XBOX 360 FALL DASHBOARD UPDATE TO GO LIVE TODAY

After months of build-up, Microsoft is finally ready to release the Xbox 360 Fall 2007 Dashboard Update. While the most anticipated features will certainly be the ability to buy downloadable versions of original Xbox games via the Xbox Live Marketplace and expanded support for video codecs (DivX Support included), there are a wealth of other little features in there that should further refine the 360's online experience.

"As promised, Microsoft is bringing some early gifts to your Xbox 360® just prior to the holiday season. Beginning at 0200 A.M. PST on December 4, 2007, the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update will be available for all connected Xbox 360 consoles free of charge, bringing an array of new features and enhancements to the leading gaming and entertainment system.

Among the key new enhancements are the previously announced Xbox Originals game download service, Family Timer parental control feature, and expanded social networking experiences. Xbox 360 owners can also look forward to enhanced navigation, profile, and video features and Xbox LIVE® Arcade Hits.

This free update will be digitally distributed over Xbox LIVE to the more than eight million Xbox LIVE members worldwide (Xbox LIVE Silver and Gold) with no disc or hard drive required. If you don't have an Xbox LIVE account, you can easily sign up for the free network by connecting your console to a broadband Internet connection. New features and enhancements include:

MORE DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

• Xbox Originals: With this new service, announced on November 13, you can download-to-own full original Xbox® games that were previously only available at retail. The digital shelves will always be stocked with classic titles, such as Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™, Halo®, Fable®, Fuzion Frenzy®, Psychonauts™, and more as the catalogue grows over time, at 1200 Microsoft Points per game.

• Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits: On Xbox LIVE Arcade, the Arcade Hits program kicks off as some of the best-selling Xbox LIVE Arcade games become available at permanently reduced prices, making it easier than ever for everyone to build a library of downloadable games! The first games to become Arcade Hits will be Bankshot Billiards 2™ and Lumines™ Live!, which will be available for 800 Microsoft Points each, and Marble Blast Ultra, Small Arms™, and Zuma® Deluxe, which will be available for 400 Microsoft Points each. With free trial downloads for every game and over 100 games to choose from, Xbox LIVE Arcade offers something for every member of the family.

NEW WAYS TO KEEP UP TO DATE AND CONNECTED

• Inside Xbox: A new direct feed brings current news straight from Xbox.com into the Xbox LIVE Dashboard providing an easy, predictable entry point where you can discover what's new in game releases, events, Xbox LIVE Marketplace offers, and lots more.

• Enhanced online profile: If you're interested in sharing a few more details about yourself you can go beyond your motto and further personalize your profile with an expanded bio. The extended bios will be visible to "Friends Only" or the entire Xbox LIVE community.

• Expanded Friends List access: A quick and easy way for gamers to expand their personal community on Xbox LIVE, members will be able to see the Friends Lists of other Xbox LIVE members, boosting their social networking experience on the service.

ENHANCED OVERALL EXPERIENCE AND CONTROL

• Enhanced Parental Controls: Family Timer, a strong and flexible new addition to the Xbox 360 Family Settings, enables parents to set the amount of time their Xbox 360 can be used on a per-day or per-week basis by their children or other members of the household.

• New video features: The convenience of full-screen movie previews and enhanced video codec support further expand the options when it comes to the Xbox 360 entertainment experience.

• Easy-to-use navigation features: With several noteworthy changes in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard, from the new Game Store button to the Video Store button to enhanced visuals and descriptions in the video library, Xbox LIVE members can find what they want, when they want it." – Xbox.com

Those of you wishing to check out the full list of features added in the Fall 2007 Dashboard Update should be sure to check out the "December 2007 System Update" post from Gamerscore Blog linked below. While we're at it, let's also all keep our fingers crossed that the update doesn't cause a mass-bricking.

• 2007 Fall Dashboard Update – Xbox.com
• December 2007 System Update – Gamerscore Blog

HUGE XBOX 360 DASHBOARD UPDATE TODAY

According to Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, Microsoft will begin systematically rolling out the Xbox Live Dashboard update this morning sometime between 5am EST/2am PST and 9am EST/6am PST. For those wondering, as per the Major, there is no way to force the download to begin – you just have to wait for Live to select you as ready for the update.

“While the update is being released at 0200 PT not everyone will receive it immediately. It can take up to four hours for a user to be prompted to receive this update, so please be patient. There is no way to speed up the process, every Xbox 360 will receive the prompt to upgrade sometime between 0200 and 0600 (or the next time you sign in to Xbox Live.) “ – Major Nelson

To be clear, this is the big Dashboard update everyone has been talking about for the last few weeks, not the upcoming backwards compatibility update. Looking over the list of new features, I’ve got to say the following are the ones I find most exciting;

New Features

• “Download manager” – Marketplace items now download in the background, queue up to six pieces of content.
• “Boot to Dashboard” setting will bypass the loading of any disc in the drive and open directly to Dashboard during power-on
• “All Arcade Games” added as a selection in the Xbox Live Arcade area
• Personal gamer pictures allowed as Gamertiles – displayed only to those on your Friends List

DVD Playback

• Improved visual quality
• Improved playback smoothness
• Repaired playback stutter during certain films

Memory Area Improvements

• Improved overall performance, allowing quicker access to content

Miscellaneous Improvements

• Show “Last Played Game” selection in Xbox Live Arcade first before enumerating all games (when Arcade game was last game played)
• Improved download performance for popular content being downloaded through Marketplace
• Total USB keyboard support

Looks like MS is hoping to keep people on the straight and narrow as far as gamer pictures go by restricting custom pics to people on your friends list. Not a bad idea, but I still see them getting complaints from people who may have a lot of people on thier friends list that they don’t really know well.

While the above list may seem huge on it’s own, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. You can check out the full list of changes to the Dashboard here and the full text of the Major’s message here.

MAJOR UPDATE COMING SOON TO XBOX 360 DASHBOARD

Kotaku has gotten a scoop from Microsoft on the features in the upcoming Xbox 360 Dashboard update due to hit sometime next week. The biggest things to note in the update are;

1. The much desired Background Download Manager will finally be released, freeing your 360 to do tasks other than multiplayer gaming while a Live Marketplace download is in progress.
2. You will now be able to specify if you want your Xbox 360 to boot either the media in the drive or directly to the dashboard at startup.
3. A general reorganizing of the layout of the Live Marketplace.
4. The download is a Xbox 360 firmware update, so you do not need a hard drive to obtain it. Just speculation on my part, but I’m quite sure there’s also something in there to kill that Xbox 360 backup game hack.

Beyond those items, there will also be enhancements made to the systems for DVD playback and photo viewing, support for the Xbox 360 Vision camera and new friends list features. Click here for the full article from Kotaku.