Breaking in the New Xbox Experience

It’s official. After months of buildup, hype, pomp, and circumstance, Xbox owners are finally getting their hands on the “New Xbox Experience”. At 5:00a EST, Microsoft opened the flood gates and 360 owners were greeted to a mandatory system update when they started up their consoles. So, how smooth was the launch? We’ll see over the next few days and weeks, but in the meantime, I can at least share my own “New Xbox Experience”.

Well, like many of the gaming masses, this morning was my first solo run at the NXE. Sure, a number of people managed to get in some early access, courtesy of a consumer survey from Microsoft a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn’t one ‘em. So at 5am on the nose, I booted up my 360 and, sure enough, the update was ready for me. The download process was much faster than I expected, as apparently MS had already done a lot of the heavy lifting with earlier updates. From start to finish, the whole thing only took about two minutes.

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Xbox Primetime Won’t Be Ready for NXE Launch

It’s been a rough spot for Microsoft’s upcoming dashboard upgrade. First came the word that the part of its Netflix integration which would allow users to stream movies between consoles was going MIA. Now Microsoft is saying that the Xbox LIVE Primetime feature, which is comprised of regularly scheduled game shows Xbox LIVE members can compete in to win physical prizes, will be yet another feature of the “New Xbox Experience” that won’t make the cut when the new dashboard goes live on November 19th. Instead, the Xbox LIVE Primetime channel has be rescheduled for a Spring 2009 launch. The delay, according to Microsoft product managers, is necessary to iron out problems with the user interface.

Microsoft Offers 360 Storage Upgrade

So, you’re sitting in front of your 360 and just counting down the days until November 19th, when the ‘New Xbox Experience’ goes live. Then you hear that your Memory Card just won’t cut it when it comes time to 128M required to run the new dashboard. Don’t worry, because it looks like Microsoft feels your pain and is doing something about it.

Owners of Xbox 360 Core or Arcade systems can log into http://www.xboxstorageupgrade.com with their console’s serial number and console ID to take advantage of a new free/reduced cost memory upgrade offer. Owners of Core 360 systems eligible for the offer will be able to choose either a free 512M Memory card or a 20G hard drive for $19.99.

While those who purchased a 360 Arcade system should already have enough memory for the ‘New Xbox Experience’, courtesy of its included 256M Memory Card, Microsoft is giving them an upgrade opportunity as well. For $29.99, eligible owners will be able to get their hands on one of the 20G hard drives, as well as a 3-month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription.

New Xbox Experience Dated for Nov. 19th

We’ve seen it demoed at E3. We’ve dealt with downtime as Xbox LIVE got ready for it. And now, finally, the folks over at Microsoft have given us a date for it. I’m talking, of course, about the “New Xbox Experience”, Microsoft’s updated dashboard interface. At the Tokyo Game Show yesterday, Microsoft announced that the new dashboard, along with all of its included features, will officially go live worldwide on November 19th.

The New Xbox Experience will allow Xbox 360 owners to create animated avatars, jump into a “LIVE Party” with up to seven friends, compete in new community games, share pictures and music, and even set up a virtual movie night, courtesy of new Netflix integration. The new dashboard will also dump the blade system of the current Xbox 360 dashboard in favor of a new design overhaul meant to make things easier to navigate.

“Our industry is defining the future of entertainment,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment LIVE, Software and Studios, while at the Tokyo Game Show 2008. “When the New Xbox Experience launches in just six weeks, we will be inviting the whole world to play.”