If you’re an Xbox 360 gamer you’ve probably noticed that your console did a mandatory update early last week. The purpose of this latest update was to prepare your Xbox 360 for Kinect, adding a number of new features and options in anticipation of the launch of Microsoft’s controller-less motion controller. But along with all the Kinect features, the latest Xbox 360 dashboard update also streamlined the experience of jumping in/out of games, talking with friends and watching movies. We even got ESPN support! So is change a good thing? Let’s discuss.
It’s So Bright
When the new dashboard finishes installing on your Xbox 360 you’ll instantly notice how much brighter the interface is. Instead of the default lime green color, everything is now stark white. Honestly, it can be a little hard on the eyes at first, especially the Xbox Guide menu where you group/chat with friends and change system settings. We’re not saying we want the odd color scheme back, but this change of pace is going to take some time getting use to.
Streamlined
With the new dashboard interface we also get a much quicker, lag-free experience cycling through the various sections of the Xbox 360 dashboard. Previous iterations of the 360 dashboard were very laggy when jumping back and forth between sections and bringing up and closing the Xbox Guide menu. Not anymore. Also, the rounded edges of the dashboard’s menus are now gone, replaced with much sharper edges. This looks much nicer and cleaner. We welcome this change to the layout of the 360’s dashboard with open arms. The only nitpick we have about the new streamlined layout is that the staggering of options has been toned down, making it harder to see a large breath of available items upon first glance. Small price to pay, however.
Netflix Plus
Finally there is a “search” option, for the love of Christ. This has been something that has been needed since day one. No longer do you have to go to your computer to add films to your instant queue that aren’t already located in specific genre’s recently added list. Instead you can now use Netflix’s smart search feature that makes finding the movies/shows you want to watch a snap. The general layout of the 360’s Netflix has also been streamlined, making the loading of programs infinitely faster, including stuff in HD. It’s been a long time coming, but the Xbox 360’s Netflix integration is finally better than the PlayStation 3’s thanks to this latest update.
ESPN
This is one of the biggest new additions to the Xbox 360 dashboard. With a multitude of On Demand sporting events, ranging from Cricket to NFL football, as well as game highlights and Sports Center integration, ESPN on Xbox 360 is pretty damn awesome. Its depth isn’t anywhere near turning on ESPN on your television, but it’s close. It’s more like ESPN bite size--giving you the important highlights around the world of sports so you can participate in water cooler conversations. Hell, I learned about Randy Moss' waiving by the Vikings through ESPN on Xbox 360. So within a day of having ESPN integration on my 360 it already proved its worth.
Conclusion
Overall, we’re quite happy with the new Xbox 360 dashboard. What we’ve covered are the major additions to the new layout, but there are a large number of smaller tweaks Microsoft made to make the experience of using your Xbox 360 even better. Even if you have no intention of picking up Microsoft Kinect for your Xbox 360, this update should be something you look forward to for it’s streamlining of the dashboard and the improvements it introduces to some of the best features already integrated into the console. Essentially, the Xbox 360 keeps getting better.
