Xbox 360 Fall Update details spilled by MS Japan

87 Comments by James Ransom-Wiley Nov 27th 2007 1:45PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

Microsoft Japan recently held a small press briefing detailing some of the new features bundled into the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update. With the help of Engadget Japanese's Ittousai we've been able to pinpoint a few relevant changes that are in store for next Tuesday's update. The most significant addition is the reorganization of the "games" blade (pictured above), which now features the "Games Library" (in place of "Xbox Live Arcade"), in addition to the old "Achievements" and "Played Games" sections.

When opened, the Games Library is nearly identical to the current XBLA menu, with a vertically-scrolling games list and an info box appearing for the highlighted game [Famitsu image]. New, however, is a horizontal sorting menu, broken down by filters like "All Games," "Arcade," "Demos," and "Recent Downloads." (This new horizontal and vertical organization is not unlike Sony's XMB design -- Microsoft calls it "twist" navigation, the same UI used for Zune.)

Additional Fall Update features:

Top level of "marketplace" has been reorganized and reduced to four categories: "Featured Content," "What's New," "Game Store," and "Video Store" (below top level, categories will be navigated by twist, just like the Games Library)
"Personal Profile" added to Gamer Profile; text field allowing approx. 500-1000 characters, providing space to publish name, nationality, region, and self introduction. (Further social networking tools to accompany 'Friends of Friends' functionality)
XBLA demos deleted from "Played Games" and Gamercard lists

Note: This feature set is by no means complete, and we should expect to see variations in and additions to the North American update, which will be made available on Dec. 4th.

Read - Game Watch (Impress)
Read - Famitsu

Tags: breakingnews, dashboard, fall-update, fallupdate, japan, xbox-live, xboxlive

(Page 1) Reader Comments

MooseMuffin: Nov 27th 2007; 1:49PM

Umm, thats it?

AirIntake: Nov 27th 2007; 1:51PM

Yeah, what the hell. There's got to be more than that for the fall update. That's all organizational crap, isn't there any new features?

Ten Dolla Bill: Nov 27th 2007; 2:19PM

If you guys had actually bothered to read the entire article it says "This feature set is by no means complete, and we should expect to see variations in and additions to the North American update, which will be made available on Dec. 4th." right at the bottom there. See that?
Reading can be fun!

Gabriel Mains: Nov 27th 2007; 1:50PM

Oh there best be more to the fall update than just this...

If not, then...

LAME!!!!!

Gabriel Mains: Nov 27th 2007; 3:56PM

Ok, they didn't have the post up saying that there is more to this update than just this, so I withdraw my post. :)

Dustin: Nov 27th 2007; 1:50PM

im excited...I have played nearly every single XBLA demo......

Brad Lee: Nov 27th 2007; 1:51PM

That last one is nice. I have like 50 XBLA games with 0 points on my list. Kinda pointless (har har).

Admitedly the update is rather weak, but I'd rather have a weak update (or no update) over a complete overhaul that axes features like the last Zune update... piece of shit.

Virtua Fanboy: Nov 27th 2007; 2:23PM

WTF is so bad about it? (The Zune) I just bought one the other day and I think it pretty damn awesome. BUT I didn't get to see the old "dashboard" for the Zune cause I update the software as soon as I plugged it in to the computer. (I bought the older model, it looks a whole lot cooler.) What big features did it (the update) disable? Not that it matters I'm just wondering.

My friend bought a 30 gig video iPod right behind me in line and got together to compare, I think I got the better deal but that's just me. So again I ask, why is the Zune such a piece of shit?

jsn: Nov 27th 2007; 2:32PM

it's not, he's just being cool.

Fernando Rocker: Nov 27th 2007; 2:33PM

Have anyone tried the iPod Touch?

I'm very interesting in getting one for Christmas.

Mike: Nov 27th 2007; 3:35PM

I have tried the 8 gb ipod touch. It's a great product with its large screen, safari web browser, youtube support, coverflow but in the end its just too expensive for the features it offers. After 3 weeks I returned it and got a Zune 30, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Assassin's creed and The Orange Box for the same price.

dan stabbingworth: Nov 27th 2007; 3:52PM

If you can deal with absolute shit software that takes a lot of time to configure, and you have the patience to deal with configuring the software without throwing your zune against a wall in frustration, the zune 30 is really nice hardware.

phenom: Nov 27th 2007; 3:55PM

for more then 50$ LESS i can get a 80 gig Zune that does everything the ipod touch does and more.

thethirdmoose: Nov 27th 2007; 5:16PM

Except the whole "touchscreen-browsing" thing

But archos is better, anyways

ukickmydog: Nov 27th 2007; 8:00PM

i have the 16gb, its nice, except for the capacity, but it doesnt bother me much. I just needed a new ipod because my old ones were broke/too old

Frank: Nov 27th 2007; 1:51PM

XBLA demos deleted from "Played Games" and Gamercard lists

That is sure to make a lot of people happy, I've seen that multiple times on many people's Xbox Live Update wishlist.

Fernando Rocker: Nov 27th 2007; 1:51PM

The deleted demos is a very nice feature.... and the Profile also is very good...

Now I only want an Internet Browser...

baby sea tuna: Nov 27th 2007; 2:03PM

YOU OWN A COMPUTER AND A WII, WTF DO YOU NEED A BROWSER ON YOUR 360 FOR?!?!?!!

PrinceOfPersia009: Nov 27th 2007; 2:09PM

I have the same things and I see your point but STILL it would be nice to have...

I mean really even the Wii has a browser. Surely MS can come up with something?

Fernando Rocker: Nov 27th 2007; 2:11PM

I'm just saying =(

borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring): Nov 27th 2007; 2:18PM

@BST: Uhm, maybe because some HDTVs can display computer like resolutions with readable text? But you're right from a certain viewpoint. If all a console should do is play games, then only the most minimal network features are necessary.

But sorry dude, those days have past. The Wii is closest to the "just gaming" of old, yet it still can check the weather and browse the web. If you haven't used your 360 to stream media or watch movies...well, I'd say you paid too much, even from an SDF perspective.

Frank: Nov 27th 2007; 2:22PM

Seriously, the last thing I want is someone figuring out how to exploit BHO's on xbox360's Internet Explorer 7.

Next thing you know you've got popups midgame for penis enlarger pumps.

Leave the browser on the computer!

Nate: Nov 27th 2007; 2:23PM

Should have bought a PS3!

(sorry, couldn't resist)
I didn't realize the 360 didn't have a browser. That's really.... odd. Microsoft makes their own browser, for heaven's sake!

borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring): Nov 27th 2007; 2:29PM

"I'm just saying =("

Don't take it personally Fernando. Some want their console to be a hammer and pound nails. Others want a swiss army knife for their living room. Sadly for the old skool, not a single console restricts itself to just gaming these days. I doubt the trend will reverse itself any more than a cell phone will just "make calls" these days.

jsn: Nov 27th 2007; 2:36PM

The browser in the Wii is almost as gimmicky as the Wii itself. Then again, it is one of the few pieces of software on the Wii that actually delivered on the concept of the Wiimote.

baby sea tuna: Nov 27th 2007; 2:40PM

@Macross

I'm amused by the fact that because I don't want a browser mucking up my 360 (I used the Wii's memory hog of an Opera browser once, looked up some pr0n, and promptly deleted it,) you assume I don't fully use the feature set that comes equipped with. My 360 is currently functioning as a media center/DVD player/HD-DVD Player/game system, and will continue to be at the center of my home theater playing music, videos, recorded TV shows, et al. even after I integrate a PS3 this Xmas.

Victor: Nov 27th 2007; 2:42PM

more like, mozilla firefox (:

Sam406: Nov 27th 2007; 3:01PM

YOU SEE, "BABY SEA" HAS TO WRITE ONLY ON CAPS BECAUSE HE GOES ON A BLIND RAGE EVERY TIME SOMEBODY DARES TO SUGGEST THEY WOULD LIKE A WEB BROSER

Anyways, what I DO want, is to get out of this horrible child account! jesus! I cant even use messenger!

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo): Nov 27th 2007; 3:17PM

I'm gonna say this and I'm gonna say this once:

FUCK WEB BROWSERS!!'

borland502: Nov 27th 2007; 3:19PM

@BST: "...you assume..."

Welcome to the Internets. Assumptions are largely what we have. Kind of like you assume Fernando doesn't need a browser on one console, because he has a browser elsewhere.

And while we're having a pointless discussion on semantics, I did preface my assumption with an "if". Thus I covered my ass anyway. Satisfied?

dan stabbingworth: Nov 27th 2007; 3:54PM

Listen, if I want IE to display CSS wrong, I can just use my computer.

bocaraton: Nov 27th 2007; 4:13PM

Dude the Microsoft is the only company that actually has its own browser....so why the hell will they not put it on the xbox? It just seems logical to me. Would be a good move to get ie more popular.

deaftly: Nov 27th 2007; 4:14PM

Think about it, Do you really want Internet Explorer on your 360 just waiting for some assholes to find a way to brick your 360 through a web page? IE isnt exactly known as the smartest way to surf the web, if they of course plan to use something based off IE.

Dale: Nov 27th 2007; 5:47PM

I would like a browser on the Xbox 360 - watching YouTube and other web video makes more sense on a device that can output to HD than on the Wii.

That being said, having used cut-down versions of IE on other non-PC devices, I don't want Microsoft to provide this browser. So, stalemate.

Speddy: Nov 27th 2007; 1:52PM

Now if MS could speed up the process of getting to messages and chat. It takes too many steps!

TheGuy: Nov 27th 2007; 1:59PM

No Divx and/or Xvid support? Wasn't Microsoft hinting for the last month it would be a feature in the fall update? The changes are nice, but I wouldn't consider them big enough for the Fall Update.

jsn: Nov 27th 2007; 2:38PM

It was hinted at by someone at Divx and rumored in various other places, but it hasn't been mentioned by anyone in MS that I'm aware of. This list can't be considered full or final though, so we'll see. I'm hopeful!

gonk: Nov 27th 2007; 2:04PM

they can shove their "recommended" menu up their ass, I want to fully customize my blades to remove the clutter that I never use so I can actually see my background pictures

baby sea tuna: Nov 27th 2007; 2:04PM

I assume that this isn't the full list.

gwangi: Nov 27th 2007; 2:07PM

That would be a reasonable assumption.

PrinceOfPersia009: Nov 27th 2007; 2:12PM

Wow this sucks...I mean I love my 360 but really MS lets get it together.

Hopefully this isn't all there is to this update. I mean MS has been doing great and everything but with this holiday season in full swing they really need to annouce SOMETHING that will bring in more customers.

jsn: Nov 27th 2007; 2:42PM

you mean something more than a huge list of great games? dashboard features aren't what sell units or games..

NATO_Duke: Nov 27th 2007; 4:51PM

Yeah, cause God knows that nobody owns a 360 as it is. /sarcasm

I don't think the update is a major force in console sales - the games handle that aspect just fine.

FoxHoundADAM: Nov 27th 2007; 2:12PM

By far the best change:
XBLA demos deleted from "Played Games" and Gamercard lists

Also if this is it for the update then WHAT THE HECK HAVE THEY BEEN DOING FOR 6 MONTHS!?!?!?

miyagi: Nov 27th 2007; 2:16PM

Note: This feature set is by no means complete, and we should expect to see variations in and additions to the North American update, which will be made available on Dec. 4th.

Read the entire article before bitching ;)

Rususeruru: Nov 27th 2007; 4:16PM

they've been botching the Zune 80 launch [ba-dum psh]

XDragon: Nov 27th 2007; 2:15PM

Considering the thrashing Sony gets with their updates, this better be good considering the frequency. The fanboy bashing will turn this baby into over 200 posts in no time if it isn't significant but they better hold off until all the details are released.

Obie: Nov 27th 2007; 2:17PM

Wow, no Dvix, no conference chat....good to see I am getting my $50 worth.

xXFenixKnightXx: Nov 27th 2007; 2:29PM

Confrence chat would be nice

(crosses fingers!!)

tcc3: Nov 27th 2007; 2:55PM

Updates are free, even to silver members. If multiplayer isnt worth a paltry $50 a year and you need to justify it with the free update, then quit renewing that subscription.

Go back to your bridge, troll.

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