XBox 360 Interface Screens

[bapenguin]

Betanews (http://www.betanews.com/slideshow/Xbox_360_User_Interface/6/1) has a handful of screens up of the user interface for the XBox 360. Nothing too shocking or out of hte ordinary here.

The interface is visually appealing IMO. Seems simple enough to use. I'm really curious to see how the gamer ranking stuff all plays out. It could be an excellent tool to find and play games against people of the same skill level.

[zsears]

Looks very sleek and cool. I can't complain.

[NACIONAL]

i think that the interface is simple (as a viewer standpoint), and that is a plus for me, and is a pretty too... the music part of the interface was the thing that interested me the most...

Sorry for the absolutelly horrid grammar and vocabulary...

[Scull]

Couldn't Allard come up with a better GamerTag? I mean I like Snow Crash as much as the next guy, but c'mon, he's the creative force behind Xbox, and he can't create his own ID?

As for te UI itself, I don't like the inhale concept, it wastes a lot of screen space, but otherwise it looks pretty straightforward.

[XxSATANxX]

So my question?

Xbox Live is now a free hook up with the XBOX 360?

Parts of the service are free and parts are pay?

splain dis 2 me??

[thFOOL]

We have one up at Console Gold, too, if you want to check it out- http://www.consolegold.com/e3/articles.php?artID=41

[Pumped'Up]

Yes, simple interface...looks like it was made by HP or Compaq.

[MosBen]

The Xbox Live service as we all know it now will be known as Xbox Live Gold on the 360 and will feature all the bells and whistles, as well as costing the same evidently. The Xbox Live Silver level will be free to all owners of the 360 and will be somewhat pared down. I don't remember everything, but there will be free Xbox Live weekends and other perks for the Silver level. You will still have to play for unlimited multiplayer however, by getting the Gold level.

[novicius]

Yes, simple interface...looks like it was made by HP or Compaq.
Exactly. Call me kookie but I preferred the "virtual internals" look of the original Xbox's dashboard. This is clean, yes, but bland, whereas the Xbox's dashboard was fun to show off and navigate.

Oh well. :rolleyes:

[XxSATANxX]

Couldn't Allard come up with a better GamerTag? I mean I like Snow Crash as much as the next guy, but c'mon, he's the creative force behind Xbox, and he can't create his own ID?

I think ASSHAT was already taken
:p

[MrMeatshake]

They should've got the guy who designed the XBMC default skin. That rocked.

[Savok]

Couldn't Allard come up with a better GamerTag? I mean I like Snow Crash as much as the next guy, but c'mon, he's the creative force behind Xbox, and he can't create his own ID?

It fits in with his "I'm a mighty pirate" thing.

[lowlevel]

Overall, I like it.

Especially the banner ads!!! (http://www.betanews.com/slideshow/Xbox_360_User_Interface/6/8) :p

[A-Team]

From what I've been told, the Xbox Live Silver package is primarily directed at people looking to play MMOGs but still have access to future updates, which would explain why it's free. Players that wish to partake in a game of deathmatch with their buddies online will have to cough up the cash for the Gold package.

[koorb]

Actually guys this is just the half of it, you can actually choose your background colour or have a picture as your background. And with added connectivity that could be anything you want.

The free silver service for the 360 is XBoxLive, but the you will need the Gold subscription to download content (not on the marketplace) and play multiplayer.

It's amazing, while Nintendo and Sony are still trying to GET a multiplayer service up and running, Microsoft is establishing online content markets, video chat, video messaging, public gamer profiles with ranking data and personal space stuff for a message and a photo for people looking at your profile, the ability to choose opponents with similar ranking data so you can always play against a worthy opponent, ranked tournament ladders and the ability to play all your very own custom music over all of that. And this is all the stuff they are launching the new service with!!! I can't think of anything they could add, but i bet they will.

So ye, even if the PS3's games do end up looking better, between a 360 and PS3 version of Splinter Cell, I would still go with the 360 version because the multiplier.

[Royal Fool]

I hereby declare the Marketplace to become a cesspool of moneygrabbing 'extras' and dumb user-created crap.

Yep.

[Deadend]

I like the interface more than the old Xbox one.

God, that stupid lighting flash thing and the orb shit, that was so stupid on Xbox 1, and the crazy "its like a robot that beeps!" menus, and that UGLY color scheme, The best thing I ever did to my xbox was put on UnleashX and a slick looking skin.

[novicius]

I hereby declare the Marketplace to become a cesspool of moneygrabbing 'extras' and dumb user-created crap.

You forgot to mention the fact that nobody will actually want to buy anything but instead just sell their own uninspired and largely derivative (if not out and out imitative) crap.

Hopefully I'm wrong. :)

[koorb]

Microsoft mentions new cars and weapons as an example of what you can buy from marketplace, but it allows developers to do episodic content. So you could buy a game like Halo3, the ending is crap, but after the game is released the developers work on an expansion pack which adds an extra five hours onto the singleplayer game, maybe adds a couple of multiplayer modes, maps and weapons and only costs $5.

Microsoft has mentioned charging people to play in certain tournament matches and offering unique items at high prices. I don't know wither this is all good or not, but I think it will be interesting to see where this all leads.

[MosBen]

Obviously with any system of charging money there are good and interesting ways for it to be used and there are crap ways for it to be used. I don't want to spend $5 on a new weapon or two, but I'm glad to spend $5 for an extra few hours of good gameplay. Could be interesting to say the least.

[Rakael]

I really want to get my hands on an Xbox 360 for Live. I am starting to get a little scared though with all of this talk about "microcharges" and the marketplace. I don't want to get owned in a game because my opponent has more money than brains and has bought every hypercharged weapon available. I can see this being a very bad thing.

Just imagine it: A leet speaking 12 year old screaming in your ear as he hammers you with nuclear weapons he bought with mommies credit card, and you attempt to fight back with the slingshot the publisher/developers added to the game for free, while selling all the good stuff on the marketplace.

[NACIONAL]

Just imagine it: A leet speaking 12 year old screaming in your ear as he hammers you with nuclear weapons he bought with mommies credit card, and you attempt to fight back with the slingshot the publisher/developers added to the game for free, while selling all the good stuff on the marketplace.

I don't think that would be the case... i think that if the developer introduces a new weapon it would be balanced enough for everyone...

This Live Service is getting me anxious...

[zorper]

Just imagine it: A leet speaking 12 year old screaming in your ear as he hammers you with nuclear weapons he bought with mommies credit card, and you attempt to fight back with the slingshot the publisher/developers added to the game for free, while selling all the good stuff on the marketplace.

I agree. But I think this will just be more good deveoper / bad developer stuff. Good developer introduces new balanced weapon which makes game more fun, they sell more copies of the game and weapons. Bad developer makes nuke for little leet Jonny, who pwns the game for 3 hours, everyone else then trades their game in at EB.

[[HATE]MyLife]

Just imagine it: A leet speaking 12 year old screaming in your ear as he hammers you with nuclear weapons he bought with mommies credit card, and you attempt to fight back with the slingshot the publisher/developers added to the game for free, while selling all the good stuff on the marketplace.

Yeah, that's the game I pass on.

That's also the problem with most MMOs.

[Kelegacy]

I think ASSHAT was already taken
:p

Haha, how true! Someday when they create painful, force-feedback outfits for virtual reality gaming, I'll jump onto the 'net and hunt him down without mercy. I'll beat him so bad at Halo XII that he'll short circuit.

[Stryfe01]

It works...what else matters..you know now Sony and Nintendo's offerings will be a spin on this...

[Syrinx]

I really want to get my hands on an Xbox 360 for Live. I am starting to get a little scared though with all of this talk about "microcharges" and the marketplace. I don't want to get owned in a game because my opponent has more money than brains and has bought every hypercharged weapon available. I can see this being a very bad thing.

The impression I got with these microtransactions was more along the lines of custom content to change the looks of your characters / vehicles / whatever in game.

[jeffool]

Couldn't Allard come up with a better GamerTag? I mean I like Snow Crash as much as the next guy, but c'mon, he's the creative force behind Xbox, and he can't create his own ID?

As for te UI itself, I don't like the inhale concept, it wastes a lot of screen space, but otherwise it looks pretty straightforward.

Huh, and all this time I thought it was "HeroProtagonist." And I must say, I thought HeroProtagonist is a damn cool name. When I heard it I thought, "Wow, I wonder if he chose that? If he did, he can't be such a bad guy..." I don't know if Hiro has any significance aside from the phonetics, but I'll still let him slide on the name. And that's not to mention that he has DJ Z-Trip on there. God that guy's great.

And the UI could use at least a few changes. Especially the Friends List. While I like that it subdivides the list into 'awaiting correspondence', 'online', and 'offline', I think that within those three categories friends should be in alphabetical order. And it looks like they've gotten rid of 'recent players' and 'clan'? Also the albums under music have the extraneous copying of the name? Possibly album names that were filled in with the same name for show's sake?

Overall, I don't like the GUI. I looks like WindowsXP's default theme has become a virus and infected an XBox. Does anyone actually use the default WinXP theme? But I guess it's functionality and not looks that really matter.

The impression I got with these microtransactions was more along the lines of custom content to change the looks of your characters / vehicles / whatever in game.
Yeah seriously. I doubt they'd allow someone to have an in-game advantage because they paid more.

[B_Money]

So does the new interface speak in a wierd alien language?

[Scull]

Huh, and all this time I thought it was "HeroProtagonist." And I must say, I thought HeroProtagonist is a damn cool name. When I heard it I thought, "Wow, I wonder if he chose that? If he did, he can't be such a bad guy..." I don't know if Hiro has any significance aside from the phonetics, but I'll still let him slide on the name. And that's not to mention that he has DJ Z-Trip on there. God that guy's great.

Hiro Protagonist is the hero/protagonist in Neal (Neil?) Stephenson's novel SnowCrash. I hated the name from the very begining of the book, I hate it now, and I hate that Allard can't get something original.

[B_Money]

Hiro Protagonist is the hero/protagonist in Neal (Neil?) Stephenson's novel SnowCrash. I hated the name from the very begining of the book, I hate it now, and I hate that Allard can't get something original.

Perhaps there was a reason why Neil chose Hiro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiro)

[bobbler]

The more Xbox live stuff I see the more hot n' bothered I get. I like the idea of those cheesy arcade games you can DL for free (I'm assuming), and I like how widespread the service will be -- the market place has be a little bit flustered though. I don't like what it can lead to, however, if properly restricted it won't detract from games. (selling super items/guns/cars that unbalance gameplay -- in multiplayer -- would be a bad idea that I'm sure developers would try to avoid).

I'm sort of exciting to hear more about Sony and Nintendo's plans for world domination on the online gaming front.

[mister_slim]

Will the marketplace perhaps have an Apple-designed skin for sale? That I would pay money for.

[B_Money]

I want a faceplate that's either black or chrome.