a Master Ninja
Member
What, if anything, do we know about the upcoming Spring 2007 Update for the Xbox 360 dashboard? It should be coming in the relatively near future, so have you guys heard any solid info on what it will entail?
I realize that this will turn into a features I hope Microsoft adds with the next update topic, but Im hoping that the GAF collective here can piece together whatever actual info there is out there. Also, we have enough topics about Home and what people want in backwards compatibility updates, so I ask that we can forgo those discussions.
These are some RUMORS Ive heard, and Im hoping someone can verify if any of this is true:
A fellow NeoGAF member told me that he thought a recent issue of OXM said the Spring Update will unbind content from the console it was purchased on, allowing your profile to play the content you paid for anytime on any console without you having to be signed into Xbox Live. This would be great news for people whove had a console die on them like I have, or anyone hoping to upgrade to the Zephyr at some point. Can anyone confirm if OXM actually said this?
Ive heard rumblings (no solid source) about a casual friendly version of the UI you could activate that was idiot proof, something like a single menu (no blades) that wouldnt be as intimidating as the current dashboard. It seems consistent with Microsofts approach, but it could have just been dreamed up on a message board.
Microsofts Scott Henson, on Major Nelsons podcast #212, suggested that Marketplace could get a major overhaul, including lots of ways to filter content, a way to rate content, and even a way to see which content is the most popular with you friends and the greater community. It was unclear to me if he implied this was coming soon or if this was a might happen someday riff he was on.
Then what about the seemingly basic features the community has been repeatedly begging for since 2005, but never gets? I'm not talking about outlandish requests, but the consistently most requested features that still havent gotten addressed.
-Group voice-chat and video-chat. People always whine about this on message boards, and perhaps rightfully so, since the original Xbox had group voicechat for crying out loud!
-Tell me what game is currently in the 360. The PS3 does this. So does the Wii. The 360 was advertised to do this back in 2005. What the hell happened?
-Letterboxed 16:10 support. The VGA adapter is very popular because it is seen as a cheap way to display the 360s HD graphics. Widescreen monitors are typically in a 16:10 aspect ratio, unlike HDTVs at 16:9, which usually leaves VGA users stuck with a stretched picture they cant fix. Whenever there is an update, monitor users beg for the option the to have a the 360 output a black bar at the top and bottom of the screen so that the image displays in its undistorted 16:9 state, but it goes unanswered.
-The ability to delete played games or achievements. Even since people realized that trial XBLA games are permanently locked to their gamercard back in November 2005, they have complained about this. Dont make it easy to accidentally delete every achievement youve ever gotten, but if I played the demo of Crystal Quest or rented Rumble Roses, got one achievement, hated the game and wanted to delete if forever, I should be able to. If Microsoft wants people to feel a real sense of ownership about their gamerscores, achievements, etc. they need to give gamers more control over it.
I've seen these complaints in every topic about what changes the dashboard needs, they seem pretty reasonable to me, but 2 updates later and still nada.
I realize that this will turn into a features I hope Microsoft adds with the next update topic, but Im hoping that the GAF collective here can piece together whatever actual info there is out there. Also, we have enough topics about Home and what people want in backwards compatibility updates, so I ask that we can forgo those discussions.
These are some RUMORS Ive heard, and Im hoping someone can verify if any of this is true:
A fellow NeoGAF member told me that he thought a recent issue of OXM said the Spring Update will unbind content from the console it was purchased on, allowing your profile to play the content you paid for anytime on any console without you having to be signed into Xbox Live. This would be great news for people whove had a console die on them like I have, or anyone hoping to upgrade to the Zephyr at some point. Can anyone confirm if OXM actually said this?
Ive heard rumblings (no solid source) about a casual friendly version of the UI you could activate that was idiot proof, something like a single menu (no blades) that wouldnt be as intimidating as the current dashboard. It seems consistent with Microsofts approach, but it could have just been dreamed up on a message board.
Microsofts Scott Henson, on Major Nelsons podcast #212, suggested that Marketplace could get a major overhaul, including lots of ways to filter content, a way to rate content, and even a way to see which content is the most popular with you friends and the greater community. It was unclear to me if he implied this was coming soon or if this was a might happen someday riff he was on.
Then what about the seemingly basic features the community has been repeatedly begging for since 2005, but never gets? I'm not talking about outlandish requests, but the consistently most requested features that still havent gotten addressed.
-Group voice-chat and video-chat. People always whine about this on message boards, and perhaps rightfully so, since the original Xbox had group voicechat for crying out loud!
-Tell me what game is currently in the 360. The PS3 does this. So does the Wii. The 360 was advertised to do this back in 2005. What the hell happened?
-Letterboxed 16:10 support. The VGA adapter is very popular because it is seen as a cheap way to display the 360s HD graphics. Widescreen monitors are typically in a 16:10 aspect ratio, unlike HDTVs at 16:9, which usually leaves VGA users stuck with a stretched picture they cant fix. Whenever there is an update, monitor users beg for the option the to have a the 360 output a black bar at the top and bottom of the screen so that the image displays in its undistorted 16:9 state, but it goes unanswered.
-The ability to delete played games or achievements. Even since people realized that trial XBLA games are permanently locked to their gamercard back in November 2005, they have complained about this. Dont make it easy to accidentally delete every achievement youve ever gotten, but if I played the demo of Crystal Quest or rented Rumble Roses, got one achievement, hated the game and wanted to delete if forever, I should be able to. If Microsoft wants people to feel a real sense of ownership about their gamerscores, achievements, etc. they need to give gamers more control over it.
I've seen these complaints in every topic about what changes the dashboard needs, they seem pretty reasonable to me, but 2 updates later and still nada.
