Debated, discussed, anticipated and feared, the new Xbox 360 dashboard is almost upon us. Launching as a mandatory system update on November the 19th, the New Xbox Experience as it is known completely overhauls the system's interface with a new menu layout, new functionality, and the addition of Avatars, Microsoft's equivalent of Nintendo's Miis.
But what's it like to use? Well fortunately we can tell you, having recently had an hour of hands-on time with the current build. It's still being updated and tweaked every day, so some elements might change slightly before launch, but from what we've seen we reckon you're going to like it a lot more than you may currently suspect. Here's why.
The Avatars aren't actually that lame at all
They're the most reviled part of NXE amongst the hardcore, and for very good reason. While everyone loved the idea at first, we all got sick of Miis in close to no time at all, such is the way that their sterile, vacant faces instantly suck the personality out of the mercifully few games that use them.
Thankfully though, Microsoft's Avatars are a much better bunch. They're stacks more customisable for a start. At launch they'll have around four-hundred bits and bobs to play with, covering everything from head-to-toe clothing and make-up to facial features. We were a bit worried when told that they mandatorily have to be built by adapting an existing model, but given that everything can be changed anyway, that idea seems more about avoiding over-facing noobs with the design tools' multitude of options than dumbing down the experience. Though we now feel slightly dirty for fearing that little cartoon dress-up dolls are an idea that could be dumbed down.
During our play around with them, we found a staggering amount of ways to offend God's work with our Frankensteinian tampering. Eyes alone currently have 45 variations, and whereas Nintendo's Miis have to face the world with nothing more than a single-colour jumper or dress, the Avatars' clothing has been designed in conjunction with London fashion students. It's no exaggeration that these little guys have some better clothes than we do. The only problem is going to be our jealousy that this stuff doesn't exist in the real world.
It's unlikely that they're ever going to be genuinely cool, but with so many options - they get 10 shiny bonus points for including vampire fangs alone - and the possibility of wearable game and sports merchandise on the way, the chances are that you're going to be able to make a little computer person you're more than happy to be associated with. And failing that, you can always just make a hideous overweight transvestite with a redneck trucker cap and earrings. Make no mistake, the first week of launch is going to see some spectacular horrors appear online.
It's even easier for Achievement whores to show off
Scroll up to the My Xbox row and you'll find that your played games now each have their own window, filled with their own grid of Achievement icons. If Gamerscore is your thing, it's incredibly refreshing to not have to click in and out of a potentially very long list to find your bragging material. You can now bask in the glory of your skills in multiple games at a time, and the grid layout makes it easy to check out what you've got at a casual glance.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum, should you not want to taint your record with any empty score sheets, it will be possible to delete any games with a zero score from your list. Not that any of you are likely to have such a shameful thing on your hard-drive, but it's nice to know that the face-saving device is there.
Even better than that, the Avatars are eventually going to make your prowess more visible than ever before. As the system matures and third-party publishers get on board, they're going to be able to provide unlockable accessories related to hardcore Achievements. The example we were given was the obvious idea of Guitar Hero guitars, but the possibilities really are endless. We can't wait to see our Avatars rocking a COD 4 50 cal. in one hand and a Big Daddy drill in the other. In our dreams, they already are.
It's far cooler than you might think
It's unfortunate but understandable that the Avatars have grabbed the most attention out of all the NXE's new additions. You see while the grinning Mii-too cartoon characters had led many people - us included - to expect a horrible, tween-oriented, My Dashboardz abomination, NXE is actually a pretty damn classy interface.
It sounds strange when talking about something that's essentially a set of images on a 2D screen, but NXE has a really airy and expansive feel about it. While we personally have no problem at all with our beloved blades, an hour with NXE showed up just how much we didn't know we were missing. We'd never understood those who complain that the current dashboard feels clunky and crowded. Going back to it for comparison after NXE however, we now really do.
The main element responsible for that is undoubtedly the new floating windows layout. Where currently all the information related to a particular area of the Xbox 360 is crammed onto a single page and hidden behind further menus, the new windows give all of the functionality a lot more breathing space. A vertically scrolling text menu contains every sub-section - Welcome, Spotlight, the Marketplaces, Friends etc. - with each flick up or down bringing up a run of horizontally scrolling windows detailing that area's content.
The basic mechanics are clearly reminiscent of Sony's XMB, but it all feels less crowded and much more organic. With several large, graphic-oriented windows visible on screen at any given time, the featured content is arranged much more comfortably and clearly. It's like using 3D windows in Vista, except that it will actually run games. It's incredibly easy to find what you want. Much of it will be on your screen anyway.
It's all complemented brilliantly by some very modern production design. While again comparison to a rival interface - this time the Wii's - is unavoidable, once again, NXE is slicker. It's all cool colour tones and mellow ambient tunes, and although Nintendo might have got there first, Microsoft's revision feels a lot more grown up. The Wii's channel layout feels slightly toy-like in comparison, and the current dashboard now looks like someone has vomited a bag of Skittles all over the screen.
The number of video options is insane
Whatever your TV's pixel count, NXE will look good. At the moment, those of us with an inbetween HD resolution have to put up with either downgrading to 720p or squeezing 1080p onto something that it doesn't quite fit. It doesn't cause any game-killing problems of course, but if you're a serious video snob - and believe us, we only see that quality as a good thing - then you're going to want to be outputting in your native res.
With that in mind, the limited old selection of SD, 720 and 1080 is now a distant memory. Looking into NXE's display options, we found ourselves genuinely boggled by the number of TVs and monitors now catered for. We counted at least 10 output resolutions available in the current build, so unless you're playing your 360 via a dinner plate, a set of jump leads and a magic spell, the chances are you're going to be covered.
It's addictively flickable
If you're a heavy 360 user, you know you've done it. Don't pretend you haven't. Whether waiting for a download, deciding what to play, or just looking for a viable Xbox alternative to Wii Music, you have spent time hammering on the bumpers to play a rudimentary tune with the blades' swooshing noises. So thank the good lord that we're not going to lose that little-discussed but fundamental part of 360 culture with NXE.
Not only are the blades still available through the new in-game guide - small in size but packing more features than ever before, including dynamic, current game-specific DLC links - but the bi-directional main interface means that we now have twice as many options for aurally rewarding page flicking. And with the bumpers and triggers allowing us to swoosh between both directions at the same time, there's a whole new world of dashboard composition to be had. Between the snapped-deck-of-cards sound of the horizontal windows and the cool new ambient background tunes, we're going to be retiring Rock Band when this launches.
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I, for one, am really looking forward to it. I will find out by Wed if I am in the preview group.
This has the awesome written all over it.
