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 
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!