Testing The New Xbox 360 Dashboard!

I’m liveblogging my experiences with the new XBox 360 Dashboard!  For the most up-to-date info, refresh your page or follow me at http://www.twitter.com/jcbaggee



4:42:23 PM: Alright guys, I just got the new XBox 360 Dashboard, BECAUSE I AM AWESOME. Gonna take a quick look at it.

4:42:44 PM: First up, the install size is supposed to be smaller on some games, so I’m gonna test that out. Since I only have a 20 Gb hard drive…

4:42:57 PM: …this is kind of a big deal for me! Testing with Fallout 3; the original install is 6.0Gb.

4:44:04 PM: Game install is starting now!

4:48:31 PM: Jesus, the install certainly seems to be going faster….

4:52:20 PM: Fallout 3 installed, size is now reduced to 5.5Gb! Not much, but hey, every little bit counts. Gonna try it with MASS EFFECT, now…

4:52:35 PM: …since MASS EFFECT is older, maybe the size is smaller. *shrug*

4:53:36 PM: I don’t remember the exact size of the original Mass Effect install, but I believe it was around 4.7 Gb of so.

4:55:30 PM: One thing of note on the Fallout 3 install, it only took 9 – 10 minutes, which is (if I recall correctly) a marked improvement in the…

4:56:05 PM: …speed it takes the game to install. The time isn’t necessarily cut in half, but I think it took a little over 15 minutes before.

4:56:16 PM: Granted, I could just be delusional *shrug*

4:58:00 PM: Mass Effect install taking much longer than Fallout 3 did…but I’ve always had issues with that disc. So who knows!

5:05:47 PM: Oh goodie, I seemt o have broken my liveblogging app :P

5:05:59 PM: I’m sure Twitter is weeping.
5:06:31 PM: Mass Effect install now at 81%.

5:08:13 PM: No, wait, never mind. It’s working now. I think.

5:10:15 PM: Mass Effect is installed, and I was apparently WAY off on the install size. It’s 6.8 Gb! No major improvement.

5:10:45 PM: Gonna try The Orange Box for the last one, then move on to look at some other stuff, like a good sound system since I got the best home theater subwoofer under 500 at a store online.

5:12:09 PM: Ghostbusters install starting now.5:11:21 PM: Actually, on second thought, let’s look at GHOSTBUSTERS and see if it’s decreased any.

5:17:57 PM: Just found a list that says The Orange Box is down to 3.9Gb installed. That list is on Cheap Ass Gamer forums, click! http://bit.ly/RcHTR

5:19:54 PM: The full list of the install size changes are at http://bit.ly/3H6jhr

5:22:09 PM: Ghostbusters install done, final size is 6.2Gb. Time to take a look at the Avatar updates.

5:22:57 PM: First big difference is the addition of an Avatar Marketplace, and Avatar Awards.

5:23:40 PM: Lots of new shirts. Black hoodie! Yay! Some of the new items have color selections, also.

5:26:49 PM: Correction: Only 1 shirt with color options, the “Power” Tee, which was only available in Green before. I don’t see many other new items.

5:28:44 PM: There do seem to be a few new pants, but I’m not really sure.

5:30:01 PM: Some name brand stuff in the Marketplace. Looks pretty cool, but I can’t bring myself to buy clothes for my avatar at this point.

5:30:27 PM: Avatar Awards and Props are purchased or unlocked through games. Guess I should dive back into Oblivion and see if I get anything!

5:32:27 PM: Here’s one @bluraven will like, since he uses Parties a lot I’ve noticed…users who are disconnected are now automatically reconnected.

5:33:10 PM: Also, it seems they have streamlined the Party invite system, but I don’t know anything about that! Ho hum.

5:33:59 PM: 5-star rating systems for games and such in the marketplace, available from the Game Information screen.

5:34:29 PM: Also allows you to sort games in the Marketplace by User Rating; should be useful once Games On Demand starts up.

5:35:22 PM: G.O.D. purchases are stored, so you can delete and reinstall later, and manuals are available via XBox.com…also, that Gamertag can…

5:35:41 PM: ..play the game on any console.

5:36:56 PM: Supposedly some change to the In-Game Achievements browser; gonna fire up Ghostbusters and check that out.

5:38:37 PM: Achievements in the game are now displayed with the description above the list of icons, similar to the browser in the main Dashboard.

5:41:14 PM: I don’t have Netflix right now, so I can’t test that out. Hrm. Anyone here have it? Let me know of any of the improved features.

5:43:58 PM: There’s a new Achievements page right past the Gamer Info page on you dashboard, with a Min/Max of your Gamerscore points and…

5:44:14 PM: …a Min/Max of earned Achievements. Which only serves to remind me how fail I am :

5:44:56 PM: I don’t notice any changes to the Video/Music/Picture libraries right off hand.

5:47:55 PM: XBox Live Community Games are now known as XBox Live Indie Games.

5:49:18 PM: I’m seeing Demos available for Indie Games now, I never noticed those before but I could be mistaken.

5:50:38 PM: Alright, I think that’s really all there is to say about it. I’ll update in the future if anything else comes up. Leave comments if you…

5:50:47 PM: …have questions, comments, etc!

About Christopher Baggett

Christopher Baggett has owned and operated The HomeWorld independently since 2009 after spinning it off from his previous concept, 'The Anime Homeworld'. In addition to journalistic endeavors, he is an aspiring novelist. Arizona born military brat Christopher currently resides in the Georgia area.

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