The NXE has landed, and I like it. |
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by the hammer of Jim Squires! |
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Yesterday marked an interesting day in the history of the Xbox console. The user interface, once praised for it’s elegance and simplicity, had grown stale. Similarly, the Marketplace had become a mess. Rather than simply pulling together a few quick tweaks and leaving well enough alone, Microsoft decided to play it risky and shake up the user experience. Utilizing avatars and a completely revamped navigation layout, the “New Xbox Experience” or NXE took the idea of community and tried to build around it. So how did things pan out?
While Dan has been staunchly opposed to the NXE since hearing avatars wouldn’t be optional, I’ve tried to keep an open mind. Sure, the whole thing smacked of “Wii’ve seen this before,” but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be any good. Besides — NXE is about more than just avatars. There are so many changes that I like, big and little, that it’s hard to not fall in love with the new system. Everything from installing games to the disc keeping your console whisper quiet to the long-awaited launch of the XNA-driven indie label Community Games tickles my happy bone. I genuinely like the new navigation system and feel like the box art browsing in the marketplace has me checking out things I wouldn’t have before. The “quick play” feature that lets you launch a recent game right out of another game is a nice touch and a perfect example of all the little features I’m loving. Even Connect360, my Mac-to-360-streaming software that normally gets kncoked out of commission after even the smallest of updates is working fine — scratch that — better than ever. All in all, I’d consider the NXE a huge success. My only disappointment was the lack of “PrimeTime,” the channel that would feature avatar-based live game show gaming and was expected at NXE launch.
But enough about my feelings — how do you like the new NXE?
21 Responses to “The NXE has landed, and I like it.”
Leave a Reply
swiftwulf on 20 Nov 2008 at 10:15 am #
I’m very pleased with the NXE as well. Love the new box art browsing they have and while it might sound like a small thing, I love that they have screenshots for every game now.
Dan Zuccarelli on 20 Nov 2008 at 11:06 am #
meh. I just launch right into the games anyway now. The only menu aspect I like is the menu that pops up for the xbox guide button. If the whole menu looks like that, I’d be happy.
It’s hard to judge the marketplace since it just kept throwing errors at me, the friends channel only displays 2 at a time since they all apparently need to stand in front of pointless set pieces, and it’s littered with ads. I’m not sure you’re gonna be able to convince me to pay 50 bucks a year to wade through advertisments to get to what I want.
Wii-ification complete. Oh wait, actually not. See in making an avatar last night it became clear that the Mii creator offers much more in the way of customization. All that talk from MSoft and what they give us is a dumbed down Mii creator? I didn’t even know that would be possible! But Microsoft managed to pull it off, though I’m sure they’ll add in all kinds of cool custom options…. for a price.
JJ BANKS on 20 Nov 2008 at 11:45 am #
I have no problems with the new dashboard layout.
Has anyone tried the Netflix option yet? How does that work?
Dan Zuccarelli on 20 Nov 2008 at 11:49 am #
The Netflix functionality is awesome, simply awesome
Kevin Alexander on 20 Nov 2008 at 12:12 pm #
So far I really like the slickness of it. I initially had the same feelings about the Friends portion of the main board when I first saw it but then when I looked at it last night, Grim Santos was in a party playing Left 4 Dead and I could see everyone he was playing with, and his avatars. I thought that was pretty cool.
Initially I made a really ugly avatar but I soon realized that I’m going to have to look at this thing a lot so I toned it down quite a bit. It was pretty atrocious…
I’m sure I’ll have more to say about on the next BitCast.
rdaneel72 on 20 Nov 2008 at 12:14 pm #
I’d like to see photos, Miis and Avatars of the staff, for comparison.
utopaline on 20 Nov 2008 at 12:35 pm #
Hey Jim, Glad you like it too, I have to agree about how silent my 360 is now. I’m hoping for some updates on the avatars to make them more custom. I didn’t really expect Dan to give it a chance either and his response really shows that. LOL. We still love you Dan…
anyways, hope yo see you on live to play some GOW2.
Utopaline
Faith on 20 Nov 2008 at 1:05 pm #
The NXE sucks. I hate the avatars, especially since I share an account with my boyfriend and you have to choose a gender. We don’t have the option of Netflix because we’re Canadian and the rest is all advertising.
I want the old dashboard back. Plus the cool gameshow channel isn’t even there.
Dan Zuccarelli on 20 Nov 2008 at 1:30 pm #
I’m not sure what “giving it a chance means” since I obviously did try it out and am using it. If you were expecting me to just roll over and like it, then yea… I guess I didn’t.
Also, my 360 locked up twice last night browsing the dashboard…. not sure if this is a problem with the new gui or not, but I’ve never had that happen before.
Braynbasher on 20 Nov 2008 at 1:41 pm #
Just had to put my two cents in. I see the NXE similar to what most websites do. Most recently IGN. At first it’s hard to understand why they changed it. I think in the long run it works out for the consumer and them. People get use to it and they soon forget what the old way use to look like. ( Do you remember the orignal dashboard.)I mean with Cloud computing now that can just add things without big updates. Yeh there’s going to be problems and your not going to like everything that they do. So far I’m starting to feel more connected to my friends and even my brother who live is San Diego. ( I’m in South Jersey). Yesterday my friends and me use the photosharing party for 3 hours and had so much fun and in 2 buttons presses we were all playing UNO. How is that not a good thing? In 6 months to a years time when developer’s get their hands on the new party system I think you will see a faster and even better way to use party’s. Now that it’s bad now. Should they have made avatars optional maybe but, they haven’t and I don’t mind it as much. I would argue that in most games we are just playing a avatar that is already set for us anyway. This one we get to custom to what we want. ( That’s why I like the Mii’s also.) There are exceptions as you WOW players well know. Saint’s Row, Fable and Fallout say’s hello also.
Dan, You said there is less customization in MS avatar system? I agree to a point. In 2 weeks time they will be updating every 2 weeks for at least 6 months. It’s been 2 years and we have yet to get a update from the good people at Nintendo. Also Home is coming out today. I remember it being announced GDC 2007. Most websites wanted to date Sony after that. Fast Forward to July 2008. They announce NXE and it comes out 5 months later.
I guess my big question to Dan is this: If you had the update Dashboard because of content, a refresh, and to upgrade certain aspects so that you could make changes a lot faster than 2 times a year. What would you have done?
Braynbasher on 20 Nov 2008 at 1:42 pm #
It locked up on me also. It come out it a minute later.
killquick on 20 Nov 2008 at 2:44 pm #
I updated the 360 yesterday morning for my daughter which take like two minutes to download & install and she began to create her avatar before she went to school. After school she came running into the house to get started to play a sims like game (keflings) is the name she told me where you can use the same avatar you created to play like a god in the game which is really cool I thought. My daughter is very happy with the NXE and as long as she is happy I am happy, way to go Microsoft.
Baker on 20 Nov 2008 at 2:44 pm #
Really no one has a choice but to “get used to it”. You have to have a dress-up doll whether you like it or not. But it does not represent me at all. And the only way someone can know this is by noticing i am using an unmodified avatar and my new motto “AVATARS RGAY”
Miles Moore on 20 Nov 2008 at 3:19 pm #
I was really opposed to the NXE dashboard update. When I downloaded it, I had to trudge through making an avatar. Which actually looks alot like me, so that’s cool I guess, but I honestly don’t care and really don’t need one. Rare made the avatars and I loved RARE, but really? Could they have tried to make them look a little different than mii’s?
The game install and party system are by far the best features I believe. it remindes me of my original modded xbox that I was able to install backups on the hard drive and launch any game straight from the dashboard. And the Party system….oohhh man, that is just a nice easy way of getting everyone playing on the same page.
I can’t really say anything on the Netflix streaming, because I don’t have Netflix, and I could get it, but my lousy ISP has the worst DSL service ever and only allows for 1.5mb, so streaming anything is absolutely atrocious.
Other than that, they layout bugs me, but what can I do, I thought the blades were much more easier to use. But I’m sure I’ll just get used to it.
All in all, a worthwhile update, but they could have left alot out and alone, and I would have been completely fine with it.
Xerxes3rd on 20 Nov 2008 at 10:32 pm #
After playing around with it for a little while, I can say that I love the features but hate the interface. I’m excited about Netflix streaming and love the party mode. It has a more polished look and is much more responsive than the old dashboard, but it feels like it was designed by a bunch of clueless managers and graphic designers. I found that it’s easier to navigate around using the menu you get via the Xbox Guide button.
Peachey on 21 Nov 2008 at 8:35 am #
I like it all around. Ironically, I’m not so sure that the interface is considerably more intuitive or simpler than the previous one. Sure, it LOOKS awesome, but is it really easier to find stuff? I’m going with a pensive “No”.
I actually really enjoy the avatar stuff. That said, I’m dissapointed there aren’t more options right from the get go, as the ones on hand seem rather shallow. I think their true value will come shining through once they launch the features that make thorough use of them. Case in point, A Kingdom for Keflings uses them very effectively, enough so that I’m actually considering purchasing the game.
I do also like the Party feature which is really convenient and visually appealing.
Most of all, however, I LOVE the community games function. There’s something about playing these scrappy little homegrown games that really turns me on. I think we’re going to see some incredibly creative stuff come out of this (and piles of shit too).
utopaline on 21 Nov 2008 at 11:33 am #
Hey Dan,
The only reason why I said that you didn’t give it a chance, is because you started complaining about it like over a month ago, pretty sure I remember a post titled “Xbox 360 interface to be ruined on November 19th. I call shenanigans.” that you wrote and you even said in your post that you have auto play set on your 360 to avoid the NXE
It’s not like it was a surprise to anyone on this site that you wouldn’t like it. I wasn’t being mean, or trying to start a feud. I was just making a comment based on what you have said in the past as well as in you first post in this thread.
Utopaline
utopaline on 21 Nov 2008 at 11:36 am #
EDIT
sorry Dan I quoted you wrong, you said “I just launch right into the games anyway now” not “auto play to avoid the NXE” I don’t want to be called out for misquoting someone, sorry
Utopaline
Dan Zuccarelli on 21 Nov 2008 at 12:10 pm #
Yes, I hated it when I first saw it and had no problems about voicing that opinion. But since it wasn’t optional I knew I’d be using it one way or another. So I went into it hoping I was wrong about my judgements, I’m not going to hate something if I really like it. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve changed my mind about something and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
But it sucks. I tried to use and enjoy it and it just sucks. There’s a huge part of me that wanted to be proven wrong, since I have no choice but to use it anyway.
jamie g on 21 Nov 2008 at 9:49 pm #
the change is refreshing and the new layout did take a wee bit of getting used to. But the 360 has never made me smile or laugh before like I did when first making my avatar. Little touches like making your avatar dizzy or angry by shaking their head, plus their little animations shown me that the faceless microsoft is finally having a sense of humour. Im all for it!
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