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Xbox Live Update Preview

  • By SarjuS, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 24, 2009 4:22 pm PT

Microsoft gave us a sneak peak of their upcoming Live update.

Microsoft gave us a sneak peak of their upcoming Live update and it's choc full of new goodies for the console. However, quite a few of the announced updates didn't quite make it or are still works in progress. The company is handing out invites for the update, which should go live in beta form on this coming Monday. Apply here to become part of the lucky few. The update will be released on August 11th, so if you can't get in on the beta, you won't have to wait all that long.

If you want the short and skinny, the update will bring new features and revamp existing features in the following categories: Netflix, Avatar Marketplace, Games on Demand, User Ratings, Xbox Live Parties, and Video Display Options. Other minor changes include improvements to the achievement browser, achievement tracking, navigation, and friends list sorting.

Our experiences with the preview so far have been mixed, but that's to be expected, as it is in beta after all. Netflix took considerably longer to load, and we didn't see any queue management options. Terminator 2 allowed us to create a viewing party (which was really easy to do), but failed to start playback. That might also have to do with the fact that we had friends on out list that we didn't know, and were offline. We couldn't add any in-office friends as only one machine had the update at the time. Moving along, Die Hard had the party option grayed out entirely. We're guessing there are some licensing issues that need to be hammered out.

The Avatar Marketplace worked as advertised. There's a small selection of clothing and accessories you can root through at the moment, but that should expand considerably once the update is widely released. We outfitted our character in Halo 3 garb and steampunk goggles to round out the look. Items cost between 80 and 160 points to purchase, and an entire outfit might run you about 320 points. The Recessionista clothing pack in particular caught our attention. It wasn't so much the depression era garb, but the prices. You'd think budget clothing would actually be budget. To defray some of the cost, Microsoft will also enable Avatar awards of clothing and props within games, so you might just get some of the stuff for free.

As Microsoft stated, Games on Demand hasn't been released yet, but will be soon. Ratings for Live Arcade have been implemented on a five star scale, and a Top Rated menu tab lets you see the best that Live Arcade has to offer.

A full list of changes, taken from Microsoft's press release, follows:

Netflix Updates

-Movie Parties – Xbox LIVE Gold members can sit together in a virtual theater with up to seven friends no matter where they are while your Avatars watch a movie, flirt or even throw popcorn at each other.

-Manage Your Queue – Browse the Netflix Instant Watch video catalogue, choose from the most popular movies and genres and add to your queue all from the comfort of your couch – no computer required.

- Enhanced Playback Experience – Enjoy a smooth viewing experience when your internet bandwidth fluctuates.

- Friends Info – Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are doing.

Avatar Marketplace

- Clothing – Download premium items, including branded apparel from your favorite fashion labels and Xbox 360 games such as "Halo."

- Props – You can now equip your avatar with animated items they can carry around and interact with.

-Awardables – The ability to earn Avatar clothing and props as rewards within games has been added. Please stay tuned for an update on supporting titles.

Games on Demand

Please note that Games on Demand will be available in the preview beginning early August.

- Purchase Options – Browse and download a great selection of full Xbox 360 games using Microsoft Points, direct debit, or credit card.

- Game Manuals – Game manuals for Games on Demand titles can be viewed, downloaded or printed on Xbox.com.

- It's Yours Forever! – As with other Xbox LIVE content, Games on Demand titles are linked to your Xbox LIVE account, so you can delete and re-download anything you have already purchased to the same console or another console.

User Ratings

- Rate it – You can now rate every game on the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace using a 5-star system.

- Sort and Find it – Now you can easily find the games that everyone's been raving about by visiting the Top Rated games in the Browse All category of Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace.

Xbox LIVE Parties

- Party Reconnections – If you are accidently disconnected from your party, Xbox LIVE will automatically reconnect you.

- Streamlined Party Invites – Invites are now just one click away! No need to click through multiple screens to get all your friends together.

Video Display Options

- Display Discovery – Make sure you can see and hear your entertainment in the highest resolution and sound quality possible with the option to override and select audio and video formats independent of the information your television sends to your Xbox 360 console.-

Other Improvements

- Gold Member Veterans – Xbox LIVE Gold members get to show it off with a stamp on your Gamer Card that tells people how long you've been a Gold member.

- Indie Games – Xbox LIVE Community Games has been renamed Xbox LIVE Indie Games. We feel this new name better represents the independent spirit of these titles.

- Achievement Browser – We've revamped the Achievements browser so it's now easier to read through all the achievements while playing a game. You can now also launch a game directly from the browser.

- Achievements Tracking – A new view inside the profile panel which includes a summary of Achievements earned across all the games played, and shows of all your completed games.

- Streamlined Navigation - Streamlined navigation, including new entry points in the dashboard for Active Downloads, redeeming codes, recovering Gamertags and more.

- Voice Messages – No more blank voice messages! When recording a voice message, a warning will pop up if no audio is detected.

- Friends List Sorting – It's now easier to find your friends! Find and sort your friends by activity, Gamertag or online status by pressing the Y button while viewing the friends list in the Guide.

- Memory – Time stamps now appear in the memory area, which particular handy when managing saved games.

Account Management

- Subscription Notification – If your Xbox LIVE subscription is about to run out, you will now be notified when you sign into Xbox LIVE.

- Updates for Invalid Windows Live IDs – If the Windows Live ID you provided has expired, you will now be prompted to update it the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.

- Account recovery – We've enhanced the account recovery process to make it faster and more reliable.

What does this Xbox LIVE Update not include?

The following features will be coming in future Xbox LIVE updates, which we'll be sure to let you know about.

- Facebook, Twitter, Zune video and 1080p Instant On, Last.fm

130 Comments

  • Zombi_Z

    Posted Sep 12, 2009 2:37 am GMT

    Keyboard and mouse support? MSIE on the X360?

  • xtremeflem2day

    Posted Sep 11, 2009 2:02 pm GMT

    the avatar is just something that gives the wii one less excuse to say its the best system. Its not like its an actual feature on xbox 360, avatars are nothing.

  • netsoj

    Posted Aug 24, 2009 8:12 am GMT

    Wow what a way to totally mask RRoD! Great job M$!

  • DeathScythe511

    Posted Aug 22, 2009 1:05 am GMT

    looks awesome, hope it kicks ass

  • Iron_dawg

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 12:29 am GMT

    man that stuff is nice but i just want last.fm you now? im curious to see how that will play out

  • mattisgod01

    Posted Aug 7, 2009 7:56 am GMT

    next they will expect us to feed our avatar...no doubt food will cost MS points too.

  • icetea264

    Posted Aug 3, 2009 1:08 am GMT

    it is pretty good

  • juanchito7

    Posted Jul 30, 2009 6:25 pm GMT

    yeah.....the avatar shows ur a girls and a nerd

  • confusedhebru

    Posted Jul 30, 2009 10:07 am GMT

    wow...The avatar stuff is kinda sad. Ifyou buy that stuff you're a very lonely and sad individual.

  • ikill4fun2

    Posted Jul 29, 2009 12:50 am GMT

    Xbox live is a total rip off. I mean the avatars for one are clearly designed for 8yr olds and other than MP gaming its basically useless. My computer can do everything it cant so why would i need something my pc clearly does better? I remember the old days of the first xbox with the awesome dashboard mods which you could fully customize and watch any movie of any file type, and play any game of any region. Its all a gimmick these days.

  • f0xtr0t369

    Posted Jul 28, 2009 12:40 pm GMT

    sweet, hope they pick me to beta test.

  • Petercairns

    Posted Jul 28, 2009 3:15 am GMT

    kool, should b gud

  • Zaff0

    Posted Jul 28, 2009 12:08 am GMT

    Would i be able to play downloaded games on all my xboxes? or would i have to buy for each gamer tag in the house? how would that work? I'm not going to buy a game three times so that Me, my wife and little sister can be able to play it.

  • trw534

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 10:54 pm GMT

    cant wait

  • sammoth

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 4:53 pm GMT

    Paying for Avatar stuff is just plain stupid in this day in age where a lot of gammers can barley afford to pay for the games we have. Avatar stuff should be included exclusively with the games you play such as the GOW avatar costume should be a code for it to be free when you buy the damn game. Enough of this Bull.... that we keep getting handed. How about for an update we streamline the menus a bit faster so they don't hang. Even better offer more exclusive stuff for Subscribers of Xbox Live. Movie Previews, Game previews, demos are just not cutting it. Most of that stuff I can get on my home computer for FREE. Where is our cross platform games to play against each other such as PC to 360.

  • AyuSora

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 2:58 pm GMT

    @AndyAlfredo

    Sadly, I don't have a PS3 yet, but does the PS3 have the kind of features and services that the Xbox does. I know they have a movie system on the Playstation Network, and you can rent movies like the Netflix service and Video Marketplace service, but I don't know if it has all the partnerships and videos Xbox has. Xbox has many partnerships going for it in the video marketplace such as Red vs. Blue, The Guild, and many actual TV shows, like Family Guy or Dexter (I beleive that's on there) or even LOST (love the show). And don't forget that Microsoft has announced Last.fm, Facebook, parties with people over LIVE for Netflix, and other services that will really help with multimedia. You do raise good points, and I know and admit that PS3 has much better graphics and Xbox LIVE really doesn't have a rental service, but I don't know about the rest.

  • athenian29

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 1:41 pm GMT

    Well, ah, good job, Microsoft. Just one question...

    WHERE THE HECK ARE THE UPDATES TO GAMES FOR WINDOWS LIVE, HUH???

    Sorry about that.

    Seriously, though, you get all this STUFF for Xbox Live, but GFW doesn't even have voice chat? We PC people are getting dusted with an empty shell. Hell, Steam is better than this! Xfire is better! Crosus is better! Even Impulse is more full-featured than GfW! They're all way better than this, and they're all third-party!

    Pick your sorry butts up and fix Games for Windows LIVE, or else just patch the games that use it so that we don't need to put up with it anymore!

  • theKOOK413

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 1:31 pm GMT

    wow, with all this stuff and the facebook and twiter stuff coming out.. who needs a computer? you can do half of it on your xbox.... interesting...

  • mayceV

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 12:54 pm GMT

    @AndyAlfredo

    yeah this time I think I'll get flamed but as you said I am intitled to my own opinion.

    I have both systems Ps3 with Kz2, MGS4, and PSN.
    I have Live and CoD MW as well as Halo and both Gears.
    I would like to respond to your question "what does xbox 360 have over Ps3?" The first thing that comes to my mind is Live just because it its so wlly done and such an easy way to connect and have fun. Secondly There are more exclusive on the Xbox 360 and a larger list of upcomming exclusives. thirdly I like the 360's quality more. "Quality?" you may ask "what about the RRoD?" well that is a down side to the xbox but it is greatly hyperbolized. Quality I mean by the accesories and controllers. I have 4 ps3 controllers 3 of them are busted. I have had two 360 controllers for 2 years and they work like new. What else? the fact that every multiplatform game works better on the 360. or tha fact that PSN is clunky and slow. Maybe listening to music during gameplay could help too bad that almost no games support that on the Ps3 so why should I be limited to single player exclusives that look better than the average game. when I can get any game that works better on a machine that cost about the same and has more things out of the box.A majoraty of the excluives the 360 has support split screen Co-Op or versus so that i can play with My bro. Gamescore is much more exciting to see rise that trophies are. You know what's funny I used to want a Ps3 before its launch I used to mock the 360 for its burnout problem and its RRoD. Until one day my friend got me a 360 as a gift. after that the tide changed expecially after I got Gears. From then on the experience only got better the games were outstatdingly fun. I watched Ps3 commercials and laughed at them. Well then I bought a Ps3 from my cousin and that experience has been a drag after I beat MGS 4. I dislike a majority of the exclusives on the Ps3 expecially Kz2 I wished I bought a 360 exclusive or atleast CoD:WaW. None of the upcomming Ps3 exclusives are really intresting to me sure GoW 3 looks nice but I'm more into the shooter side of games. I'm waiting for MW2, Splinter cell (its a shame it was delayed) or alan wake or ODST and Left 4 dead 2 (I am totally in love with the first game.) Or Forza 3. The Ps3 is a great machine. Too bad I think that the xbox 360 is a much more fun one.

  • cheesytaco69

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 12:35 pm GMT

    I WILL NOT be purchasing stuff for my avatar... that's stupid. All I want is a better working party system and more gold member benefits.

  • notyq80

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 12:19 pm GMT

    cant wait to get some monkey island stuff ..that would be cool

  • VIRGIN_ISLANDER

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 11:40 am GMT

    I dont see why we have to pay for stuff for our avatars, i already pay 50 ah year for xboxlive and on top of that i gotta pay for crap just to put on an avatar, that stuff should be free, i think they are really over doing it now.

  • JoJoStarFire

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 11:32 am GMT

    I have signed up for that update, it is awesome. I hope I get picked

  • seksfeet7

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 11:09 am GMT

    I think it is a good idea when buying things for your avatar as long as it is inexpensive because when i have a small amount a microsoft points i never know what to spend it on so hopefully you will be able to buy things one thing at a time opposed to buying it in a package

  • JoJoStarFire

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 11:00 am GMT

    I can't wait till that video party thing comes out, my friends will be watching every crappy movie or interesting movie I watch. (May the adult ones). I can't wait till November for this update.

  • AndyAlfredo

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 6:43 am GMT

    @AyuSora

    "It will always be about games as the core of the Xbox, but they are expanding the entertainment and adding more to the gaming experience than any other company."

    That seems like a misleading remark. Yeah, the Xbox is great, I won't deny it. If I could get one (see comment below) I would, cause all my friends have one, but undoubtedly, the PS3 is and always will be a greater multimedia system.

    1. Blu-ray. 16GB vs 60GB. Enough said.

    2. Use of third-party HDD. Allows for more storage space.

    3. Open USB capability. You can use a lot more USB capable devices with the PS3 than the 360.

    More things I can't think of off the top of my head.
    The PS3 was built to be a multimedia machine.

  • AndyAlfredo

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 6:34 am GMT

    @ mayceV

    Hey, I won't flame you, but I am entitled to my own opinion:
    It's all opinion.
    I prefer the PS3. Why? I own all the other Sony systems and I'm quite a sucker for their line of exclusives, especially Killzone 2 (I'm one of the few who actually enjoyed and still enjoys Killzone 1) but I don't have a PS3. The only reason I really plan on getting a PS3 over a 360 is because PSN is free (don't bash the PSN unless you've actually used it. It's actually great) and there's a bundle at Bestbuy.com that comes with Killzone 2 and MGS4 for $400. And I need to be able to do wireless and I don't want to spend a lot of money on something to try to make a 360 wireless. So, in my situation, it better suits me to get a PS3. Oh, but one thing. You bash the PS3, yet you don't talk about what the 360 has over the PS3. I'd like to hear what more the 360 has than the PS3.

  • Blodbad_DK

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 5:36 am GMT

    I like the Avatars and the idea of unlocking stuff for them in games. I won't pay real money for it though.
    But Microsoft is selling this stuff because they can, people will actually buy this stuff, there is a market for it. That is really justification enough. It's not like they are forcing us to buy it.

    @ toyungu
    5 years eh? Pretty good for a system that hasn't even been on the market for 4 years (lauched nov 2005)

  • KingArtorius

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 4:43 am GMT

    Interesting update. I'd like to see what kind of updates that I can unlock for my avatar. So far, I've been unimpressed with the clothing options and have been wanting to dress them up in some kind of medieval armor or battle gear. I'd also like for my gamer score to be more than just a number, and if I could unlock stuff with a higher gamer score, then I'd be more inclined to work on some of the more annoyingly difficult achievements in games.

  • W-zup

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 4:41 am GMT

    if you dont like it, dont buy it !

  • junkchaser

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 3:09 am GMT

    MS is a mafia that charges money for avatars? Come on people who cares about a stupid picture? You pay for xbox live and on top of that you're going to pay for some graphics of a few pixels? This is rip-off!

  • handicappman111

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 2:15 am GMT

    @alchmstf

    Ya the HD does suck. But when your brother is an MIT graduate and he gets his hands on electronics hold on! haha. I'm rocking a 1TB on my box and I'm barely at 10% capacity. Facebook will be awesome too, I was praying it would come out on this update but nope.

  • masterspax

    Posted Jul 27, 2009 12:24 am GMT

    where's the Abercrombie shirts?

  • Duke_51

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 7:15 pm GMT

    Man, I still can't believe they're charging people for this avatar crap. I can't think of a better waste of money.

    Everything else seems cool, though.

  • alchmstf

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 4:20 pm GMT

    boy i sure can't wait until facebook comes to xbl i sure hate using it on my computer, and phone. Also the games on demand should be fun, hope my 60gb holds out, i would up grade but $150 for 120GB vs $119 1TB (1000GB for the rest of you) ps3 hard drive i love my 360 tho damn you M$ cash whores

  • mayceV

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 3:07 pm GMT

    @handicappman111
    ha me too man I hated Killzone 2 or shoul I say Failzone 2 any way I know I'm goin be flamed for this and I don't mind its my opinion *whispers* I strongly dislike the Ps3 and its "features" ha its funny how much my friend hates it he acts like its the anti christ born from hell, the harden black stone of evile with its staff of blu-ray it shall ingulf the weak, lol . I also know a guy who told me I'm goin to hell because I have a 360 (and perfer it over a ps3). dmn these conole wars are wierd. sorry I'm ranting

  • mayceV

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 2:55 pm GMT

    @LPoPPin15
    well you don't really need more than 120 gig because you can delete and re download games as many times as you'd like as long as you buy them once. But I do agree with you 500 gigs sound very intriguing, maybe they make a larger hard drive up the road I mean the said the next xbox isn't comming before 2015. this Generation is just getting started .

  • gfxarts

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 2:41 pm GMT

    You're right. They do nothing with gamer points! They would sell more games if they did prolly.

  • hassy94

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 1:41 pm GMT

    "that would be nice if the clothing instead of of buying it, you could unlock it with your gamer points."

    If you read you'd see that you can actually do both. You can buy clothing but you can also "earn Avatar clothing and props as rewards within games" which has been said to be free, and work like achievements (without the numbers).

  • AyuSora

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 11:59 am GMT

    @ XpichoX

    I think this is a nice thing for Microsoft to do. The gaming industry, in my opinion, has become pretty amazing, expanding in many ways. Motion control, creative games (Hideo Kojima definitely is a good example as he takes games to a movie quality and thinks out of the box when it comes to game design), and now Microsoft is taking the Xbox 360 into more than just a game console. It will always be about games as the core of the Xbox, but they are expanding the entertainment and adding more to the gaming experience than any other company. I think it's a smart idea.

  • Psy_m_on

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 11:16 am GMT

    And that all for some money . . . again -_-

  • XpichoX

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 11:12 am GMT

    x-box shold be all abute games! this is un nessesery!!!!

  • LPoPPin15

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 10:20 am GMT

    buy whole games.....hmmm.......NEED BIGGER HDD!!!!! microsoft should make a 500gig atleast that would b freekin sweet but I know it would b pricey but id still get it

  • Revolution_Ali

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 9:53 am GMT

    cOOL....

  • Sure_Kill

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 9:43 am GMT

    its kinda upsetting that last fm and twitter and facebook arent but w/e the ONLY thing wrong wiht it is that damn price for the avatar...manocanada is right. unlocking them would be WAYYYY better!!!! but other works it looks pre sick! im excited...so wait . is in coming in augst or on monday???? wtf!?!?!

  • blink-jfg

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 9:42 am GMT

    Can't wait, this update should definitely make Xbox Live alot better.

  • zaz0o0o

    Posted Jul 26, 2009 9:41 am GMT

    just like when i download the NXE i got e74
    now this will burn the xbox 360 hahahah!

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