I use my 360 solely for gaming and media streaming from my PC. I don't plan to ever use Netflix, and I rarely have any need for the marketplace. So, I will not be discussing the marketplace whatsoever.
REVIEW
Game installation
This is a FANTASTIC function... if you've got the hard drive space for it. If you're using a 20GB hard drive, you pretty much only have enough space to install one game. So, pretty much, you have to go to at least a 60GB unit to fully utilize this feature.
However, upon installing a game, it runs fantastically. No longer is the issue with developers not being able to do installs for games a concern. EVERY game has the ability, and it makes the gaming experience much, much nicer. Load times are DRASTICALLY cut - GTAIV only starts showing the men playing dominoes, then the initial loading is complete. NFS: Most Wanted does all loading within two or three seconds, when it normally would take as much as ten seconds at times.
Additionally, pop-ins are pretty much nonexistent. For instance, in GTAIV, the second safe-house (in South Bohan). When exiting the apartment into the stairwell, most of the time when running from disc, the washing machines and stairs leading upstairs simply don't show. Usually they appear within a second, but I've had times when they took as much as five seconds to display.
Now, they show instantly. Every time. I've tested ten times, and there's never once been an instance of it being a pop-in. Sometimes in NFS, the disc would suddenly decide to stop spinning for a moment and the game would freeze to load the next map section. That no longer happens either.
Also, since the game is now running from hard drive, there's slightly less power usage, and the system is much quieter. Also, I've noticed that it runs a hair cooler as well. For the 360, this is of ENORMOUS importance.
Opinion of feature: 10/10
Avatars
In a move that reminds nearly everybody of Nintendo's Mii feature, Microsoft has released a new "avatar" feature with the 360. This does two things - it creates a digital persona for you, and it replaces your gamer picture.
My gamer pic can still be used.
Avatars themselves are pretty cool. I like that you can change their accessories, their clothing, etc. That's one thing they do better than the Miis. However, they fail on a plethora of fronts.
Firstly, there are so, so many places in which they cannot be altered. You can't position any of their features where you want to. You can't change the size of their features. Basically, there's no getting creative with your avatars. Also, since you can't toy with sizing or positioning, you can't customize them to look almost exactly like you. As I've said before, they should've not cared about people saying they copied Nintendo and just gone ahead and copied.
You can change their height, width, clothes, accessories, skin color, face features, hair, makeup, lips, etc.
Secondly, you have no choice over utilizing them as your gamer picture. My signature Pac-Man ghost? Probably will never see it again. The downloaded gamer pictures that likely thousands of people, if not millions, have purchased... entirely wasted now. And I highly doubt that Microsoft will refund that money. Everybody that bought those is effectively screwed. Sore out of luck.
Not really.
Opinion - 4/10
Graphical User Interface
The most noticeable change is a whole new interface. This interface is designed to be far more aesthetic, and friendlier to the casual gamer. It's easier to find your way around, and it simplifies everything into a variety of channels. Pretty much, it seems like the old 360, the Wii, and the PS3 interfaces wrapped up in one. It clearly borrows many of the strong points from each one.
Then, if you press the Guide button, it pops up with an interface reminiscent of the old one, blades and everything.
In my opinion, the original interface is incredibly superior. It's WAY faster to use, and you can see everything all on the same screen. Now, it takes much more time to navigate to each feature, and it doesn't show as much as I'd like on a single screen. I personally find this to be enormously inconvenient. Yes, I can press the guide button to get something similar, but it's nowhere near the same. It's frustrating.
Worst part? There's no way to customize the menu, besides removing the "welcome" channel from the list. You can't change any of its features, and you can't set it back to the blade system. You can't make it more comfortable for the "advanced" gamer. Once updated, you're done with. This is what you've got from here out. No choice. Your system is, from here on out, casual-friendly.
I do like, though, the fact that it makes it easier to access and view some things, like achievements.
Opinion - 3/10
Themes/overall appearance
This could probably go under the GUI section, but I wanted it to be separate because it's a pretty significant part of the update as well, and something that was pretty big on the old interface as well.
Under each user's profile tab, you have a feature to select from a variety of themes. These themes cover a wide range of appearances, and there are a good number of additional ones available to download as well. They're really cool, too. Each one drastically affects the mood of the interface, and, I'd have to say, they're a lot more aesthetic than the old themes.
Problem is, there's no customization. Sure, you can select from a variety of them, but doing 'em up the way you want, like the old interface, isn't an option.
Opinion - 6/10
So, altogether, what it comes down to is this. The interface brings a lot of really nice features to the table. But without any way of doing ANY real customizing, and without being able to change the things that I dislike the most, I don't like it. Thankfully, though, most of it can be fixed if they release update patches. But right now? I'm thoroughly disappointed.
Overall opinion - 4.5/10 - slightly negative
The new installation feature is the only part that I actually cared for - everything else is either mediocre or bad, without changes made in areas that I personally feel would matter the most. Here's to hoping update patches fix these issues.
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