New Xbox Experience to streamline Games Store

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 4th 2008 at 4:30PM }

As the fall update and accompanying New Xbox Experience creep ever closer to our purring, anticipatory 360s, further details about the renovated dashboard continue to surface -- the latest of these is a sneak peek at how the Games Store will function under the NXE, courtesy of Xbox community site Gamerscore Blog.

To put it simply, the new Games Store will provide every game with its own comprehensive page, complete with tabs displaying screenshots, trailers, information about the title, and all available downloads pertaining to the game. If that made little to no sense, they've got a more detailed rundown on Gamerscore Blog -- but it finally seems like we won't have to search through an ocean of DLC to find those Bomberman: Act Zero gamerpics we've been coveting for oh-so-long.

Tags: fall-update, games-store, microsoft, new-xbox-experience, nxe

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

theturtle363 @ Oct 4th 2008 4:54PM

that sounds pretty cool, nothing amazing but nice enough.

Badboy1979 @ Oct 4th 2008 5:45PM

Taking a glance at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamerscore/2910352062/sizes/l/in/photostream/

... I'm thinking Ads in the dashboard will now be served up as additional "channel boxes" placed after the general content.

Like in that image, you see "ad" boxes for Castle Crashers, Soul Calibur, etc and you'll notice that there's an "8 of 13" below the boxes that indicate you're looking at the 8th box and on.

So maybe the actually boxes come first in each channel then those boxes are followed "Ad" boxes which highlight stuff that relates to the particular channel you're on. Like new movies under the Video marketplace, new arcade games under the Games marketplace and so on.

If that's true then that a better approaches then on the current dashboard where ads take up a big chuck of the tv screen.

Just a guess tho.

Badboy1979 @ Oct 4th 2008 5:47PM

oops, I meant "If that's true, then that's a better approach..."

Steven M @ Oct 4th 2008 4:56PM

Finally something thats not a bitch to find things on...

MOT @ Oct 4th 2008 4:58PM

Okay, when can we finally stop calling it the "New Xbox..."...that name. I'm I the only one here who gets douche chills (not my words) at that marketing/PR-speak? When can we just refer to it as 'the nee dashboard'?

Farseer (GDI) @ Oct 4th 2008 5:27PM

In an effort to avoid douche chills, I would recommend running the bottle under warm water before using. It's a good thing.

ice~ @ Oct 4th 2008 5:13PM

At first I hated the NXE but now I seem to be liking it a little more each day something new is announced..the new marketplace is gonna kick ass

I still hate avatars however :)

aaron @ Oct 4th 2008 5:32PM

im with you.... when i first saw it i didnt think it was horrible but it was nowhere near what i thought it was going to be. but after seeing it more and more im really starting to like it.

but it needs to hurry the hell up and come out.

ice~ @ Oct 4th 2008 6:02PM

Its coming out in one month so it's pretty close

Tiptup300 @ Oct 4th 2008 5:26PM

I love the NXE

sirpilf @ Oct 4th 2008 5:31PM

sounds similar to how PSN has pages for specific games. although sony needs to streamline their shit more too. home/PSN/PSstore need to feel more integrated with each other. everything on PS3 feels so seperate, like home is its own program, the store is its own program, PSN is its own program.

looks like the NXE will make it all feel like one. although home in only in beta, i hope the real release feels more integrated with PSN and games.

DBoyFlex @ Oct 4th 2008 5:31PM

I am ready for the NXE. The blades were ok, but I am ready for something a bit more modern. The old dash seems kinda out dated, and I think the NXE will bring the 360 back into the present.

burgerbat @ Oct 4th 2008 6:37PM

I like you DBoy. I like your Texas.

jarhead906 @ Oct 4th 2008 7:19PM

Exactly. Great observation if I may say so.

However, I personally won't fall for this 'parlour trick' of modernizing the interface.

It is still unjustifiable to pay for an online service riddled with advertisements or without advertisements. Your personal console preference has nothing to do with this issue because it's a fee put into place because the company knows that the consumer will still go after the product regardless.

Planned obsolescence has me concerned also because Microsoft seems willing enough to go in that direction (last gen Xbox is caput, watered down HD quality, and let's not forget that even with improved chips the failure rate is still ridiculous compared to other entertainment options on the market.)

Again this is my opinion and stance on the issue, so don't make an argument out of it.

DBoyFlex @ Oct 4th 2008 7:44PM

I agree with the pay and advertising. I do understand that stuff costs money, but it is hard to believe that the 50 bucks per year per gold member is not more than sufficient to run Live. They should cut down on the price and marketing. I would change my tune if somebody really dug deep and found out how much it costs to run live and how much they get from gold members and then in advertising and see how the numbers work. Obviously I would rather pay 50 bucks with ads than 70 without, but I hardly doubt that is the case.

Tiptup300 @ Oct 4th 2008 11:36PM

Microsoft doesn't only host live, any online game on XBLA is hosted by Microsoft. Which is why a lot of PS3 games from the arcade aren't online. Sony won't pay for the servers, the developers have to.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 5th 2008 4:14AM

Tiptup300:
Actually, typically the publisher pays for the servers. And Sony publishes most of the games that are up for purchase on PSN.

Besides, as you mention, MS isn't hosting the games either, games on Live have to be either self-hosted (where one person in the game hosts, like many Live/PSN games are) or they have to set up their own hosts anyway. None of the $50 goes to developers or publishers, it goes to MS.

The $50 is a joke, it's time for it to end. Online play is free on PC, DS and PS3. 360 needs to move into the present.

Snowblind @ Oct 5th 2008 7:33AM

Have you seen how much it costs MS to run Live? Last year the figure was into the billions. I have no problem paying the measely $50 a year (especially as it's easy to get it far cheaper by buying a subscription card) because it's still a vastly better service than either PSN, or the antiquated way PC games work online.

I like being able to talk to my friends ALL the time, and easily set up matches with them. Not having to remember everyones different user names for each different game, and then arrange games we're going to play, etc.. Xbox Live does everything for you.

Although PSN has made some massive improvements (mainly by directly copying MS), it's still no where near the level of Live.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 5th 2008 4:07PM

"The antiquated way PC games work online."

You slay me, seriously.

You apparently don't have much of a grip on reality. Did you somehow miss how Steam cloned much of Live's functionality? Oh, and it's free.

I don't give a rip how much it cost MS to run Live. Boo-hoo. They do sell ads on the service, and it's a conduit for selling a lot of content. It's like you're saying to me that Target has to charge an entry fee at the door because it costs so much to turn on the lights, staff the registers and run the A/C.

Tiptup300 @ Oct 6th 2008 5:47AM

L2, you seem to not understand how network programing works. Different situations require different ways of doing things. The thing that Microsoft hosts are the servers that do the ranking/matchmaking/various other things. This is why any xbox 1 game with online will still work, while most older ps2 online games won't quite work.

And also, P2P is sometimes a whole lot better then just having a master server. Since having one thing control everything could potentially slow things down by adding one more middle man.

Well Fed Troll @ Oct 6th 2008 9:54AM

@ LS2LS7?

Shame...
I thought the kiddies were over the "paying for live SuX" deal.

Im assuming you do not own a 360 & if you do, save up your allowance...

Dan CiTi @ Oct 4th 2008 7:14PM

JUST COME OUT ALREADY.

Ignatius @ Oct 4th 2008 7:59PM

I'd hope a search function was included this time around.

NOT ME @ Oct 4th 2008 8:47PM

Im all for 50/yr thats no problem. What i do have a problem is why can PSN(free) give free themes(1st and 3rd party) and xbox doesnt. that really pisses me off. that 150 credit adds up pretty quickly. Which is y im glad to see the NXE, because from the look of it i wont need to change the theme just the background, and if i cant im cool with that as long as i can change the color

Squirrel3D @ Oct 4th 2008 9:45PM

If you can pay $60 for a new game all the time, then you can pay $50 ONCE A YEAR for Xbox live. I'm sick of people bitching about paying Xbox Live, yet they buy $60 games all the time.

itbekevin2010 @ Oct 5th 2008 3:33AM

yeah but those 50 bucks can go towards another game.

Snowblind @ Oct 5th 2008 7:27AM

He wasn't complaining about the price of Live, but the price of themes, which is a little ridiculous.

But just don't buy themes. You can just use your own images for the background, I don't see why ANYONE would pay money for them.

NOT ME @ Oct 5th 2008 10:20PM

true Indeed snow i was refering to themes prices. Your right ive been using the same one for like 2 yrs i refuse to buy another, im just saying themes should be free especially if PSN can do it. Which means 3rd parties are willing to give them away.

NOT ME @ Oct 4th 2008 8:48PM

why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 5th 2008 4:12AM

It could use some improvement. Call me a confused old fart, but I tried to look up the Castle Crashers demo in the downloadable demos area, probably because that's how you do it on PS3. But it wasn't there. I had to call a friend to be reminded that since it is a downloadable title, you have to download it from the XBLA section where you get full versions from.

They should list stuff like that in both places. Well, hell, they need to fix all kinds of things about their store anyway. The complains that XBLA is full of shovelcrud and MS' statement they would delete a lot of it (since recinded) is a reflection of how poorly organized their online store is.

But hey, it's software, I'm sure they can fix it, and hopefully this is the release to do it.