Poll: [poll]The New Xbox update

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major_chaos

Ruining videogames
Feb 3, 2011
1,314
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so I didn't see any threads about this so I figured I would create one. (mostly to vent my rage)
the most recent Xbox update made significant changes to the dashboard and I was wondering what the Escapist thinks of them?
Personally I just updated today, and I HATE the new dash, its ugly, clunky, and has most of the screen filled with advertisements, apparently all for the sake of working better with the stupid kinect.

EDIT: wow the poll got eaten AND I managed to double thread because my net was lagging. i'm just on a fail spree today

EDITED AGAIN: because the joke sounded funnier in my head
 

tippy2k2

Beloved Tyrant
Legacy
Mar 15, 2008
14,870
2,349
118
I don't like that you now have to click on your friends, then click on "Show Party" to show who's in their party.

I do like the new Quick Launch button. I can access and start my arcade games much quicker now.
 

skywolfblue

New member
Jul 17, 2011
1,514
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0
I don't understand why they went from something that was super-easy to navigate, to this rather convoluted setup.

I'm not having apoplectic fits about it, but I do find it less elegant.
 

Shadowstar38

New member
Jul 20, 2011
2,204
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0
I didnt have a problem with it. Everything is where I can find and I just ignore the adds like I've been doing. The only bad part is my friends list is in a sub-part I have to click on.
 

jensenthejman

New member
Aug 22, 2011
75
0
0
I'm pretty meh about it. I hate the enormous ads all over the place. Though I do like the overall setup of it. Also, the game square should be in the middle, not in the corner. And as mentioned, you now have to click on your friends; that's pretty inconvenient.
 

Arkley

New member
Mar 12, 2009
522
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To those decrying the dashboard because it was changed "just to work better with Kinect", that isn't true. It was changed largely due to the addition of the new apps system, and all of those wonderful things that came with it. The previous dashboard could have been updated to function with Kinect quite easily, and if that was their only goal, that's all they would have done. No, this update was to facilitate the new apps/channels/services that are now available - the 360's first real step towards becoming a truly unified home media entertainment system, and it was a good first step at that. The Kinect functionality was just added at the same time.

Basically, if you don't like it, hate on it for the right reasons. If you don't like the way it looks or can't adapt to how it browses, that's fine, but don't take it as another opportunity to rag on Kinect, it just makes you look uninformed.

As for my opinion, the update added a lot of fantastic things, and I'm already a subscriber to many of the services it added, so I'm getting a lot of use out of it. It's aesthetically appealing, works wonderfully and smoothly with Kinect, and the ads don't bother me, though getting to XBLA and browsing the titles is a process that's a little longer than I'd like.
 

keideki

New member
Sep 10, 2008
510
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0
I actually really enjoy the new look, but then again I am a big can of the Metro UI that microsoft is pushing onto all their devices.
 

Magicmad5511

New member
May 26, 2011
637
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Only problem I got is that the video section is a bit annoying to find past stuff or even the current stuff.
 

Shoggoth2588

New member
Aug 31, 2009
10,250
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My main gripe was griped about on another thread about this but I guess I can re-gripe my previous gripe which has already been griped about.

On the home-tab, there are five boxes. The central one and the two on the right are all advertisements. The bottom left are your top 10 arcade games and the top right is whatever is in your disc tray. WHY is that one (top-left) so damned small? It should be front and center. It's cool how when you're browsing your arcade games they have full-size cover art but the upper-left square kind of under minds whatever game you may have in-tray. Also, we all had to pay for our theme in one way or another, why can't I see my theme when I'm on the Bing menu?
 

Just_A_Glitch

New member
Dec 10, 2009
1,603
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I haven't explored it really, but just based on appearance, I think its miles ahead of the last one. I hated the previous design. So many people are complaining about how the big box is an ad. I didn't even really notice until it was brought to my attention. It doesn't bother me. If the console loaded up on the ad, maybe I'd be a little peeved, but you start on the "Play Game" option. I don't see the issue.
 

Mister Six

New member
Aug 16, 2010
150
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I dislike it, it feels to spread out and a good deal harder to navigate, then there are some things that just bother me, but it may just be me.

1) In the previous dashboard when you were scrolling horizontally, the list you were scrolling moved with you, you go one to the right, so on and so forth, now it is done by pages which don't seem to flow well.

2) Dear god, the ads. I'm sorry Microsoft, but I'm already shelling out cash on a yearly basis for the Gold Membership that really doesn't need to be a paid service and then you give me this crap? Again? (Yes I know that the previous updates have had ads as well, which were a complaint against said updates back when they came out)

3) All those social apps crap can go die a horrible, horrible virtual death. I'm sorry but I purchased a game console to play GAMES, not watch movies, not browse your crappy google knock-off, not to go on facebook, not to watch ESPN, etc. I have other electronics that fulfill those needs easier and much more efficiently.

4) Give me back my bars goddammit. When I browse my games played I want to see bars of completion, not just the fucking numbers. The human brain can't visually comprehend what 82665/227335 is, giving me a bloody visual bar that let's me put that in a better perspective. (This is probably just me, but I can get OCDish about gamerscore, yes I know it is pointless and serves no justifiable purpose but damn it, it keeps me from having anxiety problems.)
 

zombieshark6666

New member
Sep 27, 2011
381
0
0
It's too cluttered, but it's back to its former speed and responsiveness, so overall I'm pleased.

I do find it quite displeasing to have to see the word Bing, though. It kinda makes me sick.
 

Vorpal Chill

New member
Mar 31, 2010
66
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0
I'm finding it slightly easier to navigate overall but forget those Beacons. I got murdered in Gears 3 over one of those little annoying pop-ups.
 

major_chaos

Ruining videogames
Feb 3, 2011
1,314
0
0
Arkley said:
To those decrying the dashboard because it was changed "just to work better with Kinect", that isn't true. It was changed largely due to the addition of the new apps system, and all of those wonderful things that came with it. The previous dashboard could have been updated to function with Kinect quite easily, and if that was their only goal, that's all they would have done. No, this update was to facilitate the new apps/channels/services that are now available - the 360's first real step towards becoming a truly unified home media entertainment system, and it was a good first step at that. The Kinect functionality was just added at the same time.

Basically, if you don't like it, hate on it for the right reasons. If you don't like the way it looks or can't adapt to how it browses, that's fine, but don't take it as another opportunity to rag on Kinect, it just makes you look uninformed.

As for my opinion, the update added a lot of fantastic things, and I'm already a subscriber to many of the services it added, so I'm getting a lot of use out of it. It's aesthetically appealing, works wonderfully and smoothly with Kinect, and the ads don't bother me, though getting to XBLA and browsing the titles is a process that's a little longer than I'd like.
I guess it comes down to personal preference on that, see the thing is I use my Xbox to play games and I don't intend to ever use it for anything else, plus the fact that I am of the opinion that social networking is were intelligence goes to die, so it bugs my to see those thing shoehorned into my UI when I just want to browse games. Also for more legit reasons to hate the update i'll add that the games library being almost all the way on the end and made of very large pictures instead of a nice simple list of names bugs me to no end, as-well as the marketplace getting more difficult to browse with every update. also the look of it just bugs my and i'm not sure why, I think it just seems like it is trying to hard somehow, when it jumped out at me was when I was looking at the new games marketplace: first I started on the pointless "featured" tab and then I want to look at new releases by category instead of the big long list so I eventually notice "game type" tucked away in a corner and for no reason it has the pointless hard to notice icon of a person in a green jacket jumping (why?)then I get a list of game types represented by pointless nonsensical pictures, and for each one I have to back out and select another category instead of just pushing "up" like in the old version and that seem to be the new dashboard in a story: its ADD and more concerned with looking "fun" and accessible then being practical as well as hiding everything in a menu within a menu
 

CM156_v1legacy

Revelation 9:6
Mar 23, 2011
3,997
0
0
This is one of the few cases where I like this version more than the previous one. So actually, I rather enjoy it. It caused a minor issue with a memory card, but I managed to get that fixed.
 

tombman888

New member
Jul 12, 2009
1,394
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<--- hasn't updated yet

I've seen so many people bitching about it, and equally as many people saying its not bad.... i wonder which side i'll fall into...
 

Blindrooster

New member
Jul 13, 2009
589
0
0
It screwed with my net flix.... i had to re-download it, and all my movie progress, and recently watched and instant cue was gone. That upset me. also, it auto plays the first episode of anything everytime i select a series (like psych.) Its really pissing me off, and it doesnt look as good.