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360 dashboard update detailed
Microsoft has issued a new update to your 360's dashboard. Here's what it does...
Written by Chris Schilling, 11 August 2009
If you've switched on your 360 today, you'll know that Microsoft has decided to treat everyone with a brand new update to the dashboard, with a number of improvements - some very noticeable, some less so.
It's those delightfully bland Avatars that have seen the most significant changes - there's an Avatar Marketplace which allows you to kit out your character in clothes based on games or real-world brands. You're not just limited to clothes, either - you can purchase props, too. So if you'd like your digital self to wield a virtual guitar (and you've got the Microsoft Points to pay for it), you can.
You can launch movie parties for you and up to seven friends - Avatars will be present throughout, and can even throw popcorn if, for example, you decide to put The Hottie And The Nottie on.
The Achievements section has been slightly rejigged, with the ability to earn clothing and items for your Avatar from games which offer such a reward. No word yet on which titles support said feature - we're told to "stay tuned" on that one.
The Games on Demand service offers access to a number of full retail titles, which are downloadable from Xbox LIVE - assuming you've got a hard-drive big enough to old them, that is. Each has a downloadable manual, and is linked to your LIVE account, so should you delete it in a fit of madness (or simply to make room for something else), you can download it again free of charge. You'll even be able to download it to another 360 console if you're rich enough to own more than one.
User Ratings have been introduced for games on the Marketplace, allowing users to point out which titles they think are worthwhile. This enables players to see at a glance which games are the Top Rated among their peers. So tomorrow's release Trials HD should hopefully be riding high by weekend. Community Games have now been retitled Indie Games, which sounds like a much better name to us.
Tweaks have been made to the Party system which allows for automatic reconnections in the case of your internet misbehaving, while Invites have been streamlined, too. Friends List sorting has been made easier, while clearing your hard drive's cache is simpler than having to input a code - it's provided as an option within the Memory section of your console's System Settings.
If we uncover any more changes, we'll let you know. As for the much talked-about Facebook and Twitter support - that'll have to wait for the next dashboard update, we're afraid.
