Microsoft: No spring dashboard update this year

by Justin McElroy { May 22nd 2008 at 5:16PM }

Sad news today for those among you that love ... functionality, as Microsoft's Xbox Live manager Marc Whitten revealed to Next Gen that there would be no spring dashboard update this year, debunking this rumor that circulated earlier this month. Whitten said that Microsoft instead focused on "building the proper infrastructure and scale for the service."

While we welcome updates and improvements to the infrastructure, we can't help but be a little disappointed. With Sony regularly evolving the PS3's functionality, a single update in a year for the (arguably more fully-featured) 360 dashboard seems a little paltry by comparison.

Other news to be gleaned from the Whitten interview: Underperforming XBLA titles will be delisted; the size/price limit of XBLA titles has been upped to 350MB and 1600 MS points, respectively; and a tool to fix the DRM 'fiasco' is due next month.

While there's no Spring update, Microsoft did show off quite a bit at this year's Xbox 360 Spring Showcase. From Gears of War 2 to Banjo-Kazooie, Ninja Gaiden 2, to Viva Pinata, check out our coverage of the event, including new screenshots and hands-on impressions.

Tags: breakingnews, dashboard-update, microsoft, spring-dashboard-upd..., xbox-360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Chase @ May 22nd 2008 5:21PM

Mother fuckers.

jsn @ May 22nd 2008 5:22PM

what does it really need that it doesn't already have? Not sure why this is a big deal.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ May 22nd 2008 5:53PM

That damn Gates and his fucking mothers!!!

WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS??!!!

Vohaul79 @ May 22nd 2008 5:54PM

Your Avitar + Comment = Perfect.
Can't stop laughing. Best comment I've seen all year.

Jfk Aok @ May 22nd 2008 6:09PM

clan support...did i really need to write that?

JetPogi @ May 22nd 2008 6:18PM

holy sh!t nice one those mofos only 2 updates for xbox a year and they're not living up to it?

Wes @ May 22nd 2008 6:56PM

@Jet
No kidding, its two software patches a year. I mean come-on! How hard is that? I can't help but feel like they could have at least added support for more containers for hdtv formats like mp4 or .mkv or whichever one of the two it doens't support or up the max bitrate...

Or make media center able to play/read mkv // mp4 // divx files since I recall people complaining last year it wasn't working properly.

Moorio - XBL: peacebyanymeans @ May 22nd 2008 7:10PM

If you want my opinion (and you probably don't), I think the Spring update was going to come out, but then that whole outage fiasco happened, and then they spent time making sure GTA IV didn't kill everything and the whole DRM fix thing.

They probably had some new features done, but were most unfinished and probably said "Fuck it, roll it all into the Fall update."

That's just my opinion (I'm probably wrong).

mike @ May 22nd 2008 10:36PM

I think microsoft had an update nice and ready, then they saw the leaked fake list, and knew that their half assed attempts would dissapoint everyone in comparison to the fake list. Hopefully that will make them get off their asses and make everything in the fake list come to reality in the fall.

NATO_Duke @ May 22nd 2008 5:22PM

That's so damn lame.

Russell @ May 22nd 2008 5:23PM

spring update vs. DRM fix

i think we know which one is better.

Talryyn @ May 22nd 2008 7:14PM

Maybe it will be called the Summer Update???

Marty @ May 22nd 2008 5:24PM

"With Sony regularly evolving the PS3's functionality"

When you start with a less functional operating system, a full year behind the competition, what do you expect? Should they have just left it where it was when they started, dropping bluetooth connections, limited XMB functionality, etc.?

While it is a bit disappointing that there will be no spring dashboard update for the 360 this year, it's also a bit silly to act like someone's dropped the ball here. The dashboard is great as it is; most glaring issues have been addressed.

Let them work on something that really makes the system update worth it (like last time), instead of promising the world and then delivering a half-baked, brick-inducing firmware update. They haven't let us down much before.

Robert @ May 22nd 2008 5:44PM

One of the reasons I like about this console war between the PS3 and the XBox360 is the feature competition, the last 360 update added DivX and my PS3 received at the same time DivX support too. I really want Sony to reach the features that XBox live and Dashboard have, so they start to fight with new innovative features

Otto Zero @ May 27th 2008 9:07PM

@ Chase; Dam chase say it like it is ... LOL.@ Jsn; It needs a webrowser.. hell even the Wii has one.@ EVERYBODY else who will eventually post a stupid PS3/Wii Fanboy comment. STFU in advance. Having said that you may proceed to flame me.

Korova @ May 22nd 2008 5:30PM

I guess they took my fity bux and spent it on bear and candy this year, instead of buying me more of that foonktionality!

Hmm, I thought I was investing in continuous improvement and not in candy asses and beer bellies.

But WTH, I still love live.

Dirk Dorkelson @ May 22nd 2008 5:44PM

Heh. "Bear and candy." Maybe you mean the new Banjo and Viva Pinata games?

PojoMofo @ May 22nd 2008 6:06PM

LMAO

Benny @ May 22nd 2008 6:14PM

Dirk, you just won the internet.

Best comment I've read on here in a long time!

Awesome Indeed @ May 22nd 2008 5:31PM

Funny... didn't Major Nelson just say something a couple of shows ago about the spring update coming along nicely? Hmm...

Luke @ May 22nd 2008 5:51PM

I think you're right, but I think it was e who said something about there was some cool stuff, and gamers would be really excited because they've been asking about it for a long time.

Of course they can never say what the changes are, since if they get left out for some reason, people would gripe even more.

lazygamer @ May 22nd 2008 5:43PM

Nowhere in that article does he say there is no Spring Update.

"So while most users will not notice any significant changes to the dashboard this spring..."

Does that mean there will be changes, just not significant ones?
The last two updates changed the layout of the Dashboard, could the next update just bring other non-dash related features (media/networking etc) like the original updates did?

Sky Shark X2 @ May 22nd 2008 5:44PM

Perhaps it will be in the summer. Also they did say they weren't calling them spring or fall updates anymore. Also given the fact that the fall update was in december its possible we might see it later in summer with more than what we normally would get. I don't believe that we won't be getting any major updates Major Nelson probably would have said that when they said they didn't even see the rumored list on the last podcast. There's no reason that fact should have been kept secret. This is fishy to me.

Benny @ May 22nd 2008 6:07PM

I can't see there being NO spring update whatsoever.

And seriously guys... FOUR posts to cover this? Necessary?

Snipes424 @ May 22nd 2008 6:08PM

I am so glad M$ is using the $50.00 a year they get from each customer to good use. I mean they only do 2 updates a year and now they are down to 1 and maybe 0... Whats going to happen when the FREE PSN catches up? I mean the PSN store is actually better laid out then the Live Marketplace and in game XMB is coming in around a month or so.

So yeah, I would say them not doing an update is a big deal.

Vcize @ May 22nd 2008 10:17PM

"and in game XMB is coming in around a month or so."

LOL. You and me wish.

Korova @ May 22nd 2008 11:03PM

I havent seen the PSN interface, but I do think XBL longs for some applification. Its a bit clunky.

Rask @ May 22nd 2008 6:15PM

While I'm dissapointed with the lack of updates, the article does say that they instead focused on the infrastructure of Live, making it more robust as well as more easily upgradable.

Frankly, I'll take a more stable Live that can handle releases like GTA4 over new features any day of the week.

SharpBlade @ May 22nd 2008 6:59PM

Screw you MS! Does anyone else see the signs that MS are backing off support for the 360? Here I thought 2 updates a year was pityful MS manages to lower the expectations even more.

Why does it feel the PS3 is just getting started and the 360 is wrapping up shop.

The list that was floating around was an excellent example of the kind of improvements the 360 could have. Everyone who saw that list thought it was excellent, except for MS I guess.

Now I am paying $50 a month and MS is going to actually start removing content online. What's next are they going to raise the price of XBL subscription? Come on, MS you are on a roll of disappointment and this seems like the next "out of touch with your customer" move you can make.

Jump out!

Desi_D @ May 22nd 2008 9:39PM

"While there's no Spring update, Microsoft did show off quite a bit at this year's Xbox 360 Spring Showcase. From Gears of War 2 to Banjo-Kazooie, Ninja Gaiden 2, to Viva Pinata, check out our coverage of the event, including new screenshots and hands-on impressions."

I keep seeing that today. Is that an ad for MS/Xbox or is it an ad for Joystiq as a way to drive traffic to certain articles? I can't tell...

Kujel @ May 22nd 2008 9:54PM

I wonder how many of the little bitches bitching at MS are Sony fanboys?

Desi_D @ May 22nd 2008 9:59PM

Goes both ways. How many Sony fans do you see bitching at Sony in Sony related posts. It's always Sony haters that are most active.

Vcize @ May 22nd 2008 10:16PM

Wait, aren't there two stories right above this about about raising the XBLA size limit and fixing the DRM stuff for downloaded content?

Sounds like a spring update to me, and probably better than anything that would've been included anyway.

skullivan @ May 23rd 2008 10:47PM

I bet that there is no "Spring" Update because there is going to be a "Summer" update.

Remember that the Fall update hit so late(mid-December) that it might as well have been called the Winter Update. 6 months later puts you in mid-June so if the update ends up hitting a couple weeks after that, it won't technically be a spring update.