[Geofries]

Is ridiculously slick. The avatar system is quite nice. I was decking my guy out, while my wife was on the sofa next to me. She never touches the Xbox, doesn't like games. I exit and save, go to turn off system, and she says "hey wait let me do mine!". =)

Can't wait to see some games incorporate the avatar. This is much better than the blades. That was just an ok idea executed terribly IMO.

[Dakar V]

The blades weren't terribly efficient, but they never bothered me much. I'm more curious about how Dashboard access from inside games goes. That was by far the most laggy experience.

[subego]

I'm downloading it now.

[mdc]

I was going to check for it before I left for work this morning but then figured that if it was out I'd be late for work since I'd spend time on an avatar.
I'll download it when I get home.

Has anyone tried Netflix HD? Does it work as advertised?

[Dakar V]

How does it even work? (The HD part)

[Geofries]

Well this morning the netflix activation site said to return in two hours, so I'll be trying that out on lunch break as I work down the street from my house. That's by far the most exciting part for me.

In interesting in the dashboard in game also. That was so slow.

[Dakar V]

"According to Netflix, streaming in HD requires a connection of 8mbps or greater. That's a problem for me as my connection maxes around 5mbps. So while I was still able to stream HD, I was in their second quality tier, not first."

I guess I don't have to worry about actually getting to watch HD. Though honestly, I wouldn't mind setting it to buffer early.

[Geofries]

Hmm, I wonder how you find out what your connection is?

And if buffering a little early is an option, I'll definitely do that. I really hate how non hd/widescreen looks pixelated on my 42 inch screen.

[ajprice]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

"According to Netflix, streaming in HD requires a connection of 8mbps or greater. That's a problem for me as my connection maxes around 5mbps. So while I was still able to stream HD, I was in their second quality tier, not first."

I guess I don't have to worry about actually getting to watch HD. Though honestly, I wouldn't mind setting it to buffer early.

How does the requirements compare with HD movie streaming and buffering on the iTunes store?

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by Geofries 

Hmm, I wonder how you find out what your connection is?

..well you could do a speed test. Logically, though, wouldn't you know what you're paying for per month?

Originally Posted by ajprice 

How does the requirements compare with HD movie streaming and buffering on the iTunes store?

Dunno.

[Geofries]

Lol no sir I don't. I just know I have highspeed cable internet. Never bothered with the details. Auto payment and all =)

Im asking them right now.

[subego]

Just watched about 3 minutes of Pan's Labyrinth.

Looks about on par with HD Cable. IOW not as good as BR, but certainly not bad.

[Geofries]

6mb. Boo. I'm not paying for the 16mb.

[Dakar V]

Web-based Marketplace is finally up

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by Geofries 

6mb. Boo. I'm not paying for the 16mb.

Haha... Sounds like you have Comcast as your provider.

[Geofries]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

Haha... Sounds like you have Comcast as your provider.

[sek929]

The Netflix thing is cool
The Mii..uhh I mean AVATAR seems kinda useless
The interface does feel a bit snappier™
The sounds are a complete rip-off of the Wii, I didn't like the Wii sounds, the 360s were fine IMO

It's an improvement over the glacially-slow blade interface, of course it has yet to be tested under extreme gaming situations.

[Big-C]

I have a new xbox, and last weekend I set up my wireless connection. I started to create some sort of ID (said I had to), but after going through the process it said I would have to try later. Hurumph.

Anyway, to my question: Begin an ultra-newbie to this, do I just turn it on tonight when I get home from work and it will tell me "get the update!" or do I have to do something specific?

Thanks for any tips!

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by sek929 

it has yet to be tested under extreme gaming situations.

Well crack open a Mountain Dew and get to it.

[sek929]

Big-C, you won't be able to avoid the update

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Well crack open a Mountain Dew and get to it.

I'm waist-deep in trying to get the original Half-Life running on my machine.

Never got the chance to play it.

[goMac]

Interface feels snappier, still getting used to the layout.

Disappointed nothing was done with DVD or music playback.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I'm waist-deep in trying to get the original Half-Life running on my machine.

Never got the chance to play it.

Try WINE or Crossover under Mac OS X. Crossover plays Half Life 2 for me no problem.

WINE had some DirectX issues, I think those are fixed now...

[Dakar V]

So how do you view HD content on netflix? It shows my queue, but since there's no option to search for HD streaming content on their site, I have to assume, everything I have is SD.

[ort888]

So far I'm not a big fan. It's still super bloated and confusing. I expected it to be more streamlined and intuitive and I'm finding myself struggling to find things.

It was super bloated and confusing before as well... but it I was used to it.

Don't like the avatars. Made mine the most hideous thing I could come up with.

[Brien]

NXE is awesome. I love it. I liked the old Dashboard, but probably because I was used to it. They moved the HD DVD icon way to the end of the list, though, and some things used to be easier to access (like the aformentioned HD DVD thing) but overall it's a much welcome improvement.

[klb5090]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I'm waist-deep in trying to get the original Half-Life running on my machine.

Never got the chance to play it.

Wha wha wha wha... what?! Your in for a treat my friend, we both know HL2 is amazing but the original is just a mess of crowbar fun.

[klb5090]

NXE Impressions:
Netflix
Guide button
No more blades
Overall look
Install Games to HD
Avatars
Party chat

i think that equals an A- or B+ grade

[sek929]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

Wha wha wha wha... what?! Your in for a treat my friend, we both know HL2 is amazing but the original is just a mess of crowbar fun.

I know, my friends rave about it, but being a Mac user all these years has me going back to play all these gems (beat System Shock 2 BTW)

[goMac]

Originally Posted by klb5090 

Wha wha wha wha... what?! Your in for a treat my friend, we both know HL2 is amazing but the original is just a mess of crowbar fun.

Half Life 1 was ok, in the same way that Halo 1 was ok. They're fun to play, but they're not groundbreaking games. Half Life 1 is mostly just the same shooting/jumping/running puzzles that most of FPS's are, requiring you to make heavy use of quicksave/load.

Half Life 2 was far better imo. The physics gun changed the gameplay a bit. Still not great on the same level Portal is, but on the path to greatness.

[rebelgoddess]

How do you watch Netflix with your friends?

[sek929]

Hmm, I guess you might have to authorize each machine you use with your online Netflix account.

[rebelgoddess]

How do you do that?

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by ort888 

So far I'm not a big fan. It's still super bloated and confusing. I expected it to be more streamlined and intuitive and I'm finding myself struggling to find things.

It was super bloated and confusing before as well... but it I was used to it.

Don't like the avatars. Made mine the most hideous thing I could come up with.

So, here's my first impressions:

Old version: Scroll left and right in "Blades" to access different areas. Scroll (mostly) up to access options.
New version: Scroll up and down to access different areas. Scroll (mostly) right to access the different option windows.

Advantage: New version, but not by much. Sure, it's much faster than blades, but with the line of windows fading into the distance, your ability to quickly discern all your options is impaired. I'll withhold judgment for the time being, on the areas they've created, and their usefulness, but so far the Friend's list has been buried in the back, and is the biggest pain thanks to the fading line of windows, making a quick appraisal of your friends list impossible.

Other impressions: Avatars are somewhat pointless, exacerbated by what seems to be a purposeful effort to withhold options with the intent to slowly release them over the next 3 - 6 months. And that **** better not be pay. AT least they didn't give them an awful nickname.

Background (and themes) have been neutered. The fading line of windows now eats up all the important screen space (rightfully so), but the "floor" they sit on now eats up half the remaining background looking bland.

The Live store seems much better organized. And responsive. Too bad this is almost meaningless to me.

Netflix: Biggest win. Which is great, as this is the part I was most interested in.

---

So I'm not all that impressed by the NXE. The space/layers/whatever they should be called are much more responsive, but they've made that kind of pointless with making scrolling right so much more integral to locating what you need. Seems messier at the cost of a nicer presentation. Once everyone is settled in I imagine it'll still be much better overall.

I haven't tried the Dashboard in game, but judging from pressing the XBOX button on my controller while still on the base-level Dashboard, it's not going to load any faster. They did make it much more compact and neat, and it looks like a real improvement over the old screen devouring, navigational mess. I think it'll be a great improvement when you have to use it in games.

[ajprice]

I like it so far, had a quick play around with it lastnight. Why is the Xbox Guide button menu/Dashboard (the blades in the middle of the screen) lower res though? I'm on 1920x1200, the main system looks fine but the Xbox Guide is fuzzy. Its a new system isn't it, couldn't they work out how to keep the same resolution and sharpness whatever menu you're in?

[Dakar V]

It's probably exacerbated on your screen, but I wouldn't have called it crisp on my 720p.

Edit: May be they dumbed it down for the SD people. remember the mess that was Dead Rising's small text?

[gradient]

We can now install our games to the HD!!! That his HUGE for me as my two (and only) pet peeves with the 360 are optical drive related: It's noisy as hell and sometimes scratches my discs. I tested it out by installing Madden 09 to the HD last night, as it's the game I play the most these days, and the results were great. I found that it did speed up the interface a bit, too.

I HATE the avatars. Not so much that I hate the avatars, I suppose, as I hate that I didn't have any option but to create one. Why were there no 'later' or 'skip' options? eesh.

[Dakar V]

Halo 3: Please Don't Install Halo 3 On Your 360's HDD

[NobleMatt]

Since when could Microsoft design a both designer friendly and good looking GUI?

its fantastic in my eyes

[::maroma::]

My opinion is that I really like the new interface. There are a couple minor quips, but overall this is a massive improvement over the hideous blades and the layout they used previously. The navigation of the blades didn't bother me too much, but the layout/colors made me want to scream.

XBE seems cleaner and easier on my brain, which is good because I hate brain strain. I am having no trouble with navigating through the interface. The fact that things are much more responsive make navigation easier. Personally, I find the layout pretty intuitive. There were only a couple of things I had to really search for, and those were things that I would only need to access once every so often. Everything else I found right away. And the way they reorganized some of the areas was much improved.

I like the avatars. I know they are a ripoff and are somewhat cheesy, but I like them. They bring more of a personality to your friends, as opposed to a static tiny square with a low res image inside of it. And I think when they start putting the avatars to more uses, they will be more well received. Right now they are just fun (if you find that sort of thing fun).

I don't have a Netflix account but I really like this feature. I like it so much that I'm going to sign up for a trial account today to test it out. If the picture quality is good enough, I'll keep the account.

So I'm very happy with this update. Its something that was sorely needed, and I think Microsoft pulled it off pretty well. Considering they're Microsoft and all.

Question: Has anyone downloaded a Premium Theme yet? I want to, but the 250 credit cost is a bit rough. I'm wondering if they're worth it. I assume they "skin" most of the interface, including your Friends area and such? Anyone have any experience with these yet? I'm particularly looking at the Halo 3 Premium Theme, or maybe the Halo Wars(?) one.

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

My opinion is that I really like the new interface. There are a couple minor quips, but overall this is a massive improvement over the hideous blades and the layout they used previously. The navigation of the blades didn't bother me too much, but the layout/colors made me want to scream.

XBE seems cleaner and easier on my brain, which is good because I hate brain strain. I am having no trouble with navigating through the interface. The fact that things are much more responsive make navigation easier. Personally, I find the layout pretty intuitive. There were only a couple of things I had to really search for, and those were things that I would only need to access once every so often. Everything else I found right away. And the way they reorganized some of the areas was much improved.

I like the avatars. I know they are a ripoff and are somewhat cheesy, but I like them. They bring more of a personality to your friends, as opposed to a static tiny square with a low res image inside of it. And I think when they start putting the avatars to more uses, they will be more well received. Right now they are just fun (if you find that sort of thing fun).

I don't have a Netflix account but I really like this feature. I like it so much that I'm going to sign up for a trial account today to test it out. If the picture quality is good enough, I'll keep the account.

So I'm very happy with this update. Its something that was sorely needed, and I think Microsoft pulled it off pretty well. Considering they're Microsoft and all.

Question: Has anyone downloaded a Premium Theme yet? I want to, but the 250 credit cost is a bit rough. I'm wondering if they're worth it. I assume they "skin" most of the interface, including your Friends area and such? Anyone have any experience with these yet?

Wow, you're the wdlove of the nxe.

If I'm not mistaken, there's GoW2 theme that's free that skins the friends area (I have it, and I don't pay for ****, but it may not be free anymore).
I'd be more impressed if it skinned all the rows, but it only skins the Friends area, and further, it doesn't modify the bland "floor" (Unlike the Fable 2 theme, though I don't know whether that modification would apply outside the Friends area)

[::maroma::]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

Wow, you're the wdlove of the nxe.

If I'm not mistaken, there's GoW2 theme that's free that skins the friends area (I have it, and I don't pay for ****, but it may not be free anymore).
I'd be more impressed if it skinned all the rows, but it only skins the Friends area, and further, it doesn't modify the bland "floor" (Unlike the Fable 2 theme, though I don't know whether that modification would apply outside the Friends area)

Let it be known that I am not akin to giving Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, and I enjoy being over critical when it comes to things designed by Microsoft. So the fact that I really enjoy this update says a lot to me.

Of course, I've only used it for one evening. There is always a chance for backpedaling. I reserve that right.

I may take the plunge tonight and get a Premium Theme. I have 360 credits sitting there not doing much. If I do, I'll post my findings.

[::maroma::]

Testing this thing out:

[Dakar V]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

Of course, I've only used it for one evening. There is always a chance for backpedaling. I reserve that right.

Same here, same here.

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

Testing this thing out:

It's like a bad business card.

[Dakar V]

By the way, I love how most of us *********s are wearing sunglasses on our avatars.

Edit: Since when is douche bags censored?

[::maroma::]

Hah! Yeah, I felt that I looked too much like a child without sunglasses. Kinda creeped me out a little.

But I suppose the point is not to look like an adult avatar. Whatev.

[Dakar V]

I've heard it referred that it's very hard not to come out looking like a lesbian. As Exhibit A, I point you to sek's av.

[::maroma::]

Bahaha! When I first glanced at sek's avatar in the Friends list I thought it was a tomboy chick.

Sorry sek.

[Dakar V]

To be fair, my av looks like some douche nozzle who would be drinking a $10 latte while driving a Kompressor.

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by Dakar V 

I've heard it referred that it's very hard not to come out looking like a lesbian. As Exhibit A, I point you to sek's av.

I haven't downloaded the new Dashboard yet. Does his Avatar look like Sarah Silverman too?