December Dashboard Update

As of yesterday a new dashboard update was made available for the Xbox 360. You’ll be prompted that there’s a new update ready to install as soon as you sign in and connect to Xbox Live. Similar to previous updates the process was quick and installed without any problems.

The new update features some fairly drastic cosmetic changes to the dashboard that are immediately noticeable. Overall the new interface improves both the look and the usability of the dashboard and the continual improvements to the system are always welcome.

Marketplace

Apart from categories that have been renamed, the most obvious addition to the dashboard is the new “twist” menu used to navigate the “Spotlight” and “New Arrivals” categories. This new interface allows you to move left or right across a series of sub-menus as well as up or down to select one of the menu items.

The “Game Store” category now groups together all Xbox Live Arcade games, demos and the newly introduced category “Xbox Originals”. At present there are seven Xbox original titles that can be downloaded for 1200 Microsoft points including Halo, Crimson Skies, Psychonauts, Farenheit, and Fable. Original games are selectable from a nice menu using the original “black and green” colour scheme of old with all titles displaying the box artwork.

I personally think the “Xbox Originals” downloadable service is a decent feature, although the price point may need to be reviewed as most original Xbox games can still easily be picked up in stores or online for a similar price or less. However, this service offers a level of convenience that I think most people will appreciate.

Xbox Live

Friends and messages have been combined to allow for the new “Inside Xbox” news feed item. According to the default message that’s available at present news will be refreshed every Thursday.

Personal profiles have now been extended allowing you to add some additional information about yourself (should you so want to) showing your real name, location, and biographical data. Personally I prefer anonymity with regards to my real name but the additional “bio” certainly allows far more flexibility rather than trying to squeeze information into the “motto”.

The new “Friend Sharing” functionality, which allows you to view other people’s friend’s lists is quite interesting. I’m generally fairly nosey when it comes to what other people are playing and what they’ve managed to achieve, so this is an added boon for me.

Games

The Games blade generally looks to have undergone a bit of a face-lift with the category “Games Library” grouping together downloaded arcade games, demos, and Xbox originals. It also seems like the achievement list has been optimised once again as it seemed noticeably quicker.

Media

Although not a vast amount of changes in this area the “Twist” interface is now included and thankfully videos are now grouped.

For further details see Xbox.com