The new updated Xbox 360 dashboard has been in all our homes for the last few weeks and brings the system in line with the latest Windows phone systems.
Integration across the different systems has been the main reason for the software updates and has enforced consistency in the current Microsoft products. Since the release of Kinect and the additional online services the dashboard was becoming a monstrosity of hubs all jumbled together. The new update though has included the new services in freshly expanded navigation options while also sticking to a similar format.
The Kinect only dashboard has been resigned to the darkest of Microsoft’s rubbish tips too as the update includes fully functioning Kinect navigation but means that all additional services will need to be reinstalled on your hardware – what a pain for you Facebook, Last FM and Sky users.
Along with the main addition of the Kinect navigation system is the inclusion of the Microsoft search engine ‘Bing’. To give it some dues the Xbox Live version of this search engine is far better (IMO) than the web based utility of the same name. Running a search under vague headings will bring up a whole selection of games, videos and features that also include the different viewing options or playing options dependant on the subscriptions you already hold. For example Sky’s On Demand playlist will be displayed with the Zune video so that Bing can tell you what your cheapest option is for watching a specific film.
Bing does have its issues though as it is hard to see exactly how its ranking system works; typing in something broad like ‘action’ or ‘comedy’ brings back a whole selection of different results. Eurogamer explained it best when they searched for ‘RPG’ in the new dashboard; ‘Oblivion's highly praised Shivering Isles expansion comes way down the search results, several pages after a music track called "In Your Face!!!" by RPGIO and an indie game called Pimp RPG’.
Microsoft have basically turned the whole system into a new home entertainment system that also plays games as opposed to a games console that has media hubs.
It’s easily identified by the four screens you have to run through to even find the ‘Games’ section whereas the Sky TV application seems to be advertised as soon as your Xbox turns on. Even the selection for the game in the tray is tiny compared to the advertising space of applications that many people barely use anyway.
If you're looking for actual games to download too you need to rummage even deeper. Inside the first games tab is another games tab that then allows you too look at another tab for new releases. This at least features an XBLA, On Demand and Most Popular selection choice but makes the whole process cumbersome and annoying in more ways then it needs to. The games that had low visibility to begin with seem to have hidden themselves even deeper and are now pretty much invisible too; the same goes for the quick play Indie Arcade that used to be one of the Xbox’s big selling points. Oh how times have changed.
There have been some positives to the new dashboard system though mostly relating to Gamertags and cloud saving although from my personal perspective this doesn’t make up for the sheer hassle in doing anything else.
Shopping is a particularly long winded mess that seems to take more of your time finding a product (even if you are looking for something specific and popular) then it does to download all the content. One of my colleagues pointed out that using Bing simplifies this some what and is probably a clearer pieces of advertising form Microsoft by forcing you to use their search engine to find exactly what you want.
The real problem with the new dash is not what it offers but how it offers it….
Let me know what you think in the comments below…
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