Mon, Jun 22, 2009 | 10:16 BST
Next update will make 360 dash “faster” / “out later this year,”says the Major
Speaking in this week’s podcast, freshly back from Iraq, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson has said the next system update will make the dashboard “faster.”
“We are making the guide faster,” he said whilst also confirming that he’s “intimately involved” in its development.
“The team has done some really good stuff around making performance enhancements,” he added.
“[However,] ‘Performance enhancements’ doesn’t sound right because it sounds like we’re going to give the guide a little blue pill, and we’re not doing that.
“Whatever we call it (and it’s not going to be called the NNXE), but whatever the next version of the dashboard is called, it’s better with a lot of very cool new features. That update will be out later this year,” he said.
Full thing through the link.
16 
Posted in: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live
Tags: dashboard update, major nelson
16 comments
#1
G1GAHURTZ
22/06/09, 10:26 am
So it’s going to get the red pill then?
#2
Blerk
22/06/09, 10:41 am
Tip: Cache is your friend!
#3
DrDamn
22/06/09, 10:50 am
It really needs some improvement. After the initial whizz bang of NXE and doesn’t it look great, getting down to the practicalities of using it day by day is a nightmare. Slow and overly complex design. Loads of great features but I end up using the mini-guide for most things as the main interface is a maze of loops, multiple routes and adverts. Needs a major redesign.
#4
Blerk
22/06/09, 10:52 am
I don’t think it does, to be honest – I can whizz around the interface very quickly. Or I could if the network response times were a bit better.
There are certainly a lot of things they could do to improve it and make it easier to find stuff, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the underlying idea.
#5
Lutz
22/06/09, 10:54 am
Finding stuff is awful, and I can think of one instance where you can *only* use the mini-blades to do something; redeeming a code.
Personally, I think it needs a mini overhaul, and a serious kick up the arse speed wise.
#6
Psychotext
22/06/09, 10:55 am
The only thing I use the mini guide for is checking my download progress and friend status. I wonder if people saw the new layout, went “fuck that, it’s scary” and just stuck to what they knew?
#7
Blerk
22/06/09, 10:56 am
You can only get to your downloads list via the mini-blades too.
#8
DrDamn
22/06/09, 11:40 am
@Psychotext
I persevered with it for a while but it’s a long way from good logical design. An improvement on the old blades certainly, but it lacks clarity in the functionality (not the cosmetic looks – that is good).
#9
Psychotext
22/06/09, 11:44 am
I’ve never had a problem with it. New stuff is in the new stuff folders, and everything else can be found via the browse lists. The only thing it’s really missing is a search function and perhaps a “sort by release date” option for the browse windows.
It may be a different story for the movie section… but I don’t use that so I wouldn’t know.
#10
Retroid
22/06/09, 11:46 am
The arrangement of stuff is OK, it’s really just the Marketplace which is the problem, and a massive one; if I want to download a demo, why the hell do I have to wait there while the interface downloads screenshots and fuck knows what else while I sit there like a lemon waiting for the Download link to become active? Eh?
EH?!
#11
Psychotext
22/06/09, 11:58 am
Yeah, there’s no doubt that making you wait for the download link is fucknuggetry of the highest order.
#12
Aimless
22/06/09, 12:42 pm
I much prefer the NXE to the original interface although it could certainly be more streamlined. At the moment it’s a bit like the European PlayStation Store, with everything over-categorised; for some reason the US one is far better designed.
Anyway, I think you’ll see less of an emphasis on games in the redesign. When you turn it on the first thing you’ll see is the likes of Facebook, Last.fm and movie rentals, games simply made less prevalent in the layout.
#13
Enkeixpress
22/06/09, 5:26 pm
They also mentioned “other cool features”…
INTERNET BROWSER !! .. I hope so.
#14
Synthbent715
22/06/09, 5:27 pm
Can we please please please get rid of the grey floor that covers 60% of every background picture I try to add. I don’t think anyone will be mindfucked saying “OMG HOW IS THAT STUFF JUST FLOATING THERE WITH NO FLOOR HOLDING IT UP!!!”
At least give us an option to change the color of it, “boring as hell grey” doesn’t do it for me.
#15
theevilaires
22/06/09, 6:40 pm
Enkeixpress said: They also mentioned “other cool features”…
INTERNET BROWSER !! .. I hope so.
LMAO what are you using right now…a web browser
what ever happened to the 2 updates a year from M$?
Did they once again lie to the their consumers just like they lied about their first party games always being priced at $50 when the 360 was launched.
This NXE was supposed to be better than the xmb, wtf now after 8 months later they are just now talking about fixing all the problems it had at (re)launch.
This company has gotten away with everything but murder this generation and I just can’t figure out why people buy into it.
#16
fearmonkey
22/06/09, 6:46 pm
NXE sucks when you want to find a new video, Download, etc.
At least for me, it’s really annoying to sit there at that waiting screen for it to list the items you can download. And whats worse is after you have started the download, and then hit continue, it gives that waiting screen again, rather than just list what it did before.
Its so much slower than the old interface for marketplace, its majorly annoying.