Xbox 360 update out now

[UPDATE] Microsoft's spring update hits Xbox Live earlier than expected; more than 125 features included in biannual system upgrade.

When Microsoft announced the spring update for the Xbox 360, owners of its next-gen console rejoiced. The update was created in response to its customers' wishes, and it will add several features to the console that users hoped for.

[UPDATE] The company targeted the update's release "about a week" from its announcement on May 26, and it looks as though Microsoft is holding up its end of the bargain. GameSpot has confirmed that the update is now up on Xbox Live and ready for download. Yesterday, Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb wrote that the update would be available between 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Pacific Time, but it appears that Microsoft unleashed the download earlier than expected.

The update includes more than 125 new "features and enhancements," the most notable being a download manager that can prioritize six downloads. Navigation of the 360's dashboard is changed under the update, making it easier for users to find content taken from Xbox Live Marketplace. The various media functions of the 360, including the DVD player, music player, and video viewer, have also been upgraded with new playback options.

The update is free of charge, but currently requires an Xbox Live account, either Silver or Gold. According to Microsoft, the download takes less than one minute and will be stored on the system's built in memory--no hard drive space is required.

For a full list of features added with the update, head over to the official Xbox Web site. The next major update is scheduled to take place this fall.

330 Comments

  • fbi100

    Posted Oct 16, 2006 2:35 pm PT

    cool

  • 00Drache00

    Posted Oct 4, 2006 8:37 pm PT

    screw all that crap, i want my X-Box games... I WANT TO PLAY SPIDER-MAN 2 AND ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN! ERRRR.... AND DOA:XBV... etc etc.

  • TKO_Clembo

    Posted Jun 13, 2006 2:11 pm PT

    yo i was wondering if anyone had to update there xbox 360s when they went on xbox live on tuesday the 13th of may ,because i had already download the new dashbroad update so i was wondering if anyone knew what this second update was for. Post Back

  • Salt_Rok

    Posted Jun 13, 2006 11:21 am PT

    OMG wat a bunch of NERDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS ONE STUPID TIIINNNNYYYY UPDATE AND YOUS ALL GO CRAZY!!! OMG NEERRRRRRDDDSSSS!!!!!

  • mezonesxbox

    Posted Jun 13, 2006 1:48 am PT



    I LOVE UPDATES!!

  • gforce85

    Posted Jun 12, 2006 9:55 am PT

    Hurray for updates!

  • filodelallata

    Posted Jun 12, 2006 8:21 am PT

    thats a lot of updates!

  • IRON-MAN777

    Posted Jun 12, 2006 8:08 am PT

    Great Updates--BUT...........It sucks that you now have to signed into XBOX LIVE just to play your Arcade games you paid for.--I loved playing Geometry Wars while my girl is online--Forget it now!!

  • AceCometh

    Posted Jun 12, 2006 7:42 am PT

    ..I like sausage. O.o

  • skitzocyko

    Posted Jun 12, 2006 5:48 am PT

    Hail the 360!!

  • milne

    Posted Jun 12, 2006 5:31 am PT

    mmmm....paaaatch.....

  • shotokan_42

    Posted Jun 11, 2006 3:48 pm PT

    This sounds very interesting.

  • -Twilight-

    Posted Jun 10, 2006 12:50 pm PT

    I'm definitely updating the 360!

  • Solram

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 8:20 pm PT

    Has anyone noticed that the "Crib points" for NBA 2k6 are all crazy now? It just adds a 1 to every stat you get. Like if a player gets 10 points, it says you scored 100 points........? It's only been like that since the updates. DId this happen to anyone else?

  • Crazy_McGee

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 7:45 pm PT


    cktingley
    Are you able to fast forward Music?

    That should have been in THIS update........if people complain enough, it'll be out by xmas.

  • dragthat

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 11:08 am PT

    Keeps getting better i can't wait to the 360 now.

  • cktingley

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 8:13 am PT

    Are you able to fast forward Music?

  • sbedeus

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 7:52 am PT

    i wonder if it updates all the xbox compatible games for the hard drive?

  • EmperorSamoth

    Posted Jun 9, 2006 4:43 am PT

    I got the update, but how about those who do not have broadband? I think including the game on some new games is cool and all, but make those kiosks at Wal-Mart and Target serve a better purpose and have the dashboard update be uploaded to a memory card.

    Just sayin', you know...

  • JohnBuddha

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 8:50 pm PT

    The update made xbox 360 life even better!

  • Animal91X

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 9:15 am PT

    wow, I must get right on to my XBOX 360, imagin this update, wow.

  • luke-a-vitch

    Posted Jun 8, 2006 9:08 am PT

    it really hasnt done much... no need for excitment
    few music, dvd feature big woop

  • Crazy_McGee

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 7:30 pm PT

    Okay, let's get one thing straight; Xbox does not suck. Millions upon millions of happy users across the globe will disagree with anyone that makes that claim, myself being one of them. To anyone that says that any of the systems suck with no real evidence to back it up, other than speculative heresay and supposed system specs is taking gaming loyalty beyond loving games on a particular system to a form of stereotypical slander (I know I'm going to get a response to that saying "oh, he's being too emotional over this").

    That being said, I have little doubt that both Sony and Nintendo will release killer systems that will finally see some true competition in the gaming industry between three giants that hasn't been seen since the early - to mid-90's.

    As for downloadable content and compatability...........well, my take on the whole shebang is this: downloadable content adds to the replay value of a game, giving gamers a chance to pick up that game they no longer play and play it for a little while longer. As for compatability, I believe that Microsoft is taking the right step in limiting legacy xbox compatability. It frees up personnel that would normally have to make xbox games work on the 360 to work on things like, oh, I don't know, MAKE NEW XBOX 360 GAMES!!!! Isn't that what we dished out the better part of $400 U.S. for; to play Xbox 360 games? Or did I waste my money just to get an xbox with a facelift?

  • KingBobCat

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 5:58 pm PT

    Said before, I'll say it again.... Is anyone with me on this?

    Now, if they'd only get off their collective butts and update the backward compatability list. It'd be nice to play some games I bought just a few months before the 360's release. Who the heck chooses the games on this list? Some of them I wouldn't take if you gave them to me at a garage sale! And one crappy little update since December? I think their support in this area has been absolutely AWFUL!

  • loic54

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 5:53 pm PT

    w00t, but xbox sucks!!!!!!!!

  • lhardwick692

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 5:32 pm PT

    i cant believe i paid 400 bucks for a system that worries more about updating its system and downloadable content--which by the way isnt happening at a fast pace at all...
    sony-nintendo-and microsoft need to realize that we as gamers arent paying these huge prices just to play old school games--sure i wouldnt mind it if they updated legacy of kaine bloon omen 2 soul reaver 1 and 2--or even oddworlds abe oddessy and abes exxoddus-- and a all star trilogy of crash bandicoot 1 2 and 3--you get the point of the games i would like to see updated and downloadable---
    but it seems as if they are worrying more about "downloadable content" than actually releasing next gen games to the gamer--if microsoft doesnt get some quality games out instead of pushing them closer to the ps3 release to try to still sonys flame---then the only flame that will be stolen is their own andit will be their own fault--
    everyone talks ps3 500-600 bucks---well the xbox360 if they took their time and made the hd-dvd feature available--it would have costed 600 bucks like the ps3---the only thing is with the ps3--if you want to buy a movie thats on blu-ray disc--you wont need to buy an add-on peripheral to be able to play it
    so instead of people whining about what sony ps3 gonna cost--and look deeper into the mind of bill gates--everyone knows how much of a money hungry man he is--he did some figuring to see that the add on will make him millions more--as to wher sony says...well we are taking our time to make this right..and then the hd-dvd add-on wont even play hd-dvd games--it will just play movies--what a crock of bull that is--sony ps3 will be able to play movies and games on discs that are capable of being made to hold 100 gig of data
    the controller feud with nintendo and sony--so what if nintendo came up with the controller moving in six degrees and stuff..theres this thing called market which as long as it isnt the same thing and same name then its not wrong...look at coke and pepsi --7up and sprite..different name but with coke and pepsi its the cola and 7up and sprite its the lemon lime thing.. so instead of worrying about who stole off who and lets get on to gaming--
    microsoft did the same thing about downloadable content-as nintendo will and sony will but microsoft isnt shelling out anything new..just old stuff.like nintendo and sony..so lets again quit bickering about who ripped the ideas off of each other...

  • Jumbo120788

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 5:30 pm PT

    im glad they did this

  • zilcher

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 5:15 pm PT

    Heh. Look at the list. These things should have been taken care of before the first 360 shipped. New and improved? you mean finnally fixed all the glitches! And to think people payed top dollar for a system without these NEW features.

  • geeorge

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 4:57 pm PT

    the 360 would own more if they added an internet browser and if it was able to download music from an ipod onto the hard drive

  • jwallace

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 4:43 pm PT

    ^^^
    I'm an ex-Sony fanboy myself, and actually hated the thought of owning an Xbox, but the X360 sounds better and better. It's sounds like the type of downloads that PSP owners use periodically, except in a bigger, more practical scale. "Booting to the Dashboard" sounds neat too, and not having a 360 I want to ask: does that mean that instead of instantly loading a game from the drive it lets you choose options from the console's browser instead? If so that should be standard for all consoles.

  • DieHardTWB

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 4:42 pm PT

    Nice update

  • Coldzboy

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 4:41 pm PT

    I don't have a three sixty, so I don't really care....

  • 69TriP63

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 4:35 pm PT

    I downloaded yesterday... funny thing was it freed up space on my xbox...

  • WagTheDog

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 3:32 pm PT

    WOW!! Xbox 1 games with background music from your PC, iPod, PSP, Hard Drive. Are you kidding me? Halo 2 on the 360 is a lot more fun with your music playing in the background as you stomp your foes on Live. Same goes for GTA its like CJ's carrying around my iPod in his pocket, in HD. I'll admit I am no fan of Sony, and Xbox only got my dollar over the PS2 because of the enhanced features of the Linux mods, and Dashboards. Microsoft has done their research and with this update have delivered more than any of those mod dashboards MS copied to make the 360 dashboard.

    This is such a huge step for the Xbox 360, and I can see why they waited to implement these features. To ensure they would work, I never expected any changes, and MS has delivered 125 less than six months after purchasing the unit. I am supposed to take offense to this, and put down Microsoft for their "patch"? I thank Microsoft for using an upgrade to the dashboard to buy my loyalty. Hey Xbox Live and the dashboard are money very well spent.

    The only problem I found with the update was while listening to a song from any source while playing an Xbox 1 game, the FFW, REW, STOP, PAUSE, PLAY, NEXTTRACK, and PREVTRACK commands are accessible only through the remote, which is an unfortunate oversight if you don't have one. Otherwise I am completely blown away by this update to my dashboard.

    I can only hope Sony copies Xbox Live, and the entire Xbox Dashboard system. To those that do not like the idea of having the option to upgrade your console months, and years after purchase. I can only shake my head and ask why not? All manufacturers should be following this model. Yes the line between console and PC is being blurred, but if the end result is a better product, that stimulates innovation, and results in a better experience, why not?

    It pains me to see so many anti-MS posters telling us this is a sub-par system. I can't believe how much time I've spent on my Xbox not playing games, but watching game, and movie trailers in HD, the E3 content was excellent, I've greatly enjoyed the Arcade games, and let me say SF2 goddamn that's going to rock the house, and you guys can't deny it. I know its not 1992 anymore, but man that game is timeless, for 400 points you can own this game in HD and play it on Xbox Live. Incredible. They're not only revolutionizing the present they are also evolving the past generation of games to a degree even the original designers probably never imagined.

    If I can have have more games like SF2 and Sonic in HD I'll be happy with this purchase forever. Xbox stopped support for its console?? Fine go mod your console, and forget about MS, they're hardware will survive beyond their support. Very few people have yet to realize the potential the Xbox had, and still has in a non HD market. Xbox 360 is at the advent of the HD era, and PS3, along with Blueray and HD-DVD will continue to force to us to upgrade and update.

    And to the haters just relax and enjoy the ride. Upgrades are always a good thing.

  • hellknight40000

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 3:16 pm PT

    Microsoft kicks Sony's "borrowing" a** this generation!!!!

  • mightywarlord

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 3:03 pm PT

    Vitz3, I apparently don't own any games.

  • mightywarlord

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 2:54 pm PT

    "Sony better be learning"

    That "learning" is why everyone here bashes them.

  • seancore

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 2:47 pm PT

    Will we now be able to input personal photos onto our gamercards? If so, how? Before I could only change the Background Theme.

  • fmprodguy

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 2:25 pm PT

    Saaaaaaa Weet.

  • cardiac_cat

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 1:38 pm PT

    LMAO! Just now gettin USB supported keyboard, i got one for my PS2, come on PS3 and squash this 360 horse hockey!!!!!!!

    GRIMEY!!!

  • cardiac_cat

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 1:34 pm PT

    LOL Sony will kill that noise in November dude. GREASY!

  • jj4

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 1:20 pm PT

    Good Job Microsoft
    Cause Nintendo and espcially Sony still even havent had their consoles ready yet!
    Booyah!

  • mike_515

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 12:50 pm PT

    Woow 125 thats a lot already i didn't expect an update this big and this erlie
    microsoft are finaly doing something.

  • vassago_

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 12:42 pm PT

    The updates are small, guys. Only a few megs. This update only took about 1min to download and install. It's not a big deal....

    The boot to dashboard feature is awesome, for sure. I really like that one. Same goes for cueing marketplace downloads.

    For those that don't have Xbox live - try calling Microsoft. I'm sure that there's an option for them to mail you an update disc, for a small shipping fee (no more than $5).

    I wish the market place were a bit more organized still. There's a lot that can be done there. Being able to preview things like themes and gamerpics would also be a welcomed option.

    I'd like to see more demos for sure, but that's not in Microsoft's hands. Getting more exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff would also be welcomed.

    Give us the ability to stream videos from a WinXP machine, and I'll be happy

    Good job, MS. Great update.

  • Psiphor

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 12:29 pm PT

    The update actually works too!

    Previously stuttering DVD playback is now smooth as ya like... So far so good :-)

  • WALKINGMAPAUL

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 12:27 pm PT

    very cool... makes me wanna get an xbox

  • RipaX21

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 12:26 pm PT

    this is cool, alot of cool new features. However, they left out one of the only things I wanted... Chat Rooms. I want to be able to talk to more thn one friend at a time in private chat (even if they only uped it to 3 or 4) and I also want a chat room on the dashboard like the old xbox live had.

  • homegrownvandal

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 11:54 am PT

    Well now i fi could only scrape together the cash to afford one.

  • badsanta692004

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 11:23 am PT

    yeah just for the sony people who hate on microsoft please tell me what makes them so damn perfect. ps3 is not gonna be what they promised, already read that on gamespor last week how the graphics are no where near what they said they would be(hahaha i knew it). It's gonna have problems just like the 360 and the wii will. Me and a lot of people that go to school talk about this stuff on the reg and i havent heard of no overheating or system failures from them and i sure havent had any. The 360 is programmed beautifully but, some people just cant see how much work it is to program a new system. call me a microsoft fanboy or even a nintendo fanboy but i despise sony. no pride, copy microsofts marketing strat and nintendos motion sensitive controller(and yes they did, they favored batman for a while till nintendo got all its info out). I have a ps2 and i enjoy a number of games on it like god of war, devil may cry,maddens, and a couple other games but it is just a poorly built system, always haveing to be replaced. and to the vitz3 up there talking about how when the nintendo ds lite came out how would you feel if they ditched the nintendo ds and when the slimline came out for the ps2 if they ditched the ps2, hello dumbf**k they are the same damn things as the original just a few new things on it, same games dumb ass.

  • Slaygaxg

    Posted Jun 7, 2006 10:28 am PT

    w00t it's about time xbox comes out with some new features... yay

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