http://kotaku.com/5025143/the-new-xbox-experience-just-the-facts-and-maybe-some-conjecture Looks like MS is copying from both Sony and Nintendo with this one (not a complaint from me). The new interface looks a lot like Apple influenced it too. The 360 will also have Miis and "showtime" games.
Kinda disappointed at the play from hard drive feature. What I hope they do is make a few more xbox titles compatible with the 360.
I dont like it... i think it looks terrible, and... childish almost. I like what I have now, the blades are clean, easy to navigate, got to have my background... i dont know, maybe when its forced onto my system and i get to use it i'll like it (afterall, i'll have no choice) but from those few screens, im not a fan.
Looks nothing like an Apple interface. Apple doesn't assign different window sizes to similar UI elements, for example. It's not really like the PS3's XMB, either, for a bunch of different reasons. It most resembles Vista's Media Center app. And I suspect it'll be just as useless. Microsoft's trying to make what's called a 10 foot interface, but they haven't taken into account silly things like viewing distance.
So it seems most people are down on the new dashboard but I sort of like it and it has al sorts of nifty new features as well (too bad I don't have a 360).
Haven't seen this posted already but heres a list of the features the new dashboard will have..at least you can keep themes and gamerpics if required... Dashboard The new Dashboard uses a 'Twist User Interface', as already used in Windows Media Center and Zune. The scrollable categories on the new Dashboard are Videos, Games, Primetime, Community, Game, Primetime, Spotlight and My Xbox. My Xbox is the main category. This is split into Disc In Tray, your gamercard, Games Library, Music Library, Video Library, Photos Library, Windows Media Center and System Settings. Spotlight is Microsoft's way of flagging up new and interesting content, "the key things the services have had to offer for some time" says Xbox Live chief Steve Willett. Primetime will host the 'special' games such as 1 vs. 100 and in the future, Xbox trivia quizzes, amongst others. This is described as 'appointment type gaming' where you have to be online at a certain time to take part. Game shows you new and interesting games, similar to the way Spotlight works. Each featured game 'slide' will have a small animation to go with it. Community will become an extension of your old Friends List. You'll see all your online friends on this page. More specifically, you'll see their avatars. Video will have the Netflix partnership, so will advertise all the movies you can rent and download. There will be an 'Instant Queue' that will allow you to instantly launch any movies in your queue, and you can rearrange the order of the films. Xbox Guide will be altered too. It's been transformed into a smaller, streamlined version of the old Dashboard as you remember it. This is where you can access Marketplace, played music from your HDD, check your profile and so on. You can still use your old Dashboard themes. You can still use your old Gamerpics too, though Microsoft will encourage everyone to switch over to the gaming avatars. This will be done through stuff like 1 vs. 100, where gaming avatars will (presumably) be compulsory for entry. Word is also coming through of a slight tweak to the achievements system, with 'medals' acting as graphical representations of achievements on the Dashboard. This could be someone misinterpreting the current achievement graphics or it could be Microsoft's attempt to dash Sony's recent 'Trophies' implementation. Avatars Avatars are going to be extremely customisable, with a huge range of items available for your avatar from launch. To replace the old system of unlocking gamerpics for certain achievements (Seriously... in Gears Of War, for example), it seems you can now unlock clothing for your avatar instead. Avatars will be used in almost all Primetime games, such as 1 vs 100. Installs Installs will reduce load times, as the 360 will read the game from the HDD rather than the disc. Not only will this cut down on time spent watching loading screens but should also help games that struggle with 'texture pop-in' (Mass Effect being an obvious example). Reading from the HDD will also cut down on '360 noise', as it won't have to spin the disc to read it. No more whirring jet noises as your 360 winds into life. To prevent piracy, your 360 will check your game disc is in the drive before loading from the HDD. You won't be allowed to remove your disc from the 360 while playing from the HDD (though we're not sure why you'd want to). For multi-disc games such as Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon, you can choose with discs you want to rip to the HDD. You'll need to have the correct disc in the drive for each disc swap though. The install will be faster than on PlayStation3. Microsoft's mostly commonly touted example is Devil May Cry 4 - it's a 4 to 5 GB install that takes 10 minutes on Xbox 360 as opposed to 18 to 20 minutes on PlayStation3. Installs are NOT mandatory. Extra Info Asked about a keyword search in Marketplace, Microsoft say "there's nothing to announce." You'll be able to browse Marketplace and purchase items from Xbox.com. The Xbox 360 logo in the corner gently ripples outwards. Hardly the deal breaker if you weren't sold on the Dashboard before but a nice touch nevertheless. The reason there's so much 'empty space' on the Dashboard is Microsoft has to allow for those playing their 360 on 4:3 480i TV sets. This will squash everything up and make the layout much tighter. 'Quick Launch' lets you switch between Xbox Live Arcade games without having to quit back to the Dashboard first. link; http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=5410
