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- NXE is Now Available for Download
- Posted About 1 month ago by Coop
If you’re an Xbox 360 owner living under a rock (or dealing with a RROD system) you might not know that today heralds the release of the New Xbox Experience, Microsoft’s updated user interface. As of 10:00am GMT it was up, and so far servers are surprisingly stable, so be sure to download the update before they implode.
Before I was even out of bed I had started my Xbox 360 to download the update, eager to see how it would work and if the hype was justified. They had it on display at E3 but I didn’t get a chance to mess around with it – see, there were videogames there, too. After the download (which only took a few minutes) a video started, with silly racecars and fireworks. Before long I was creating my avatar, which you can see below.
It’s obvious that Microsoft was shooting for a spot directly in-between Miis and Home Avatars. Graphically, they are well modeled with exaggerated features; the options for customization are a bit silly as well, showing more of a sense of humor than either Miis or Home’s. You’re able to equip your Avatar with elf ears and vampire teeth, throwing them in a pink shirt and making them belch at different pitches. Creating your own avatar isn’t as fun as seeing what your friends created, which is easily accessible via the friends list.
I was also anxious to try out the Netflix portion, which was a major factor in me getting an account with the company in the first place. I’ve been happy with the service, and after logging into my Netflix account and typing in a code my Xbox 360 had given me I was able to stream any movies on my Instant Queue. After a minute of buffering, No Country for Old Men had begun, and in my excitement I began adding dozens of television shows and movies I was waiting to watch. It dropped out after a few minutes, but quickly resumed, and I assume these are just day-one quirks that need to be addressed.
Installations also work seemlessly, and quiet down the system, but in my low-tech tests (see: playing Left4Dead and saying I was doing research) I didn't notice any loading changes). The interface, as a whole, is impressive, but you don’t need to take my word for it, try the damn thing yourself.
How is everyone enjoying the New Xbox Experience? Any cute things people might miss? Any annoying aspects that need to be fixed?
Oh, and post your Avatar – go to "http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/GAMERTAG/avatar-body.png" to get yours. The word GamerTag, of course, should be replaced with your Gamertag.
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Comments
I like everything about it. One of my favorite parts is the new guide button menu.
I cant wait to check it out. I hate the old interface. It was too cluttered and ultimately these pictures look less so. I cant wait to try the net-flicks thing.
I think you're right about the party concept. It's a great idea AND you can now share photos from your computer... or, at least, that's what I've gathered from it so far. A friend sent me a long fart sound (accompanied by a picture of an ass) and it was the funniest thing I've received. Oh, the ass had Lee jeans on, too. Perverts.
I think that the avatar thing is weak version of the Nintendo miis. Even the music and animations are the same, just without the creativity and fun. I do however like the game party concept. I will no longer have to hear a 12 year old scream racial comments while I try to talk to my 2 friends. I also like the netflix thing being that I am already a member.
Is anyone else having freeze issues at times?
I never thought playing games without the disc drive taking off would be so magical. This feature alone makes the wait worth it! Avatars and such are pretty neat. Too bad Netflix isn't in Canada.
I haven't downloaded it yet, but I saw it in the office this morning. My first impression was a big, unimpressed, "Meh."
Honestly, was the old XBE so bad that it needed fixing? And is adding somewhat customizable Miis really progress?
Sarah: Nah, you're not the only one, I could care less about XNE either, aside that it's going to waste precious HDD space, which I have little left of.
I'd love to try out the HD Installation thing, but my 360 HD is full
It's fun so far, but my Xbox froze twice after I created my avatar. I don't know if it's the community or my system though.
At press time, the avatar.xboxlive.com server is too busy to respond to my request, so I can't post my guy!
I've heard there's a lot of nice features but nothing that'll really change your 360 experience. Streaming Netflix is apparently the bomb though.
Am I the only one not totally psyched by this? I thought my 360 was fine the way it was. Maybe I'll feel differently when I get home and download it, though.
looking pretty slick in those pics, glad to hear that you are enjoying the new experience.