E3 2008: Microsoft Unveils Major Dashboard Update

Remember those rumors about a huge Dashboard update for the Xbox 360? During Microsoft’s press conference, it was proven to be true, all of it. Everything from avatars, to the “minority report” interface, etc; were all demoed at the conference. Even the old Netflix partnership rumor was proven factual at the event. Each of the features will be described in detail after the jump.

#1 Avatars

Out of all the rumors and speculation, the avatars seemed the most likely to be true. Sure enough, they were. The avatars are more customizable Miis. They are not like more customizable Miis, they are more customizable Miis. Microsoft and Rare didn’t even bother to make them more realistic. They avatars look, move, and serve the same purpose, as the Miis do. They will act as your visual representation in Xbox Live. Unlike Miis, however, Microsoft has apparently designed the avatars so that they can be implemented into any game a developer may want. Microsoft also announced that clothing and accessories for the avatars will be made available as content. Seeing as how they did not specifically state that the extra content would be available for free, I believe it is safe to assume that they will be accessible for a fee. The avatars also serve an important role in other features that will be explained later on in the article.

#2 Dashboard Renovation

Somehow the term update just doesn’t define the change that will be made to the Xbox 360 come fall. The new version of the Dashboard is completely different from the current one. The blades have been replaced with cover-flow pages which act similar to the iPhone interface. The new Dashboard definitely looks much more intuitive, and while it is more effective than the blades, I’m not sure it’s the most practical interface. The problem was not with the blades, but how they were organized. The new interface is definitely organized better, but whether it’s the best design remains to be seen. All in all, it does seem to have a good balance in ease of use and eye-candy.

#3 Party

In addition to the avatars and the Dashboard, Microsoft took the liberty of beating Home at it’s own game. Of all the updates, this one is, in my opinion, the smartest. The party system allows Xbox 360 owners to see the Miis- the avatars of the friends who are online. From what was shown, it seems that a chat bubble will display the name of the friend. Once a friend is highlight, the chat bubble displays what they are doing. Users can invite up to eight friends into a “party”. Here is where it gets interesting. The interaction that users have through the party system is simplistic, yet very, very effective. The example shown was the party leader displaying pictures, which were streamed to the other members. Netflix videos can be shared in a similar way. The party leader can decide other activities to do, such as play an Xbox Live Arcade game, or a retail game. There was is also a trivia game feature being added which allows “parties” to participate in popular game shows from their dashboard. Simple, no “homes” no virtual living rooms etc;

We will provide more information as it becomes available. For now, the Dashboard update will be released in the fall, no specific date has been released as of yet.