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.”
Games For Windows - Live For Free
According to Microsoft’s GamerScore blog, you will never ever have to pay for getting achievements on your Games For Windows tittles again. That’s right my PC brethren and … sisteren, no more worries about having to have a Live account - at least on the PC. While Xbox Live players have to worry about their accounts expiring and buying more time (mine expires in mid-August! Yay!), Games For Windows - Live players are thumbing their collective noses at you today.
Microsoft revealed that the PC side won’t have to pay anything. The hope, in my estimation, is that freeing up the service will drive more gamers to the use it. Multiplayer and all the other abilities of Live are included.
Microsoft also said that Games For Windows Live Marketplace is in the works and will be launched sometime (no date, sorry) with free content, videos, demos and more. Will Games For Windows get themes and other goodies as well? They’d better or i’ll call my congressman who will admittedly do absolutely nothing.. except maybe get another earmark for Berkshire County!. So if you want to avoid causing further pork barrel spending, Games For Windows people, then you’ll heed my words..
