New Xbox Experience Hype Thread -- Creating the Xbox 540, or X360 1.5

[Shadowblind]

HYPE THREAD PEOPLE, 1 DAY LEFT TILL SHOW TIME!

Overview of NXE, or Xbox 540

What is it?

Enter the ultimate social entertainment experience. Connect with your favorite people and enjoy more games and entertainment online than with any other device connected to your TV. Welcome to the New Xbox Experience. Jump in.

via Xbox.com

Features:

When we launched Xbox 360 in November 2005, Xbox LIVE was integrated directly into the console. Back then, Xbox 360 was the first system to deliver access to experiences beyond just the disc in the tray. With the Xbox guide and dashboard you had access to everything on your console as well as your community.

We also imagined that Xbox experience would continuously improve over time, through the power of software.

Since launch, you’ve always pushed us to continuously innovate. It is because you spoke with one loud voice that we added new features like background downloading, 1080p support, movies and TV shows, video chat, a Marketplace blade and instant messaging.

Over time, as we’ve delivered more and more content into the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, we’ve heard from many of you that it has become increasingly difficult to find the games and content you want.

And that brings us to today.

Because of your feedback, we started rethinking the entire Xbox experience. What we discovered was that we could not only provide a better experience for you, but also something that reaches out to new audiences.

What John Schappert unveiled for the world on stage at E3 was just a sneak preview, so I wanted to share some deeper details on some of the new features in the new Xbox experience.

Here is a look at some additional features you will find interesting:

· Play from hard drive. Copy your games from the game disc and play directly from the hard drive. Not only will the drive not spin, but load times are quicker, as well. Of course, you will still need the disc in the tray to prove you own the game.

· Access Xbox LIVE Marketplace on the Web. Browse and purchase Marketplace content whenever you want from Xbox.com and it downloads automatically to your console. Purchase that new map, television episode, the latest Xbox LIVE Arcade game or set up a movie to watch when you get home from work.

· Dashboard built into the new Xbox Guide. For everyone who loves the blades interface, it’s not going away; they are now built directly in to the new Xbox guide. Every feature and option is available right from the guide. You can even access your full games library at all times. No matter where you are (in dash or in game), immediately call up your games played list and directly launch a game.  

· LIVE Party system. Create a party of up to eight friends, and stay with them from one game to another, or watch a Netflix movie together, or share a slideshow of your personal photos. It works with all Xbox 360 titles, not just upcoming games. LIVE Party allows up to eight people to chat in the dashboard, so you can meet up before playing.  

· Xbox LIVE Primetime. This whole new category of games is going to give you more reasons to get online with your friends. Games will support everything you’d expect, like Achievements and leader boards, but many of these games will include real prizes. You can invite your friends, and even set a reminder for an upcoming show. Each game is broadcast simultaneously, so everyone is answering the same questions. Many events will have a live host, calling the shots as they happen.  

· Avatars. Your online identity started as a Gamertag - it then grew into a personalized Gamercard. Now, it has evolved even further into avatars. You can express your style, check out new outfits and share this with the community. Avatars will also be integrated into Xbox LIVE Arcade games, LIVE Party, as well as retail games.  

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

This is only the beginning. Over the next few months, we will share more details on the upcoming changes.

Via Major nelson at: http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/07/14/some-of-the-features-in-the-new-xbox-experience-8-person-chat-vga-plus-more.aspx

Reviews & Previews:

Gizmodo : http://gizmodo.com/5070189/new-xbox-experience-nxe-review-its-pure-improvement 

Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/29/new-xbox-360-experience-hands-on-and-impressions/ 

 Joystiq: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/29/video-tour-new-xbox-experience-exposed/

Kotaku: http://kotaku.com/5070578/nxe-impressions-creating-an-avatar-playing-with-my-xbox

Unscripted360: http://www.unscripted360.com/2008/11/01/nxe-impressions/

IGN Video Reviews: http://media.xbox360.ign.com/articles/928/928378/vids_1.html

  Screens:

 

 

FAQ:

Q Is the Update optional? Can I keep my old interface if I want to?
A
Why would you want to? The New Xbox Experience is the same experience you had before and so much more! As a matter fact, the blades that people have come to know and love are integrated directly in to the guide button so that every aspect of the Xbox experience is always only one button click away. The new Xbox experience is built with community as its foundation and requires everyone to upgrade.

 
Q When is all this going to occur?
A
Xbox 360 owners will have the opportunity to download the update on November 19.

 
Q What will actually happen on my Xbox 360 during the update?
A
The update will download just like a normal system update would. You will see a status bar letting you know how long it will take, and you won’t be able to use the console during this time. Once the update finishes the console will reload into the welcome page, and you will be able to begin exploring the new features and experiences on Xbox 360.

 
Q How long will it take for the update to happen? How much time should I budget?
A
The size of the update has not yet been finalized, but because there is a vast breadth of additional content available with the new Xbox experience, it will be larger than previous Dashboard updates.

 
Q How much hard drive space will all this take up? What kind of storage will I need?
A
To download the update, Xbox LIVE members will need to have at least 128MB of memory available. However, we recommend having a hard drive for the best experience.

 
Q What if my Xbox 360 isn’t online? How do I get the update? If I don’t, will my Xbox 360 still work?
A
This fall you will need to be connected to Xbox LIVE to download the system update, however we will be making the update available to non-Xbox LIVE members very soon. Your Xbox 360 will work in an offline mode, without the update.

 
Q Do I have to have an Avatar? How long will it take to make one? How is the Avatar used?
A
After downloading the update you will be asked to create an avatar. You can make your avatar with as many or as few features as you’d like, and the process can take anywhere from seconds to minutes depending on how much detail you include. Avatars will be used throughout Xbox 360, from games like “Scene It? Box Office Smash” to picture sharing and your representation in Friends lists.

 
Q Will I be able to keep my Gamerpics and Themes?
A
Of course! We haven’t given out specifics about how your Gamerpics and Themes will be used when the update launches, but rest assured that you will be able to keep them this fall.

 
Q How does the whole Netflix thing work?
A
When Netflix launches on Xbox 360 this fall it will provide more than 10,000 instantly watchable movies and TV episodes to Xbox LIVE Gold Members who are also subscribers of the Netflix unlimited subscription plan. There is no better way to watch Netflix on-demand movies than on Xbox 360.

 
Q How customizable will the interface be? How much can I change (colors, fonts, etc)?
A
We will be sharing more details about the user interface closer to launch.

 
Q What if the update fails? What do I do?
A We do not anticipate any issues with downloading the new update. If a download stops due to loss of connectivity, it will resume where it left off once the connectivity is regained. If you continue to encounter problems downloading the update please call 1-800-4-my-xbox.

via Xbox.com

Gonna be fun stuff, that I'll tell you. I'm really looking forward to the LIVE party system, avatars seem like a lot of fun. May subscribe to Netflix as well.