will let users rent and download films directly to the Xbox 360.

Another feature I look forward to is the ability to copy games directly to the console’s hard drive to reduce loading times and noise from a spinning disc. I for one am looking forward to this due to the noise reduction factor as I do not have the leisure of turning up the volume on the TV as is often flippantly advised. One caveat is that the game disc must be in the drive to prove you have the game, at least it doesn’t check if you bought or borrowed the game

The existing d-pad is well regarded as providing the controllability experienced when trying to use a mobile phone in sub-zero temperatures whilst wearing gloves that haven’t protected you from frostbite. Ok, it isn’t that bad but the way the d-pad design on the Xbox 360 pad works is the same as a traditional d-pad below on the circuit board but above that it’s a little different.

Rather than having a cross pad with the traditional up, down, left and right buttons, or individual buttons impacting the rubber pads below, the Xbox 360 ultilises a rubbish rocker motion. This rocking gives the impression that it is really an analogue control with a d-pad on top. The d-pad’s plastic moulding gives the user a clumsy interaction with this rocker pretending to be a d-pad, often invoking another direction if not precisely hitting the direction intended at the very tip.

Microsoft has confirmed the new controller, which looks the same as existing Xbox 360 controllers, which will now have increased sensitivity, detecting button presses in 32 directions. No doubt it will still have the rubbish rocking motion. Eurogamer have been told the controller is a limited edition available in Europe, Latin America and Asia, until it sells out.

Links: Eurogamer original article – confirmation – pictures
Keywords: Xbox 360, Controller, D-Pad, Microsoft