Major Nelson continues to clear up New Xbox Experience
by Justin McElroy 
{ Jul 21st 2008 at 9:00AM }
His new podcast features all kinds of reassurances, chief among them: We won't have to create an avatar and transferring Xbox 360 games to the hard drive will never be required, something we were paranoid about. What other comforts will you discover inside? Only after a click here will you know for sure.
Gallery: New Xbox Experience
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
QuEsTioN MaRk JoNEs @ Jul 21st 2008 9:06AM
nice
bigsofty @ Jul 21st 2008 9:37AM
XBOX LIVE = Internet with bells and whistles and YOU pay for the privilege!?!?!
Duke @ Jul 21st 2008 9:52AM
bigsofty give it a rest.
SugarDaddy @ Jul 21st 2008 11:32AM
bigsofty, ya, and? Are you going to make a point or do you like to point out the obvious and pawn it off as witty criticism? You're an ass. It's those bells and whistles that people are paying for. Just like the iPhone is just a phone with bells and whistles... Just like a Lexus is a car with bells and whistles... People like bells and whistles and they're willing to pay. Get over it. Or are you just a ps3 fanboy that's upset that the xbox is getting an update?
Rocketboy @ Jul 21st 2008 11:53AM
BigS is just mad that nobody likes him...
Tiptup300 @ Jul 21st 2008 12:49PM
I pay for:
- All games have the ability to have online games, big AAA titles, small indie studios, or even XNA Developers who only pay $100 a year.
- All my games are supported and will be supported.
- A great system of matchmaking and abillity to play with friends quickly and easily with invites and party systems
- The ability to know what my friend has and what he likes to play.
- Availability of having a gamercard which easily lists this data to the community.
- Microsoft's well shown indication that they know that the community counts by allowing that same community access to an api that allows to poll all this data together.
- And beyond.... (New features, (Party System, Avatars, Netflix))
Tiptup300 @ Jul 21st 2008 2:04PM
And seriously warn each time you repost the same screenshots, I keep looking at them to see if there is anything new, but there is, there never is.
Snowblind @ Jul 21st 2008 9:13AM
I don't mind the idea of having to create an avatar. It gives the whole thing a more personal feel, particularly when you're talking with others online. But I guess it's good that you can just stick with the gamer pics, if you prefer.
tlarkin79 @ Jul 21st 2008 10:20AM
I'm completely uninterested in the avatars. I already have a gamertag, gamercard, and profile. The gamerpics are great and the ability to use your own picture from the vision cam is more than adequate. The avatars just seem like a "me too" kind of feature.
E.J. @ Jul 21st 2008 12:30PM
You mean, a "Mii too" feature.
I'm glad avatars aren't required. My gamerpic shall suffice.
arrrgh @ Jul 21st 2008 12:59PM
except for winning clothing article and accessories from games etc. Fallout hazmat suit avatar ftw!!!
Saria the Cat @ Jul 21st 2008 4:07PM
@Snowblind: But the new "Get Neflix Service Now" themes are going to be all the rage!
Saria the Cat @ Jul 21st 2008 4:21PM
Oops.
Automag @ Jul 21st 2008 9:17AM
I like it clean and simple without unnecessary clutter to complicate things. While I think this new interface is clean, there is so much dead space that I'm worried that it will be filled with ads. I guess we'll see if good usable space was sacrificed for the sake of ads... ads for a service that I already pay for.
Jason @ Jul 21st 2008 9:31AM
Why is everyone all worried about Ads filling up the empty space? I would bet that they are just added into the lists of things... and right now the ads are not just about random stuff... many of the ads are about upcoming additions to games like map packs, etc...
Look at the pics of the game boxes in the screenshot... I would be that to add ads to the system they would just put them into that list of boxes... you CAN see every box on the screen so an ad a few slots back would still be very visible.
I would think that more ads would go into the marketplace area than the dash itself.
KingOfGods @ Jul 21st 2008 9:41AM
To me the ads on Live aren't even a problem. The ads are usually relevant to the service or a car or movie ad that is offering free gamer pics and themes.
Have you ever tried a service like Tivo? I pay $100+ for the Tivo service yearly and they have ads all over and they very rarely are relevant to the service I am using.
Obie @ Jul 21st 2008 9:52AM
Clean? For now...Major Nelson happily confirmed that ads will be in the final version.
GODDAMMIT!
Vcize @ Jul 21st 2008 10:41AM
Get off the ads thing already.
Seriously, it's ads for content that is available (often free) on the marketplace. New demos available, new themes/trailers available. Half the time stuff you would have missed otherwise unless you diligently scroll through the "New Releases" tab in every section every few hours (no one does this).
The "ads" are there to help. They're not even really ads. It's not like they're telling you to go buy Sprite or eat Burger King.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 21st 2008 10:48AM
Thank you Vcize. I actually want them to stay. They're indeed very helpful to A LOT of people out there. I'm sure they'll find the appropriate place to put them so they wont ruin the new look. MS wants this to be clean and sleek so I think we'll find these so called "ads" is a sub category and not on the main pages.
Obie @ Jul 21st 2008 10:52AM
@Vcize
No...I am a paying customer, and if I do not wish to see
ad garbage I should have the option to opt out.
Just because YOU are a complacent sheep, doesn't mean I want to be.
Duke @ Jul 21st 2008 10:56AM
Obie, you are dodging his comment though. The "ads" are generally just teasers for new content on the marketplace that is often free. Lets not act like its "The Man" trying to sell us Mt. Dew constantly.
Oh wait....Mt. Dew....Halo....Nah!
Obie @ Jul 21st 2008 11:06AM
@Duke
By turning on my xbox this moment I see ads for Netflix, Doube D dodgeball, Halo wars.
None of the stuff I am interested in.
Why do people get mad when I ask for the "option" to opt out? Shouldn't people have the right to choose?
By simply giving people more choices, everyone wins.
Vcize @ Jul 21st 2008 11:11AM
Obie, they're not even really "ads". Ads implies they are something that a third party is paying them to bring to sell their product. Since they're putting up a part of their own product, I doubt MS is getting paid to put those ads up, so this "I'm a paying customer" crap is not a real argument.
Essentially, saying you want the option to not have new info displayed is the same thing as saying "I'm a paying customer, so I don't want there to be an icon on the screen that says 'B = back' " or "I'm a paying customer, so I don't want the word 'Featured' on my screen".
Obie @ Jul 21st 2008 11:30AM
Vcize: Seeing your posts makes me wish Joystiq had a "ignore" button too. ;)
Vcize @ Jul 21st 2008 11:44AM
Translation: "Oh I really have a poor argument here so I'm just going to go after the person instead of the point"
baby sea tuna @ Jul 21st 2008 11:50AM
That's funny, obie, I was just thinking the same thing about you.
Obie @ Jul 21st 2008 11:51AM
Alright Vcize, you argued that asking to remove ads is the same same as asking to remove basic functionality?
Seriously? When I see such an enormous wall of stupidity I just walk away, instead of chipping away at it with a tiny spoon of logic.
I stand by my right to opt out of spam, peroid.
AwesomeTown @ Jul 21st 2008 11:55AM
I'm agree with automag partially. In my opinion, the ads make the blade system way too busy and not very appealing. I do appreciate knowing the new stuff on the marketplace however, but isn't that what the spotlight section of the marketplace is for? Personally, I just think it could be implemented much better. Hopefully it'll be better in the new UI, because I like it a lot. (though I'm not crazy about the avatars)
343 Guilty Fart @ Jul 21st 2008 12:23PM
Hey, I also pay for cable and I get a whole series of ads about 3 times every half hour. Why can't I opt out of those?
Saria the Cat @ Jul 21st 2008 4:22PM
@Automag: But the new "Get Neflix Service Now" themes are going to be all the rage!
dat @ Jul 21st 2008 9:21AM
Thank GOODNESS this avatar mess is optional!
Erwos @ Jul 21st 2008 9:25AM
I wouldn't mind Joystiq, you know, summarizing the revelations from the podcast instead of just telling me there's a podcast.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 21st 2008 9:33AM
truDAT! :P
arrrgh @ Jul 21st 2008 9:44AM
+1
j.howlett @ Jul 21st 2008 9:51AM
i can tell you they mention joystiq
Duke @ Jul 21st 2008 9:53AM
I was thinking the same thing. We cant all listen to these when at work.
Vcize @ Jul 21st 2008 10:42AM
Yep, stuck at work. Anyone that's listened to this care to summarize it for the rest of us poor saps?
Saria the Cat @ Jul 21st 2008 4:17PM
Also at work. It's bad enough I am always on Joystiq while here anyway.
Solid Chief @ Jul 21st 2008 9:26AM
Perhaps he words it well, but listening to it makes me want this update.
Adam @ Jul 21st 2008 9:37AM
Ultimately, they're giving people options. You can't complain about having more options to do different things. Knowing that you're not forced to create an avatar, install a game on hard disk, etc. is a great thing. No gamer is completely alike. Good move on their part IMO.
DarkNessBear @ Jul 21st 2008 12:35PM
Yea, but PS3 Home is so terrrible! You 360 fanboys are a joke...
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 21st 2008 9:45AM
I want my gamercard to have all these things.
Avatar
Motto
Gamerscore
Gamerpic
Last 4 achievements
Xbox LIVE status on/offline
Basically everything they currently have on there right now in that pic, with the addition of our gamerpic in the top right corner. That would be just swell.
Dirty @ Jul 21st 2008 10:52AM
what if you avatar is wearing a shirt with your gamerpic on it?
Mrblonde @ Jul 21st 2008 3:09PM
Interesting idea. I like the sound of it.
Mrblonde @ Jul 21st 2008 3:17PM
Interesting idea. I like the sound of it.
Spilt_Milk @ Jul 21st 2008 9:52AM
They are giving people options? How about the option to keep the old interface and bypass this abomination of navigation all together?
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 21st 2008 9:56AM
Mmmmmm how bout no, Scott...
Snowblind @ Jul 21st 2008 10:03AM
In what way is it an "abomination". It's clean, smooth and easy to navigate. The old one is clunky, slow, filled with adds and very disorganised.
I really can't see any possible reason to why you'd want to keep the old one, the only excuse that really held up, was for those who were against avatars, but since they're optional, you can just ignore them.
If you still don't see why this new one is so much better, listen to the podcast.
j.howlett @ Jul 21st 2008 10:04AM
i wasn't paying close attention but i think the blades will be part of the guide and you won't have to go to the new space.
Automag @ Jul 21st 2008 10:19AM
I'm with you.