NXE rollout 2am PST - will it go smoothly? [Archive] - Page 2

ProStyle

11-21-2008, 08:01 AM

Why is all the hair so short? The third section with all the "long" styles are barely past the chin, even my girl was confused that "shoulder length" was the longest selection.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Cheerful%20Dub/avatar-body.png

They could have made things easier on themselves with more sliders and color options for all the various features and accessories, they must really be gearing up to push hard on these microtransactions every 14 days...

Netflix HD streaming is yummmy though

Skipper

11-21-2008, 08:06 AM

The XBLA list is instaleld games is very quick now.

Also, all my music is in folders / music/artist/album/*.mp3

works fine? has for a long time?

Moore I still don't have an option to display via folder. Sure it displays all the music in those folders, but as one big giant list, NOT via folder. Can I ask what method you are using to look at music? On an ipod, a Windows Media Extension PC, a local USB drive connected to the xbox, or something else?

I'm using TVersity. I'd be willing to switch to some other method if it gives me that capability.

ElGuapo

11-21-2008, 08:30 AM

May I just say, Mr. Chick's avatar is a creepy, pasty, red eyed evil looking guy. Like Gollum with clothes on. You are not invited to my parties! :)

The Netflix HD movies look awesome. Looking forward to a bigger catalog eventually. Kind of sucks you can't browse from your box, but as forge said, just pile 'em on. I have my 360 and PC hooked up to the same TV so adding them is a snap. If you didn't have them near each other it would be a bit bigger pain.

Ezdaar

11-21-2008, 08:45 AM

It amazes me that they ended up having less customization than Nintendo does with the Miis.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/emulsfier/avatar-body.png

dermot

11-21-2008, 08:50 AM

See, you say that and yet every single avatar posted in this thread is completely different to every other avatar.

Wholly Schmidt

11-21-2008, 08:52 AM

See, you say that and yet every single avatar posted in this thread is completely different to every other avatar.
Well they gave us more choices, but fewer adjustments. More hair, more clothes, but you can't position anything yourself or scale any features. If you've got a distinct hairstyle, there's a good chance you can make a more recognizable avatar than a Mii, but if you're just a "normal" lookin' dude, you can't do as much with the avatars to get your face more subtly correct.

Supertanker

11-21-2008, 08:54 AM

Anyone know how to get the avatar pictures to update? My avatar pic still shows the default one I picked. Last night I stole Tom's idea of a family unfriendly Mii and tried to make one that looked like he just got back from murdering another hooker. They even let me have some OJ gloves.

Edit: I think I found the answer. You must take a gamer pic of the avatar to save it, and I have not take a picture of the new one.

RobotPants

11-21-2008, 08:55 AM

Well they gave us more choices, but fewer adjustments. More hair, more clothes, but you can't position anything yourself or scale any features. If you've got a distinct hairstyle, there's a good chance you can make a more recognizable avatar than a Mii, but if you're just a "normal" lookin' dude, you can't do as much with the avatars to get your face more subtly correct.

Plus, I'd much rather have a bunch of goofy parts to make something unique instead of just trying to make something that resembles an effeminate version of me.

ProStyle

11-21-2008, 08:58 AM

Moore I still don't have an option to display via folder. Sure it displays all the music in those folders, but as one big giant list, NOT via folder. Can I ask what method you are using to look at music? On an ipod, a Windows Media Extension PC, a local USB drive connected to the xbox, or something else?

I'm using TVersity. I'd be willing to switch to some other method if it gives me that capability.

I found the easiest way to manage a lot of Music on the 360 was to just bow to their system and use the playlists in WMP11, on the linked PC which is sharing your files. Keep your directory structure, just add the root folders to the Library, make playlists and save them directly in WMP. Then when you are on the 360 you can merge playlists into your tracklist one at a time, put that queue on shuffle, etc.

I'm also in the situation where I have gigs and gigs of files that are untagged, but organized correctly by file and folder names, so browsing this way saves me from having to backtag, even with with an automated app like musicbrains or something.

I don't really know how TVersity is setup anymore, I only toyed with it before the 360 patched in Divx support. That development made most of the streaming middleware obsolete for my purposes, there was never an issue with straight mp3s.

Desslock

11-21-2008, 09:10 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/?????/avatar-body.png

Replace the ??????s with your gamertag and place image tags around the link.

I am a failure at posting (is there a way to post an image if there's a space between the name?), but here's my guy:

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/the desslock/avatar-body.png

Fugitive

11-21-2008, 09:13 AM

Replace spaces with %20.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/the%20desslock/avatar-body.png
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/the%20desslock/avatar-body.png

James Gutierrez

11-21-2008, 09:15 AM

Here you go Desslock:
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/the desslock/avatar-body.png

Mine:
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/tristero/avatar-body.png

Desslock

11-21-2008, 09:16 AM

Replace spaces with %20.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/the%20desslock/avatar-body.png
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/the%20desslock/avatar-body.png

Thank you! Yep, that's pretty much me, at least if I was a 99lb weakling.

Andrew Mayer

11-21-2008, 09:16 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/drvital/avatar-body.png

CSL

11-21-2008, 09:19 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/CSL%20GT/avatar-body.png

I want an Indie fedora.

bago

11-21-2008, 09:29 AM

Needs more monocle popping!

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/bagofmice/avatar-body.png

Desslock

11-21-2008, 09:30 AM

Needs more monocle popping!

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/bagofmice/avatar-body.png

Why are you a clone of Bruce Geryk?

Erlend Grefsrud

11-21-2008, 09:41 AM

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/9563/avatarbodyws2.png

Does Nintendo do this? If they don't, then they should start immediately.

ElGuapo

11-21-2008, 09:56 AM

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/9563/avatarbodyws2.png

Does Nintendo do this? If they don't, then they should start immediately.

MOR PICS OF NEKKID GIRLFRIEND.

Marcin

11-21-2008, 10:34 AM

http://www.damodred.net/cms_images/gallery_84_464.jpg

tmastern

11-21-2008, 10:36 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/QuantumTroy/avatar-body.png

Not as close to reality as the Wii Mii, but in the ballpark........

Bill Dungsroman

11-21-2008, 11:25 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Bill%20Dungsroman/avatar-body.png

Look at this weenie.

Bahimiron

11-21-2008, 11:44 AM

Bill D's dark secret is that he's David Duchovny.

zengonzo

11-21-2008, 11:49 AM

David Duchovny never expressed so much emotion in all his career.

Islanti

11-21-2008, 11:56 AM

Mine:
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Islanti/avatar-body.png
Pretty close to me, although I don't usually wear my watch halfway up my arm.

Mehrunes

11-21-2008, 12:28 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/TJ Lapinski/avatar-body.png

Oh my God I am such a nerd. :(

nlanza

11-21-2008, 01:59 PM

Mine isn't too far off, really:

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/nlanza/avatar-body.png

Creole Ned

11-21-2008, 02:03 PM

One thing I noticed that changed after the update is the default volume on the Xbox is now much higher than it used to be -- so much higher, in fact, that I can turn the volume down to zero on my headphones and it's still a bit too loud. I can adjust the sound on my PC before turning the Xbox on but if there's a way to set volume control on the Xbox, it'd be easier that way.

My 360 is connected to my 24" monitor via HDMI, with the audio routed through the dedicated sound on my PC. I use headphones only and don't have speakers hooked up currently.

Don Quixote

11-21-2008, 04:38 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Don%20Quixote/avatar-body.png

That's sort of me, but in addition to the ridiculous mustache, I have a thin beard. I decided this was more accurate than the ugly full beard. Ditto on the monocle- I actually wear these antique Pince-nez, and liked this better than full glasses. Plus, well, Qt3 is my home away from home on the internet. Why don't more of you have them, and why can't we wear berets?

Rimbo

11-21-2008, 04:54 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/rimbosity/avatar-body.png

My real chin and nose are significantly longer and pointier than anything available.

mkozlows

11-21-2008, 08:46 PM

Rimbo, we must never go to the same party.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/MikeKoz/avatar-body.png

Hugin

11-21-2008, 09:29 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/HuginMunin/avatar-body.png (http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/HuginMunin/avatar-body.png)

For displaying and browsing through lots of information quickly the new interface is a disaster. Shockingly poor. The only solace is the console menu, which is just a cut down version of the old interface.

Bill Dungsroman

11-21-2008, 09:49 PM

One thing I noticed that changed after the update is the default volume on the Xbox is now much higher than it used to be

Ayep.

Jenn

11-22-2008, 12:45 AM

Yeah, freaky, I know. I'm a hockey player and my arms and thighs have never ever been that skinny. Sadly, the next option up was "fatty fat fat" so I went with "average". The weird gap between the text and the image is because I am short. I was going to bitch about the horrible female clothing selection but I hear you guys don't have it any better.
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/LadyGuardian/avatar-body.png (http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/LadyGuardian/avatar-body.png)

Rock8man

11-22-2008, 12:52 AM

I was going to bitch about the horrible female clothing selection but I hear you guys don't have it any better.

Actually, the range of clothing that guys wear is pretty limited in real life too, if you think about it. At least for most of the males I know. There is my cousin who lives in Providence, RI who has a really eccentric wardrobe. But other than that, I mean, there's jeans, khakis, pants basically, there's polo-type shirts, and there's long sleeve shirts. They've got a winter jacket, which you see guys wear a lot this time of year, and a few other odds and ends. Women's wardrobes generally tend to be a lot more diverse.

quatoria

11-22-2008, 12:56 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/quatoria/avatar-body.png

Here I am, straight from a 70's buddy cop flick. I'm the loose cannon who doesn't play by the rules! Now I need a partner with mutton chops and a take no prisoners attitude.

Thierry Nguyen

11-22-2008, 04:10 AM

At one point, I sorta looked like Greg Kasavin.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/DancinTedDanson/avatar-body.png

RobotPants

11-22-2008, 05:29 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Stuperhero/avatar-body.png

Looks like we all went to the same XBL School of Standing. Maybe in the future they'll offer new ways to stand as microtransactions because that would be rad.

Also, the things you can do with your avatar pic are pretty great:

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Stuperhero/avatarpic-l.png

Wholly Schmidt

11-22-2008, 06:16 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Schmidt/avatarpic-l.png

Morberis

11-22-2008, 07:08 AM

Aha Kotaku was right

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Morberis/avatar-body.png

Slightly more selections of hair colour!

You need to leave the cursor still for about a minute in the my features page and then select the hair option right after it rotates. You can't wait too long, I tried leaving it for awhile while I did some stuff and it didn't work.

I'll leave it like that for awhile but then I'm goin' back to my maniacal monocled machiavellian man.

Uncle Larry

11-22-2008, 07:20 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Shecky%20Kilowitz/avatarpic-l.png

RickH

11-22-2008, 08:06 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/tenjackten/avatar-body.png

Weak beard options. And I hated the "xbox hip cant" before the NXBE launched. Also, need an option for big, not just tubby.

Skipper

11-22-2008, 09:02 AM

Here we go...

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/QT3 Skipper/avatar-body.png

Skipper

11-22-2008, 09:09 AM

Weak beard options. And I hated the "xbox hip cant" before the NXBE launched. Also, need an option for big, not just tubby.

I'd settle for a "looks like shit until he's had a shower, shave and cup of coffee" option.

Wholly Schmidt

11-22-2008, 10:46 AM

Stupid Netflix question: I've been going up to Video Marketplace and selecting Netflix from there. Sometimes that simply launches right into Netflix, but quite often, it brings up the menu to download the Netflix app, telling me of course that it's already downloaded and I can just play it from that screen. Is there some better way to get to Netflix that doesn't involve going through the Marketplace and the Xbox getting confused about whether I'm trying to download it or play it?

forgeforsaken

11-22-2008, 10:48 AM

I asked this in the other NXE thread but this one is getting more traffic. Where does the Photo Party app go after you install it? I can't find it.

JoshV

11-22-2008, 10:52 AM

I have to say, i totally hate and loathe the avatars. Why force me to make one to log in? Why can't i just be blank? Why can't i just turn off the rendering of them? I don't care what my friends avatars look like, and it used to be I got a nice list that i could see large amounts of people on, but now i have to scroll thru horizontally and only see about 4 at a time. Ugh.

forgeforsaken

11-22-2008, 10:57 AM

Ben Sones

11-22-2008, 11:09 AM

I don't care what my friends avatars look like, and it used to be I got a nice list that i could see large amounts of people on, but now i have to scroll thru horizontally and only see about 4 at a time. Ugh.

Yeah, I sort of agree. I don't hate the avatars, but I definitely think they replaced something that was practical and functional with something that is cute but cumbersome. I also dislike that you have to look closely to determine who is online and who is offline. Yeah, it's neat that the offline avatars bow their head like they are asleep, but with the old list, I could see who was online at a glance, and with this new system, it just doesn't seem that obvious.

Talisker

11-22-2008, 11:11 AM

I asked this in the other NXE thread but this one is getting more traffic. Where does the Photo Party app go after you install it? I can't find it.
Only way I could find it was bringing up the Guide, going to Quick Launch, then the right most "All" tab. Alphabetically, look for it under X ('cause it's the "Xbox 360 Photo Party", of course).

Talisker

11-22-2008, 11:13 AM

with the old list, I could see who was online at a glance, and with this new system, it just doesn't seem that obvious.
I just use the friends list in the guide, which works the same as the old friends list. I only use the avatar slide one in the dashboard if I want to see if there are any parties playing stuff that I own (since parties show up before everything else).

Reed

11-22-2008, 11:29 AM

How does the game choose what background elements the avatars have? I mean the giant robot, big Xbox, etc behind each avatar in the friends listing. Or did I miss where you select that stuff?

Ryan A

11-22-2008, 11:37 AM

I guess this sort of looks like a 15 year old version of me:

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/rakiyama/avatar-body.png

mkozlows

11-22-2008, 11:50 AM

How does the game choose what background elements the avatars have? I mean the giant robot, big Xbox, etc behind each avatar in the friends listing. Or did I miss where you select that stuff?

It's not part of the Avatar, it's just part of the background. If you buy a Premium Theme, they look different.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually bought the Fable II Premium Theme for this purpose. The friends list looks much nicer now, in a medieval fantasy way.

Brakara

11-22-2008, 12:02 PM

I just use the friends list in the guide, which works the same as the old friends list.

It works the same because it is the old friends list. When you selected "Friends" on the old dashboard it just showed the friends list within the Guide. People who don't like the new Friends list on the dashboard should just ignore it. It's not really designed for us who have 50-100 friends on the list anyway.

Wholly Schmidt

11-22-2008, 12:25 PM

I bought the Rock Band theme, because if there's any game worthy of branding my entire console, it's that. I doubt I'll be buying anything else unless it's truly awesome or truly cheaper.

Ryan Markel

11-22-2008, 02:21 PM

It works the same because it is the old friends list. When you selected "Friends" on the old dashboard it just showed the friends list within the Guide. People who don't like the new Friends list on the dashboard should just ignore it. It's not really designed for us who have 50-100 friends on the list anyway.

It's like the old Friends list, yes, but better. Having the rich presence information in the Friends list all the time is AWESOME.

Rimbo

11-22-2008, 02:26 PM

is it me or do a lot of these avatars look kinda like conan o'brien

Supertanker

11-22-2008, 03:51 PM

Had time to update my avatar today. He didn't have time to get all the makeup off after that last hooker murder, and I think the black plastic Casio really give him that "He was a quiet person, never caused any trouble" vibe.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Supertanker/avatar-body.png

WarrenM

11-22-2008, 03:53 PM

It's not part of the Avatar, it's just part of the background. If you buy a Premium Theme, they look different.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually bought the Fable II Premium Theme for this purpose. The friends list looks much nicer now, in a medieval fantasy way.
Yep, I bought the Gears2 premium theme and all of my friends are posed in destroyed settings.

Rorschach

11-22-2008, 05:04 PM

I guess the coolest thing is they have my style of glasses.
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Rorschach%20Six/avatar-body.png

merryprankster

11-22-2008, 06:23 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Blue%20Guyute/avatar-body.png

Netflix on my Xbox is the best thing ever!

Calistas

11-23-2008, 12:50 AM

2) the new Party system for my Weds. night Live gaming crew.

Damn, I'm jealous, I'd really like one of those :O

Calistas

11-23-2008, 04:32 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/TinyKiwiPirate/avatar-body.png

This is me as a game show host, with my Movember moustache in full flight! Wanted: white top hat.

Any party annecdotes? Does it help group gaming? How does it work?

Kalle

11-23-2008, 04:49 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/kallews/avatar-body.png

This looks much cooler than I have any right to be.

Hans Lauring

11-23-2008, 04:50 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Japrufrock/avatar-body.png

Looks better than my Mii, but I could do with more options (T-shirts and facial hair)

Ryan Markel

11-23-2008, 06:10 AM

This is me as a game show host, with my Movember moustache in full flight! Wanted: white top hat.

Any party annecdotes? Does it help group gaming? How does it work?

Parties definitely help group gaming, as they provide a very convenient way to get people into a game. It gives you that separate chat channel if you want to play in a medium-sized group and don't want to hear other people you're playing with (sometimes a bonus).

How they work: one person starts the party through the Guide. When their Friends check their status, they are able to join the party as long as the party is "open". Parties then grow naturally based on Friends of Friends of Friends. It works like a good extension to the social "look at my Friend's Friend list" tool they added about a year ago. When one person wants to play a game, they start up the game, then go to the Party screen in the Guide and send a mass invite to everyone in the Party.

I'm not sure about this, but it seems that Parties get around the old problem of games being set to "Friends only" and then still requiring you to invite people into the game. I believe that if you are in a party with someone, and the game is not set to completely private, you can *always* join as long as there is room. Does anyone know if that's right?

The only way it seems to fall flat is if you are playing a game type where the team size is smaller than the size of the party, but that's not a problem of design as much as a problem with you being too popular.

As I mentioned above, Parties are also the main reason the "visual Friends list" is useful, as Friends who are in Parties always show up in the front of the list, along with a representation of the other people in the Party. They show up in the front even if they are in a Party by themselves, which makes the Party system a pretty awesome LFG marker. I somewhat wish the organization of placing people who are in Parties up top would also work on the Guide Friends list, but eh.

They seem to be a reasonable compromise to the fact that the 360 has no clan support, and I think there will be many players who will end up with more people on their Friends list because of the Party system.

I haven't played with them as much as most, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong with any of the above. I think Parties are the best feature added in the NXE, personally.

Rorschach

11-23-2008, 07:09 AM

I agree that parties are the best part of NXE. Group (party) chat works for even single player games if you want to work puzzles out or chat about the game.

When you start up a game you get a pop-up notice that you have friends playing that game. It's a nice new feature that I haven't heard mentioned before.

Wheelkick

11-23-2008, 11:49 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/no connect/avatar-body.png

I feel the need to change my avatar to something less... normal.

And since then I've had done just that. Currently trying Spock, but I'm not feeling it. Will probably try something else. Too bad you can't save looks, just outfits.
And I miss more formal wear. Like shirts, suits, ties etc. Actually, I miss more options

Coca Cola Zero

11-23-2008, 08:45 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/George%20McBay/avatar-body.png

yeah.. needs more options.

Adree

11-23-2008, 08:56 PM

Wheelkick

11-24-2008, 12:53 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/NO%20CONNECT/avatarpic-l.png

Wheelkick

11-24-2008, 01:39 AM

And since then I've had done just that. Currently trying Spock, but I'm not feeling it. Will probably try something else. Too bad you can't save looks, just outfits.
And I miss more formal wear. Like shirts, suits, ties etc. Actually, I miss more options

More clothes coming (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=318117)

Adree

11-24-2008, 01:49 AM

More clothes coming (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=318117)

http://ndn.newsweek.com/media/25/71014_MoneyHappiness_vl-vertical.jpg

Wheelkick

11-24-2008, 02:11 AM

While I'm sure we'll get there eventually, this time it's actually for free:

Microsoft has said new clothes will regularly be added for Xbox 360 Avatars, and most importantly they will be free.

Bahimiron

11-24-2008, 04:29 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/NO%20CONNECT/avatarpic-l.png

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/bahimiron/avatarpic-l.png

Woohoo!

Talisker

11-24-2008, 04:33 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/NO%20CONNECT/avatarpic-l.pnghttp://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/bahimiron/avatarpic-l.pnghttp://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Talisker%2018/avatarpic-l.png

CSL

11-24-2008, 05:11 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/NO%20CONNECT/avatarpic-l.png
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/bahimiron/avatarpic-l.png

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Talisker%2018/avatarpic-l.png

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/CSL%20GT/avatarpic-l.png

BobJustBob

11-24-2008, 05:41 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/CSL%20GT/avatarpic-l.png

Hey, when did we get nested quotes back?

Edit: Curses!

Rob_Merritt

11-24-2008, 09:56 PM

Rimbo

11-24-2008, 10:32 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/Rimbosity/avatarpic-l.png

Desslock

11-24-2008, 11:03 PM

Anyone else hate the NXE? I wish there any way to get rid of the new xbox experience and go back to the original blade system. I was open minded, and I liked making a Mii on the 360 but the new interface just blows. Its just so unappealing, ugly and I can't quickly find anything quickly. I can't find the ability adjustment to switch the thumb stickssince the NXE came out. I'm concerned they took it out. For some unknown reason, I have to put in my passcode 4 times to log in. I'm so close to putting my 360 on the Wii shelf to collect dust. I hate how screwed up the new system is compared to how it was. :(

Yeah, I'm not a fan- wish it was optional. I would have liked the netflix update, but since we don't get it in Canada, I would have preferred to skip it altogether and kept the more simpler interface to navigate.

The UI is a means to an end - it's not something I've ever spent time in intentionally beyond looking for what I was seeking. The entire NXE is essentially as valuable to me as "NEW - LONGER LOADING TIMES!!" in a PC game patch, as it just takes me additional time to do what I want.

Coca Cola Zero

11-24-2008, 11:09 PM

The new UI is growing on me, and there are plenty of features like HDD installs and the new party stuff that I certainly wouldn't be able to go back from having now.

Desslock

11-24-2008, 11:12 PM

The new UI is growing on me, and there are plenty of features like HDD installs and the new party stuff that I certainly wouldn't be able to go back from having now.

Can you explain the party stuff to which you're referring?

I only have a 20gb HD, and a lot seems to be taken up by the OS since I only have 6gb used for games and yet only 10gb free, so it doesn't seem to be a useful feature. Worthwhile buying a 120 GB HD and swapping? Can you even do that, or do you need a new machine?

Adree

11-24-2008, 11:41 PM

Can you explain the party stuff to which you're referring?

I only have a 20gb HD, and a lot seems to be taken up by the OS since I only have 6gb used for games and yet only 10gb free, so it doesn't seem to be a useful feature. Worthwhile buying a 120 GB HD and swapping? Can you even do that, or do you need a new machine?

The 120 gb hdd comes with a cable to transfer your harddrive over. I really don't think installing is worth it with a small harddrive unless you are paranoid about your disc drive going out.

Rimbo

11-25-2008, 12:02 AM

it's worth it for the sound improvement alone

Morberis

11-25-2008, 12:28 AM

it's worth it for the sound improvement alone

This, that is if you're playing for any amount of time on 1 game.

Bahimiron

11-25-2008, 05:57 AM

The entire NXE is essentially as valuable to me as "NEW - LONGER LOADING TIMES!!" in a PC game patch, as it just takes me additional time to do what I want.

Except that it's considerably faster when compared to the Old X-Box Experience. Other than that, good point!

Rob_Merritt

11-25-2008, 06:08 AM

Except that it's considerably faster when compared to the Old X-Box Experience. Other than that, good point!

Its faster in terrms of loading, but not in navigation. Nor in logging on. I say turning on the 360 to running an arcade game went from under a minute in the old blade ui to a 3 to 5 minute process in the NXE.

zengonzo

11-25-2008, 06:11 AM

I have to agree. It is certainly snappier, but more obtuse.

I didn't mind the blades that much - they were just cluttered as fuck. I was looking forward to a fresh, new interface, but this one could probably use a bit more design and a bit less flash.

Bahimiron

11-25-2008, 06:13 AM

I say turning on the 360 to running an arcade game went from under a minute in the old blade ui to a 3 to 5 minute process in the NXE.

Five minutes to load up an Arcade game?

Really?

<shane bettenhausen>Really?</shane bettenhauesen>

Rob_Merritt

11-25-2008, 06:17 AM

Five minutes to load up an Arcade game?

Really?

<shane bettenhausen>Really?</shane bettenhauesen>

Yes Really. A big chunk of that is just logging on but even after logging on, it still takes longer to navigate to a specific arcade game than it did in the old interface.

Bahimiron

11-25-2008, 06:22 AM

Rob, which charity should I donate to to find a cure for whatever disability you have that makes pressing a few buttons a five minute ordeal.

zengonzo

11-25-2008, 06:24 AM

And some of that will doubtless be a comfort period, but even still I feel that the old interface was much more obvious from the start.

Fugitive

11-25-2008, 06:24 AM

Yes Really. A big chunk of that is just logging on but even after logging on, it still takes longer to navigate to a specific arcade game than it did in the old interface.
Did you mean before that you're having to manually log in 3-5 times every single time you boot up? If so, that's definitely atypical; it signs on automatically just as fast as it ever did for me.

My navigation is slowed down a bit right now by not being sure which section something is going to be in, but that's probably a matter of just getting used to it. Enumeration of the Arcade games is waaaay faster with NXE, though. That was the part that really slowed me down under the old interface, as it took a long time the more games you had and the more fragmented the drive got.

RobotPants

11-25-2008, 06:26 AM

Yeah, I won't argue that navigation isn't quicker in terms of being able to find things compared to the old blades, but 3 to 5 minutes? Come on. If you know where to go, the list of games comes up way faster than it used to. In the old dashboard, there was a pretty big pause waiting for the list of games you had installed to populate. It's pretty quick now.

Talisker

11-25-2008, 06:27 AM

Its faster in terrms of loading, but not in navigation. Nor in logging on. I say turning on the 360 to running an arcade game went from under a minute in the old blade ui to a 3 to 5 minute process in the NXE.
Er... what? On the old blade UI, I had to wait 90 seconds for my list of arcade titles to populate every stupid time I went to it; on the new UI, it's just there.

The new UI is TONS faster for me.

WarrenM

11-25-2008, 06:28 AM

Logging in? Doesn't your XBox do that automatically? I'm logged in within seconds of arriving at the dashboard generally.

Talisker

11-25-2008, 06:29 AM

Yes Really. A big chunk of that is just logging on but even after logging on, it still takes longer to navigate to a specific arcade game than it did in the old interface.
Guide button, quick launch menu, start game.

Rob_Merritt

11-25-2008, 06:30 AM

Did you mean before that you're having to manually log in 3-5 times every single time you boot up? If so, that's definitely atypical; it signs on automatically just as fast as it ever did for me.

My navigation is slowed down a bit right now by not being sure which section something is going to be in, but that's probably a matter of just getting used to it. Enumeration of the Arcade games is waaaay faster with NXE, though. That was the part that really slowed me down under the old interface, as it took a long time the more games you had and the more fragmented the drive got.

I have it set to require signing in. Besides my account, 3 of my kids have accounts and plus my wife has an account and several of my sons' friends have ids. My account has a password because its the only one with M rated content allowed. I have to enter in my password 4 times, its all different screens to so it isn't just reasking. I have to enter it in at the shadowed avatar screen, then a small grey box pops up and I have to enter it, then there is the large grey box that pops up and then I'm at a different avatar screen with my avatar that is asking for the code as well and there are long long long pause after each time I enter the code.

BobJustBob

11-25-2008, 06:30 AM

Rob, which charity should I donate to to find a cure for whatever disability you have that makes pressing a few buttons a five minute ordeal.

Boy are you going to feel like an ass.

Brakara

11-25-2008, 06:39 AM

My navigation is slowed down a bit right now by not being sure which section something is going to be in, but that's probably a matter of just getting used to it.

Maybe it's because I were in the preview program, but I can't say I have any trouble finding anything. I have two issues though:

1. The start channel should be "My Xbox" and not the stupid "Spotlight" one
2. Retrieving information from the Marketplace can sometimes be extremely slow (especially when selecting "Featured downloads" or "All downloads" for a game)

But with all the added features, I really don't mind.

Bahimiron

11-25-2008, 06:43 AM

Boy are you going to feel like an ass.

It seems to be a regular occurance.

I apologize for the lack of sensitivity inherent in the statement. Especially given what I know about at least one other other forum member who is a friend of mine. It was a shitty avenue to use and even if it wasn't a 'doh' moment, it was still lacking in taste.

I just cannot reconcile the idea of this UI being slower. If nothing else, press the guide button and it's just like the old UI, but way faster.

zengonzo

11-25-2008, 06:49 AM

Rock8man

11-25-2008, 06:55 AM

Yeah, I agree that the guide is now much better, but the main interface is now worse. Ironically, I might end up never seeing another "Inside Xbox" or spotlighted feature again. I didn't mind ads and features like that in the old interface, but now it seems like the only two places worth going to in the main interface are "My Xbox" which has everything you need in it, and "Friends", which I admit is amusing to look at. I guess I also go to "Video Marketplace" as the easiest way to get to Netflix. Other than that, the rest of the categories I never look at anymore.

If anything, the new interface has made it less likely that I'll pay attention to any ads or features. I'm sure that was not their intention. By putting everything useful under "My Xbox" they've ensured that I never want to go to the other categories again.

Fugitive

11-25-2008, 06:55 AM

I have it set to require signing in. Besides my account, 3 of my kids have accounts and plus my wife has an account and several of my sons' friends have ids. My account has a password because its the only one with M rated content allowed. I have to enter in my password 4 times, its all different screens to so it isn't just reasking. I have to enter it in at the shadowed avatar screen, then a small grey box pops up and I have to enter it, then there is the large grey box that pops up and then I'm at a different avatar screen with my avatar that is asking for the code as well and there are long long long pause after each time I enter the code.
Maybe you can loosen up the parental control restrictions a bit to cut down on the requests, though I'm not too familiar with those settings. You should definitely complain to Microsoft since that does seem rather excessive, but I wouldn't hold my breath on a fix, unfortunately... (I'm not sure if MS intends to do an 'NXE loose ends' patch anytime soon or if they'd have to wait until the Spring Update.)

mkozlows

11-25-2008, 07:01 AM

I just cannot reconcile the idea of this UI being slower. If nothing else, press the guide button and it's just like the old UI, but way faster.

That to me is the real key of it. If you don't like the avatars and fancy pictures and what-not, the Guide button gives you the old dashboard only better and faster (and in-game!). The dash may be too much sizzle and not enough steak, but the guide is a big meaty lump of steaky goodness.

Don Quixote

11-25-2008, 07:04 AM

Rob: Wow. I had no idea parental cotrols were so obtuse. Two things you can do- like others mentioned, you can just press the big silver 'X' Guide button- you can do 90% of everything on there (including launch Arcade games and lok at the friends list, without avatars), and it's way faster. Also, go pick up one of those little mini keyboards that attaches to the controller- they're only like 20 bucks, and I imagine it'll save you lots of time.

The only thing that I find slow about the new dash is the Gtiends list- it seems to take forever to grab my Friends' Avatars from the net. So I just sit there looking at blank space until they finally show up, or scrolling through blank space to see who's there, and then navigating away before they show up, which defeats the purpose.

James Gutierrez

11-25-2008, 07:08 AM

Good point about the Arcade menu loading faster - I didn't play those very often (and its bizarre lagginess might've been partially why).

But why isn't the quick launch menu the actual menu? That's what's goofy about it all to me. They went with a higher level of obscurity for the primary navigation ..
See, to me the guide is the primary navigation because it's the interface that's one button away no matter what else I doing, if I'm in-game or whatever. Just speeding up the guide and making it a full-featured blade interface is worth the upgrade for me.

quatoria

11-25-2008, 07:10 AM

Separated at birth?
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/quatoria/avatar-body.pnghttp://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/nebnnebulus/avatar-body.png

zengonzo

11-25-2008, 07:10 AM

So the Guide Menu should be the primary Menu, and the primary menu should be under some 'Take Me to Candyland' button, or something.

I really don't have that much emotion attached to it, but if everyone agrees that the actual navigation is a problem, maybe MS should go back to the drawing board and update their update.

(yo dog - I herd u like UIs so we put a UI in yo UI so u can navigate while u navigate)

Gladguy

11-25-2008, 07:11 AM

I love the NXE, myself. I would like a bit more customizability, i.e. the ability to nuke the Spotlight and other feeds I don't/won't use and/or find annoying, but all in all, I find it's an improvement.

I find a lot of times, people just don't like change and get up in arms when they have to learn a new way to do something.

RobotPants

11-25-2008, 07:14 AM

I really don't have that much emotion attached to it, but if everyone agrees that the actual navigation is a problem, maybe MS should go back to the drawing board and update their update.

Yeah, I don't think "everyone" agrees, though. The interface in general seems about the same in terms of ease of navigation to me, even if it's a little fancier for the sake of being fancy than I really care for. But it works and things aren't any harder to find than they were before.

CharlesC

11-25-2008, 07:15 AM

Maybe I'm slow but I just discovered that the shoulder buttons on the controller page through the horizontal plane and the triggers page through the vertical plane. Makes navigating through the avatar list and the netflix queue much better.

I wish there were equivalent buttons on my harmony one though.

WarrenM

11-25-2008, 07:19 AM

The interface in general seems about the same in terms of ease of navigation to me, even if it's a little fancier for the sake of being fancy than I really care for.
That's about where I'm at. It's more glitz than I need but I can find things with about the same amount of clicking around as before. No biggie. I wish I could change the start page so that when the XBox starts up, I just could just hit "A" to start the game that's in the drive without having to push up to get to that menu.

Wallapuctus

11-25-2008, 07:22 AM

When are we going to get more outfits? Half the people on my friend list are wearing the same metal tshirt.
http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/fashion%20zombi/avatar-body.png

zengonzo

11-25-2008, 07:24 AM

Yeah, I don't think "everyone" agrees, though.

Fair enough to call me on the generalization, but it seemed most of the folks who were even in favor of it were talking about how they just use the guide menu.

Similar to Rock8's position, I feel as though most of the menu is now functionally useless to me, and is just cluttering the way for me to get to what I actually want. I'm not going to rage about it, but I'm surprised to learn that some users wouldn't want to see it improved from here.

I'll have to get into the habit of hitting the Guide from the start in any case.

Guido Jones

11-25-2008, 07:39 AM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/GuidoJ/avatar-body.png

Looks like my old DAoC Hero (minus the scale armor).

Brakara

11-25-2008, 07:43 AM

That's about where I'm at. It's more glitz than I need but I can find things with about the same amount of clicking around as before. No biggie. I wish I could change the start page so that when the XBox starts up, I just could just hit "A" to start the game that's in the drive without having to push up to get to that menu.

Even this is easier with the new dash. With the old dash, you had to press down on the d-pad three-four times to be able to launch the game in the drive. Now, you just press up once.

For you guys who hate the new dash, what are the things you're doing that are so much more problematic now? For normal use (playing games and watching movies), I find it to be much easier (and faster).

Rorschach

11-25-2008, 08:05 AM

Everyone understands that almost all of the features to launch games, friends and all that are in the guide right? Do me a favor if you hate the NXE and press the big guide button on the middle of your controller next time you start your xbox and try to do everything there and see if you don't think it's better.

Harkonis

11-25-2008, 08:25 AM

I have it set to require signing in. Besides my account, 3 of my kids have accounts and plus my wife has an account and several of my sons' friends have ids. My account has a password because its the only one with M rated content allowed. I have to enter in my password 4 times, its all different screens to so it isn't just reasking. I have to enter it in at the shadowed avatar screen, then a small grey box pops up and I have to enter it, then there is the large grey box that pops up and then I'm at a different avatar screen with my avatar that is asking for the code as well and there are long long long pause after each time I enter the code.

Though it might still be a pain, using the keypad addon should help some if you don't already have one.

Harkonis

11-25-2008, 08:28 AM

I'm REALLY not liking the inability to quickly send an invite or message to whoever just logged on by hitting guide while the login message is still there. :(

Desslock

11-25-2008, 09:26 AM

For you guys who hate the new dash, what are the things you're doing that are so much more problematic now?

I'm sure I'll get accustomed to it, but I would have opted out just because it doesn't offer any benefits and it's annoying to have to learn (and teach my wife) to navigate the new UI, which we only use to play movie files from a PC. That's really the only time I ever have the UI up.

Rimbo

11-25-2008, 02:02 PM

Everyone understands that almost all of the features to launch games, friends and all that are in the guide right?

..launch friends?

http://www.wetasschronicles.com/archives/images/HumanCatapult.jpg

Ryan Markel

11-25-2008, 06:50 PM

I'm REALLY not liking the inability to quickly send an invite or message to whoever just logged on by hitting guide while the login message is still there. :(

See, I like this change because I always would hit the Guide button just a little too early and end up with a profile on my screen when I didn't want one.

Another win that I noticed just last night is that when you hit the Guide, they've now re-separated the Friends and Messages buttons. It used to be that way at launch, then they combined it into one button in the old blades, which meant you couldn't easily bring up your message list right away. That's fixed now.

Also, when you are looking at Achievements in the new Guide (which is a way better way to look at Achievements while in-game), you can now change the sorting of the Achievements to be either by date or by points. Neat-o. There's some interesting features here that aren't "documented" anywhere.

Bahimiron

11-25-2008, 08:16 PM

Hmm. I see Schmidt on my friends list browsing his Netflix queue. When he starts up that hardcore Gimmie A Break marathon, will it update to tell me what episode he's on?!

forgeforsaken

11-25-2008, 08:42 PM

Hmm. I see Schmidt on my friends list browsing his Netflix queue. When he starts up that hardcore Gimmie A Break marathon, will it update to tell me what episode he's on?!

I believe it just says Watching a Movie or Watching a TV Show.

Bahimiron

11-25-2008, 08:53 PM

BOO!!

mkozlows

11-25-2008, 09:07 PM

Just finished my weekly Halo game with friends. If I hated every other aspect of the NXE -- and I don't -- it'd still be worth it for Party Chat. Finally, five people in a game without triggering push-to-talk! (We switched back to game chat for team games, though.)

bago

11-26-2008, 12:08 AM

So, yeah. NXE has a slight bug where if you enter in your auth code too quickly it drops you back to login screen. Enter code in more slowly.

RickH

11-26-2008, 07:03 AM

Hmm. I see Schmidt on my friends list browsing his Netflix queue. When he starts up that hardcore Gimmie A Break marathon, will it update to tell me what episode he's on?!

Nope, you can watch Ninja Cheerleaders in anonymity.

Talisker

11-26-2008, 07:05 AM

Nope, you can watch Ninja Cheerleaders in anonymity.
There's always Chained Heat 2 in HD!

Wallapuctus

11-26-2008, 07:37 AM

I will shamefully admit I queued and watched a Skinemax film. It was called Virtual Girl and it was god damned terrible. The girls weren't even that hot.

Next time I'm totally doing Chained Heat 2.

Wholly Schmidt

11-26-2008, 07:37 AM

The real embarrassment would be when you catch me continuing to watch Heroes!

Ryan Markel

11-26-2008, 07:18 PM

I'm not sure if this could be done before, but it appears that under the NXE, Achievements can now have different descriptive text before you get the Acheivement to after you've earned it.

Example: before you earn one, it might say, "Do something or other," and once you have it, the description changes to read more like "You were awesome and did something or other."

garin

11-26-2008, 08:46 PM

Nah, it's not new-- I remember seeing that long before the NXE rollout.

CharlesC

11-26-2008, 10:46 PM

Kool Moe Dee

11-27-2008, 09:41 AM

I thought there was a limit on the number of downloads you could queue up before. I think it was 6. I just had the whole season of The Guild (11 downloads) queued at the same time. Another nice little thing.

Yes, there was a limit in the old dash. I'm glad to hear that it's been bumped up -- I've run into that problem a couple of times myself.

DennyA

11-29-2008, 02:09 PM

My account has a password because its the only one with M rated content allowed. I have to enter in my password 4 times, its all different screens to so it isn't just reasking.
I don't use a password, but I saw this mentioned in a different thread... Instead of signing in from "My Xbox" on the dash, try doing it by hitting the Guide button first and signing in from the Guide blades. Apparently it will only ask once on the password there.

Rob_Merritt

11-29-2008, 08:17 PM

Next time I'm on the Xbox I'll give it a shot Denny.

slikster

11-30-2008, 06:50 PM

So, after a bit of an xbox hiatus, whilst I was playing Fallout 3 on the PC, I installed the update. My only question is.. wth, why?!? There was nothing wrong with the old layout and now I have design a gimicky 3d avatar so I can play some rockband? Microsoft, you suck. Again.

Ryan A

11-30-2008, 06:57 PM

Bahimiron

11-30-2008, 07:23 PM

I have design a gimicky 3d avatar so I can play some rockband? Microsoft, you suck. Again.

You're right. You have to. You have to design an avatar, or the gremlins that live in your wall will come out at night and devour your skin and pull out your teeth!

Or, oh no, you could always pick an avatar at random, use the now-much-faster blade-based navigation and never think about it ever again except when saying to yourself 'goddam, my arcade list loads hella faster now'.

Staff Sergeant

11-30-2008, 07:26 PM

Has anyone else noticed that the new blade sounds are very similar to the Dreamcast's system menu sounds?

Adree

11-30-2008, 07:29 PM

Has anyone else noticed that the new blade sounds are very similar to the Dreamcast's system menu sounds?

HOW DARE THEY

http://hackedgadgets.com/wp-content/dreamcast_guitar.jpg

Rob_Merritt

11-30-2008, 08:08 PM

I don't use a password, but I saw this mentioned in a different thread... Instead of signing in from "My Xbox" on the dash, try doing it by hitting the Guide button first and signing in from the Guide blades. Apparently it will only ask once on the password there.

I tried it, it worked great. Thanks.

Aszurom

11-30-2008, 08:14 PM

So I had some downloads in progress and for the life of me couldn't figure out where to check the progress at.

???

Ryan Markel

11-30-2008, 09:42 PM

So I had some downloads in progress and for the life of me couldn't figure out where to check the progress at.

???

Open the Guide, then flip to the Marketplace blade. Active Downloads is a menu item there.

XPav

11-30-2008, 09:47 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/CSL%20GT/avatarpic-l.png

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/XPav%20XXIV/avatarpic-l.png

armand v

12-01-2008, 07:33 AM

Could anybody recommend a theme or 2? There's only 1 theme I like(Night) the others offer this ugly grey bottom half.

mkozlows

12-01-2008, 07:41 AM

Could anybody recommend a theme or 2? There's only 1 theme I like(Night) the others offer this ugly grey bottom half.

It costs money that I feel stupid for having paid, but the Fable II theme has an appealing landscape on the Friends tab.

Reed

12-01-2008, 07:45 AM

It costs money that I feel stupid for having paid, but the Fable II theme has an appealing landscape on the Friends tab.
I wish you could separate the wallpapers from the friends landscapes. I would like to have the Fable II landscapes, but the Gears wallpapers...

slikster

12-01-2008, 10:42 AM

You're right. You have to. You have to design an avatar, or the gremlins that live in your wall will come out at night and devour your skin and pull out your teeth!

Of course I have to. It was in my face and I didn't like any of the defaults. Who are you, to mock my little idiosyncrasies?!

zengonzo

12-01-2008, 10:47 AM

The dude who let his girlfriend design his avatar?

WarrenM

12-01-2008, 10:52 AM

My wife desperately wants to design an avatar but doesn't want to pay for Live because she'll never use it. She won't design one for her offline account because then she can't share it with others.

OH CRUEL FATE!!

zengonzo

12-01-2008, 10:56 AM

You can't do it with a Silver?

Edit: You can do it with a Silver.

Fugitive

12-01-2008, 11:01 AM

I think he means that she has a purely-offline account that's not even registered with XBL, but if so, there's supposed to be some way to activate it as an XBL account as well (though you might have to change the gamertag, if it's already in use on XBL).

zengonzo

12-01-2008, 11:03 AM

But you can get it on XBL as a Silver account (not paying for Gold) and it's still Live-active. You just have to link it to an MS account.

Skipper

12-01-2008, 11:11 AM

Make sure she names her silver account something like HOTGAMERCHICK4U. That way she gets an automatic friends list.

armand v

12-03-2008, 04:39 PM

Hey if anyone is interested in seeing themes before buying them, there's an entire thread at neogaff http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=342627
if anyone has a nice theme, let's see it. Here's a game named Ninja Blade from the gaf thread

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20081120/nb03.jpg

Rock8man

12-03-2008, 04:40 PM

Wow, that theme looks really nice. Ninja Blade huh?

Also: from that link, both the Forza 2 and the Halo Wars Premium Themes look awesome.

Wholly Schmidt

12-03-2008, 04:59 PM

Something tells me this one isn't available outside Japan:
Originally Posted by icecream:
Agarest Senki
http://i35.tinypic.com/2chn7z5.jpg

Rock8man

12-06-2008, 09:54 AM

I'm using the large sized photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dutchmandre/3063221183/sizes/l/ for my NXE background right now. It is absolutely perfect. The ocean looks beautiful, and the sand is the perfect shape to be covered by the "ground" in the NXE. And then when I go to the games library or video library, or system settings, I can also see the sand in the background too.

Juste

12-06-2008, 10:33 AM

I splashed 250 points on the Rock Band 2 premium theme. That was definitely not worth it.

Rock8man

12-06-2008, 10:36 AM

Sorry I didn't warn you Juste. I also wasted 250 on the Rock Band 2 theme. Let this be a lesson to all Qt3 360 owners. The RB2 theme sucks.

zengonzo

12-06-2008, 11:45 AM

Has anyone ever paid money for a theme without remorse?

Rock8man

12-06-2008, 12:07 PM

Has anyone ever paid money for a theme without remorse?

The very first theme I ever bought was Halo 3's theme, which, you're right, I really regretted, because in the old blade interface, having complex pictures in the background obscured the text in the foreground, which made nearly all themes impractical and completely worthless. However, in retrospect, I don't regret buying that theme now, because the old Halo 3 theme looks good now with the new NXE interface.

Wholly Schmidt

12-06-2008, 12:34 PM

I bought the Forza theme after seeing that thread at GAF. I like it well enough. I probably wouldn't have put money on my account just to buy it, but since I already had some pretend money sitting there, there was no particular remorse associated with the purchase.

So I guess I'm part of the problem, having just justified everything we hate about the monetization of content on Xbox Live!

Pogue Mahone

12-06-2008, 02:16 PM

I like the look of the Forza theme, I've actually been considering picking it up myself. Just haven't gotten past the mental hurdle of paying for themes.

armand v

12-08-2008, 09:42 PM

someone mentioned earlier that you could delete listed games in your profile that had zero gamerscores. How do you do this?

ydejin

12-08-2008, 11:26 PM

someone mentioned earlier that you could delete listed games in your profile that had zero gamerscores. How do you do this?

Go to the mini-dashboard or whatever it's called (basically the small blades that come up if you hit the XBox button on your controller). With the mini-dashboard up switch to the Games blade and select Achievements. If you scroll onto the Achievements for a game in which you have a 0 Gamerscore you'll see the option to Delete the game. No idea why this doesn't seem to be available in the regular dashboard when looking through achievements.

Rob_Merritt

12-09-2008, 04:03 AM

Has anyone ever paid money for a theme without remorse?

I bought a few. Since its a choice thing, microsoft is forcing no one to buy a theme, it doesn't bother me.

armand v

12-09-2008, 04:31 AM

cool, thank you

zengonzo

12-09-2008, 05:42 AM

I bought a few. Since its a choice thing, microsoft is forcing no one to buy a theme, it doesn't bother me.

Eh? Why would it bother you?

Rob_Merritt

12-09-2008, 05:48 AM

Eh? Why would it bother you?

I was just answering your question. They way you wrote it made it sound that everyone who bought one would be remorseful.

RobotPants

12-09-2008, 06:34 AM

I haven't seen any themes so far that have been worth paying for.

zengonzo

12-09-2008, 07:04 AM

I was just answering your question. They way you wrote it made it sound that everyone who bought one would be remorseful.

Yes, I do have an expectation for them to be very rare - but I was genuinely looking for evidence to the contrary.

So which were the ones you paid for? And which do you think was most worth the cash?

Rob_Merritt

12-09-2008, 07:12 AM

I don't remember which ones I bought. I guess I've bought about 10 of them. I currently use the Batman Gotham Knight theme.

CharlesC

12-09-2008, 08:02 AM

While re-downloading stuff on to my new Xbox last night I found the new limit for queued downloads. It's 30.

WarrenM

12-09-2008, 08:27 AM

I haven't seen any themes so far that have been worth paying for.
Well, that's the thing isn't it? You can't SEE anything until you pay.

ProStyle

12-09-2008, 08:57 AM

This Premium Theme thing seems silly to me. Some of them look nice, and of course the relative value of $5 depends on how bad you really want the ATHF neighborhood behind your Friends list. What I'm surprised about is the fact that your premium theme purchases are not reflected behind your character in other users friends list, like how cell companies sell "ringback tones" or whatever the heck those kids are into these days.

All the scenery behind your friends is randomly selected based on the current theme anyways, so it really makes no sense as it is. The list should update and reflect the game the friend is playing, if they are in Halo 3 and have the Splatter Theme than it should show a Vehicle behind them, assuming you have it as well. Seems like a missed opportunity to expand the presence of the themes and/or force them down our throats, whatever way you like to see it.

Rob_Merritt

12-09-2008, 10:14 AM

Well, that's the thing isn't it? You can't SEE anything until you pay.

You can see them here:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/themes.htm

WarrenM

12-09-2008, 10:19 AM

Son of a...

Although it's not really showing everything. Can you see the deluxe themes somewhere? Just the blades isn't really enough.

And can you see them in NXE format?

Also, a pony.

zengonzo

12-09-2008, 10:24 AM

Well, that's handy. I had no idea, either. Why don't they do that straight in the box?

I really like ProStyle's suggestion. That would be a great incentive to spend any bucks and make the list more interesting and exotic in general.

MrAngryFace

12-09-2008, 10:26 AM

Does anyone get weird errors with Netflix where it says the video can't be played back, its usually for episodes of TV shows. I can watch the episodes around it tho. I wanna watch ALL episodes of CARRIER.

Bahimiron

12-09-2008, 10:32 AM

So many things about how this is being handled annoy me.

Games and achievements should unlock unique outfits for your avatar. Beat CoD5 on easy, get a helmet. Beat it on hard, get fatigues. Get the achievement for getting ten headshots in a row (or whatever, I donno what the achievements are) get a rifle.

Games should have unique backgrounds for when you're on someone else's visual buddy list. If Tom is playing Fallout 3, I should see him in a wasteland, not inexplicably in front of a set of drums.

This all seems obvious and easily accomplished. I guess it's not the first, I donno about the second.

Rob_Merritt

12-09-2008, 11:30 AM

Son of a...

Although it's not really showing everything. Can you see the deluxe themes somewhere? Just the blades isn't really enough.

And can you see them in NXE format?

Also, a pony.

I think if you log in you see them all. Plus some aren't being offered anymore.

Last I read NXE examples will be available with new themes.

And no you can not have a pony.

Kool Moe Dee

12-09-2008, 12:02 PM

Games and achievements should unlock unique outfits for your avatar. Beat CoD5 on easy, get a helmet. Beat it on hard, get fatigues. Get the achievement for getting ten headshots in a row (or whatever, I donno what the achievements are) get a rifle.

I would be shocked if this weren't in the works. Of course, it would probably require a little bit of custom content and code in each game, so I wouldn't expect any titles to be retrofit, but I think it's likely to happen.

Rob_Merritt

12-09-2008, 01:29 PM

Games and achievements should unlock unique outfits for your avatar. Beat CoD5 on easy, get a helmet. Beat it on hard, get fatigues. Get the achievement for getting ten headshots in a row (or whatever, I donno what the achievements are) get a rifle.

I hate that concept. Reminds me of WoW. Grind for 5 hours, con grads, here are some purple pants. No thank you, I'll stick with gamer score thankyouverymuch.

Xaroc

12-09-2008, 01:37 PM

I hate that concept. Reminds me of WoW. Grind for 5 hours, con grads, here are some purple pants. No thank you, I'll stick with gamer score thankyouverymuch.

Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. What grind are you talking about? It would just be a cool extra to throw in with the achievement and gamer score. You could safely ignore it.

ydejin

12-09-2008, 01:42 PM

I hate that concept. Reminds me of WoW. Grind for 5 hours, con grads, here are some purple pants. No thank you, I'll stick with gamer score thankyouverymuch.

I really like the idea. I think it would be great if finishing a game would unlock gamer pics, avatar clothing, or themes. It would also seem like a great way for a company to get some advertising -- oooh, look all my friend's avatars are wearing Halo helmets, they must have finished that new Halo game and really liked it.

Bahimiron

12-09-2008, 01:43 PM

I hate that concept. Reminds me of WoW. Grind for 5 hours, con grads, here are some purple pants. No thank you, I'll stick with gamer score thankyouverymuch.

It's just a bonus. It's not like it replaces the gamerscore that lets you not only beat the game, but show everyone online that you did. I'm just saying that it'd be nice to see it toss us a bone now and again. Especially as MS has been reluctant in the past to let games give up free gamerpics or themes.

Not One Of Us

12-09-2008, 04:32 PM

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/not%20one%20of%20us/avatar-body.png

I wished I could change the colors and numbers on the jersey.

ydejin

12-09-2008, 05:06 PM

I wished I could change the colors and numbers on the jersey.
I'm surprised they didn't give us the option to change the colors of clothing.

MrAngryFace

12-10-2008, 05:37 PM

I dunno where to post this, but the new (and FREE) holiday premium theme is awesome. I hope we keep getting free premium themes :)

Bahimiron

12-10-2008, 06:08 PM

...what the shit?

So I see an advertisement on Live for the 60GB Live Starter Pack. I think 'hey, the 120GB HDD is hella expensive, maybe this is more reasonably priced! Maybe I can get it for my birthday!'.

Nuh uh. (http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-60GB-LIVE-Starter-Pack/dp/B001HHWFEY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1228960997&sr=8-2)

It's a $110. That's just twenty-some bucks less than the HDD that's twice as big. What the hell are they thinking? Okay, so it comes with a headset and three months of live, but Jesus, that's worth maybe fifteen bucks or so.

Ugh!

Kryten

12-10-2008, 06:09 PM

Does that pack come with the HDD transfer cable? It's not immediately clear from the link....

Edit - looks like it doesn't. Clearly MS weren't intending for anyone to an upgrade to the 60Gb from the 20Gb drive (the 120Gb drive comes with the cable).

garin

12-10-2008, 06:23 PM

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that pack is just designed to bridge the gap between Arcade and Pro, with a price similar to the difference.

mkozlows

12-10-2008, 06:40 PM

The intention is pretty clearly to remove buyer's remorse from the Arcade purchase. People buy it on impulse in the store for $199 because it's cheap -- but instead of using it for a bit and then realizing they got fucked by not buying the $299 one, they realize they really want the extra $99 of stuff from the $299 one and now they can buy it for $99.

They should have done that from day one, honestly.

Ryan Markel

12-10-2008, 06:49 PM

mkozlows

12-10-2008, 06:57 PM

I haven't seen any freezes since launch day, but it does take forever for the pictures to come up.

My biggest irritation with the NXE (which I love in general) is the games list. Yes, it no longer takes forever to enumerate your XBLA games -- but "Arcade" doesn't even show up as a choice on the Games Library tab for tens of seconds! They just pushed the delay up a level to not show the choice until they enumerated all the games. Insane.

Jeremy Johnsen

12-10-2008, 08:47 PM

I just got my 360 yesterday, so I have no idea how the new dashboard compares to the old. I'll assume it's perfect.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/jeremyjohnsen/avatar-body.png

MrAngryFace

12-10-2008, 09:21 PM

I just got my 360 yesterday, so I have no idea how the new dashboard compares to the old. I'll assume it's perfect.

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/jeremyjohnsen/avatar-body.png

I dunno, I kinda liked the blades better, but the awesome stuff like streaming netflix makes me ignore the fact that it takes just as long, if not a little longer, to get where I want.

Rock8man

12-10-2008, 09:46 PM

Free Winter Premium Theme (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802fffe07d1/?gu=66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802fffe07d1&sb=1&mt=4&p=1&of=8) for XBL Gold members. You can grab it from that link. (It'll automatically download next time you log on).

Brakara

12-11-2008, 12:56 AM

zengonzo

12-11-2008, 04:21 AM

(It'll automatically download next time you log on).

That's .. pretty cool.

bago

12-11-2008, 11:03 AM

Yeah, scheduling my console from my laptop is pretty cool.

Robert Sharp

12-11-2008, 11:16 AM

I've got it scheduled too.

Hey, how do I turn off the friends notifications? I don't like watching a movie on netflix or playing a scene in a game only to have "so and so is online" pop up.

zengonzo

12-11-2008, 11:28 AM

I thought they'd set up a way to limit it based on context, too ..

Brakara

12-11-2008, 11:45 AM

You turn off notifications by going to Guide -> Settings-> Notifications. Only option is "Show notifications", which has two other options: "Play sound" and "Show during videos".

Rock8man

12-11-2008, 11:46 AM

- Bring up the Blade using the Guide Button.
- Go to the last Blade on the right, select "Notifications".
- You can turn off notifications only during movies, or all notifications.

Edit: Beaten.

armand v

12-11-2008, 05:43 PM

Bahimiron

12-13-2008, 12:46 PM

They've added a virtual snowglobe. It's pretty much just some Christmas music playing over a snowglobe filled with your friends' avatars. It's amusing to press the shake button and watch 'em flail around, but the music cycles way too quickly. I'm not sure if you can play your own music over it, but I don't exactly see it being a background decoration for Christmas parties anytime soon.

krayzkrok

01-03-2009, 12:41 AM

How do you change the default login profile with NXE? The one that logs in automatically when you first switch on the box?

Rock8man

01-03-2009, 12:47 AM

How do you change the default login profile with NXE? The one that logs in automatically when you first switch on the box?

Bring up the guide with the guide button, go to the last blade. The very first option is Profile. Once selected, the last option is Auto Sign-in.

krayzkrok

01-03-2009, 12:51 AM

Bring up the guide with the guide button, go to the last blade. The very first option is Profile. Once selected, the last option is Auto Sign-in.

Aha, much thanks.

Moore

01-03-2009, 06:37 AM

Does anyone else experience freezes when going through the Friends list on the Guide? It seems that it takes forever to download gamer pictures, and it sometimes stops responding to the controller while it does this.

yeah, I see pauses. You have a camera hooked up? I notice my cam turns off for a sec during this, wonder if it is related.

Bahimiron

01-03-2009, 09:53 AM

I've been noticing a lot of things are slower the longer the NXE goes on. At first I was thrilled that it loaded my stuff so much faster, but now it seems like it takes forever to load up anything it has to pull from the server. When I go to look at DLC or new games, it takes forever for the 'download' option to pop up. What's really annoying is that if I want to download a new video I can bring up the most recently released video, click on it and it'll take me in to all the videos released for that game and the most recently released video isn't necessarily on top cos the list is set to most popular by default.

krayzkrok

01-08-2009, 06:08 AM

After another failed bout of Googling, I'm back with another stupid question.

Is there any way of turning off the trippy music visualizer in NXE when playing music? Basically I want a blank screen while listening to music sometimes, and I can't turn off my TV because it switches off the digital throughput from the HDMI input to the amp.

The only way I can think of doing it is to start a playlist, then navigate to a completely black image that I put into the photo library.