Report: NXE loses Xbox Live Primetime

Japan isn't exactly a Microsoft stronghold, but the publisher used the Tokyo Game Show's world stage earlier this month to confirm that the New Xbox Experience would arrive November 19. Now that the heavily anticipated Xbox Live dashboard overhaul has been dated, the publisher has apparently been forced to back-burner a growing list of promised features.

The latest item to be dropped from NXE's November launch window is Xbox Live Primetime, reports Forbes. Citing unnamed Microsoft managers, the financial news magazine said the delay was necessary in order to ensure a smooth launch for the rest of the dashboard overhaul, and the feature is now expected to arrive sometime this spring. Microsoft had not responded to this report as of press time.

Revealed alongside many of the other features to be included in the update during the publisher's E3 2008 press conference, Xbox Live Primetime lets gamers' newly created avatars compete with other players in a variety of game shows. At the time of its announcement, Microsoft said one of the first game shows on offer would be a take on NBC's Bob Saget-hosted 1 vs. 100. According to Microsoft, the XBL edition would regularly feature live hosts and contests.

The delay of Xbox Live Primetime follows on from last week's delay of movie-sharing from NXE's set list. Another feature announced at Microsoft's E3 2008 press conference, movie-sharing was taken off the table last week when Xbox senior strategist Rob Gruhl said to MTV, "If we wanted to do movie sharing, build an app, party enable it, drop it in. Really, it’s [the new dashboard] just laying the foundation for our next wave, our next step. Continuing to fill it out, continuing to build it."

Clarifying Gruhl's statement, a Microsoft representative later told GameSpot that movie sharing won't make it into the upcoming dashboard overhaul, but will be one of "a lot more exciting features" coming soon.