Xbox 360 update to add Music Games Store, news section

by David Hinkle on Oct 19th 2009 11:40AM

Microsoft has revealed new details about its Fall 2009 Xbox 360 Dashboard Update -- yes, the same update set to bring Twitter, Last.fm and Facebook support. New to the list of update features is a dedicated Xbox Live storefront for music games DLC and a specific area of Inside Xbox called "News and More."

The Music Games Store will take a big step toward dealing with the clutter on Xbox Live, offering a one-stop shop for all Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Lips DLC. Aside from the convenience of a single destination for all music game DLC purchases, shoppers will also be able to preview each track from right there in the Dashboard.

As for the News and More section of Inside Xbox, it's described as "a regularly-updated stream of content from MSNBC.com, MSN Autos, The New Yorker and Dilbert." We're totally expecting some Akira-like monstrosity that is equal parts balloon boy, coffee station chit-chat and political cartoons we don't understand; though we're sure in reality the feature will be less scary and far less life-threatening.

Tags: dashboard-update, dashboard-update-fall-2009, dilbert, dlc, Microsoft, msn-autos, msnbc, musci-games-store, music, new-yorker, news, the-new-yorker, Xbox-360, xbox-live

Reader Comments (66)

Well that's freaking awesome. With all the DLC rock band has it's pretty tough finding stuff. And the preview? its like Microsoft actually cares!

Now if only we could preview gamerpics and stuff before downloading without having to google search....

"With all the DLC rock band has it's pretty tough finding stuff. "

Seriously? You know that ROck Band sports a BUILT-IN Store? You can browse, sort by bands , names and even preview the tracks. How is it less convenient than the XBox menu?

@Archon

Perhaps Ghen meant it the other way around: as the 'What's new' tab on the DLC section on the XB Dashboard is usually 90% songs for GH, RB or Lips, it's hard(er) to find the new added content for all the other games.

As someone who doesn't play those kinds of rhythm games, this is a welcome addition to what's already looking like a substantial system update.

@Archon:

What he means is some sections of the game marketplace such as New Releases are just jammed up with Rock band and Guitar Hero tracks. They release 7 or 8 tracks at once and it just takes up the whole section leaving no room for any other DLC we actually care about.

It's inconvenient if you want stuff other than music game DLC.

It's something that should've been handled better from the start but it's great they're doing something about it now.

Using the built-in Rock Band Music Store was also troublesome in that you had to wait around. It wasn't until recently that Harmonix gave it the ability to add DLC to the download queue.

Nevertheless, I'm sure some people are simply used to using the dashboard by now so this is a welcome change from Microsoft's part.

As to which I'll use more? Depends on if I have to get up off my lazy butt to swap games.

This is pretty sweet. While XBL isn't necessarily replacing the standard Web Browser that you'll find on a personal computer (that includes Macs too, you fanboys), it sure is giving us some rather nice options.

I actually am beginning to prefer the xbl apps way to have internet on the TV than a real web browser.... Its the same thing as the mobile apps work better than browsing the web on your phone. You dont get access to as many sites but what you do get works far better than the web version.

Finally people understand what I'm talking about. I've been saying this for months.

Yup, I dig the apps too. Its quality over quantity. I just wished there was an option to remove channels as you please, kind of how under the 360 setting one can remove the welcome channel. I still can't believe we pay MS to view ads, even if they are "gaming ads"..... lol a burger tie-in is not a gaming ad!

Well I'd rather have a real webbrowser. PS3 has "Life with Playstation" where you can get your news and a full browser too. WE WANT IE360......well maybe not IE but something!!!

"WE WANT IE360"

No. You do.
"We" do not.

Yes! Now if only they'd take the next steps: an SDK and 'Widget Store' so Twitter and Facebook could've already written their own. Except I don't know how I feel about paying for xbox widgets...

I heard about this earlier this year. Good that they brought it back up.

You had me at music. *bats eyelashes, leans in for a kiss*

*leans away larry david style*

Nice. +1.

Being able to preview tracks is a great idea. Jury's still out on the Twitter and Facebook apps. The Twitter app has to launch separately so it can't run in the background. Not sure how useful that will be or if people will use it over their phone and/or PC but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I tip my hat to you microsoft, Just wish sony would do something similar.

why are we upvoting him? Sony DID do something like this its called Life With Playstation. You get news and weather... from GOOGLE, and you want Twitter and Facebook? then theres a web browser.

but i'm prob going to get downvoted because Sony didn't package it all cute for everyone

I'm talking about the Music games store.

Its already easy enough to find stuff on PSN, the PS store isn't a cluttered mess.

Awesome. It'll be nice to access that content and decide if I want it without having to take out Brutal Legend just to do it.

"a regularly-updated stream of content from MSNBC.com"

Great so they picked the most corrupt news source available in the mainstream media. Awesome =/

For real, yo. They should put their competitors on the Xbox instead.

"Great so they picked the most corrupt news source available in the mainstream media."

That title belongs to Fox News . . . oh wait, you wrote "mainstream media".

@ bioadam

you wrote "That title belongs to Fox News . . . oh wait, you wrote "mainstream media"."

fox news is the top news channel (meaning #1 in ratings as per Nielsen) for like past 3 yrs so how is it not mainstream...?

@whylekat

Because it's not media. It's fabricated entertainment.

@anthology

wow dude... Really wow.

It's fabricated entertainment? Are you serious? It's a news channel. If you watch any news at all and it's MSNBC you clearly don't check their facts or sources too often. You'll find plenty of fabrications there.

until glenn beck and oreilly get fired your point is moot. i find it funny faux news deems itself fair and balanced. anyway its sad that the only "news show" that has the closest sense comes from comedy central.

I don't watch glen beck. He's on while I'm still at work. He's too looney tunes in his personality for me in general, but isn't he a democrat?

MSNBC = Foxnews = CNN

It's all about preaching to the choir and and getting advertising $$$
It's really sad that one must watch all of them to filter out the propaganda from the 2 biggest special interests in this country: RNC and DNC.

Although it makes sense that Xbox is bringing MSNBC (MS + NBC), I can see how some folks would want Foxnews et al.

Bring on the Wingnuts and Moonbats!!!

I love news! This is a great addition! I....er...say what?!?!?

MSNBC??? Are you kidding?

MSNBC is the lamest of all the news outlets. Fail.

I suppose you would be happier if it was Fox News?

You know the M in MSNBC stands for Microsoft right?

Just a bunch of donkey beaters if you ask me. So

AGREED

I didn't advocate Fox. I just said MSNBC was lame. BTW - I know what the MS stands for. Still, since we ARE paying for Xbox Live, I would like to pick my news outlet instead of it being a forced, two bit, new$ service.

Oh snap, new$ that's clever!

Actually MSNBC.COM is better than MSNBC. So is CNN.com. Fox.com... eh not so much.
I think all the "news" channels have gone off the deep end and all they ever broadcast anymore is commentary. Their news web sites tend to have actual news when they aren't focused on some cute white kid getting killed or assualted.

Do liberals cause cancer...

Find out tonight on fox news.

"You know the M in MSNBC stands for Microsoft right?"

Actually, it's the "S" also.
Sorry. I had to do it.

Awesome...Awesome to the max.

Great Seinfeld reference, got to love the Sein.

George: Maybe it's got something to do with that 42 in the corner.
Elaine: That's the page number.
George: Well, I can't crack this one.

Nice! This update is looking to be a gem.

Yeah, two more extra non-custom tabs. Now a music marketplace channel and a "social networking" channel.

Seriously, I wanna turn all this junk off.

Obie, turn on the option to automatically play the game in the tray when you turn on.

And if you want to play arcade games or whatnot, use the guide.

PROBLEM SOLVED, NOW STOP BITCHING.

Shut it Peter! You're bald!

I'm with Obie. I used my 360 for 3 things, games, media center (cuz my xbox1 is in the bedroom as a media hub) and Netflix. I would just have it jump to the game but I use netflix more often and it's not exactly the first choice in the menu (up x5ish and right one, OK button, if you did it too fast then it says you have to sign in first so wait, then ok to sign in...) Is it really that hard to remember what I used last and present it first? Or since they're tracking everything I launch anyway, use that to make a menu of the stuff I use instead of 3 pages of adds on the startup screen of the console I have to pay to use online... It's not hard, the ONLY reason they won't do it is there's tons of money to be made my selling direct advertising through the dashboard. I know they're a company but the advertising doesn't subsidize anything else (online play, or console cost, etc.) so why can't I turn it off?

I don't care about lastfm or twitter or facebook or adds or events or DLC for stuff I don't own. Great for those that do but most people are not going to use ALL of that and we should have the option to turn the stuff we don't want off.

Even my wii can move the stuff I don't use to a page I don't go to...
/rant

My hope for the future:
Silver account is free and allows you to play games online and is void of all of this non-gaming stuff.

Gold- monthly fee and you get all of this extra twitter, facebook, msnbc stuff.

The opposite is more likely - Silver getting access to Twitter, Facebook, MSNBC, etc., while you pay to add on the multiplayer gaming.

that's a shame. I have no interest at all in all of the extras and avatar stuff. I just want games and a list of friends. XBL seems to be getting cluttered. Hopefully PSN doesn't follow suit. I like their approach. I can choose to not even download the extras.... it would be nice if they had the session joining and invites features that xbox has though.

Keep dreaming pal. As long as people keep signing up for gold we will continue getting Microshafted. Its kinda like prison, either you avoid getting into trouble and stay out of prison, or you can have mindless destructive fun all for the low low price of getting boned in the ass. Once your in, you have the option of using MS brand soap or having the convenience of not using any at all. That's because MS is just trying to "protect" you from unauthorised Brand X quality. Oh and don't even think of escaping from MS prison, they have windows that crash on you.

I guess im just bitter because my homemade hdd might not work next update, its kinda like finding out you spent all that time making your toilet wine only to find out its going to be taken away so you can't drink it :(

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Xbox 360 update to add Music Games Store, news section

Reader Comments (66)

Posted: Oct 19th 2009 11:46AM Ghen said

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