XBox 360 Software Overview

[bapenguin]

The The SuperSite for Windows (http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/xbox360_inside.asp) has an overview of the XBox 360 Software expierence. It goes into detail on how the UI works, and how things like streaming media, photos, online invites, etc will effect your console game playing on the XBox 360.Paul: How does that map to what we see now in Halo 2? I know in Halo 2 [on Xbox Live] you have a rating that goes up and down. Is this based on that?

Jeff: This is a ubiquitous score across all games. The Halo 2 rating would feed into this. You can actually drill into someone's digital profile and see which games are contributing to this score. If a game has a lot of specific stats, which Halo will, you'll be able to drill into those specific stats here as well. They contributed to this score.

Let's say you're online and you have a Gamerscore of 5,000 and you see Spider Monkey has 5,300 and think, "well, we're pretty close in terms of overall accomplishments. But let's see what kind of player she is." 4,900 points in my score came from Halo. Let's see where hers came from. And you look and find out that she only plays soccer. All 5,300 of her points come from soccer. She doesn't even own Halo. That will give you a little more detail, and in this case tell you that maybe you don't want to hook up with her.

But overall, Spider Monkey looks like a pretty cool person for me to hook up with, so I go ahead and accept the Friend Invite. Now, it's going to drop me right back into the game. I can pick up the action right where I left off.

That Xbox 360 button is a really cool tool for bringing up the Guide to field information on the system in real time. If I press that button while there is no invitation on the screen, I will get some view of the Guide that's based on what I'm doing right now. It's system wide. Any time I press that button, I'll get the Guide. If I'm listening to an audio CD and I press that button, the Xbox Guide is going to appear and give me a little bit of information about the artist and album or whatever.

Really good article. It sounds like they spent a lot of time and thought into developing a rich full feature interface, and matured XBox Live at the same time.

Thanks Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com) for the link

[Tricky Thumb]

Wow, that'll come in handy for next year when I actually get a game that will require the system to play it on.

[*Legion*]

Dear Sony,

Please copy this. I don't care if what you come up with is a shameless ripoff, just stop sitting on your hands and build it.

If you can actually one-up Microsoft and do better, then more power to you. Although you have been thoroughly schooled in this so far. Maybe if you take it seriously, and really decide to hammer something great out, then you can change that.

If you want me to spend $400 on your console, you need to be able to match this level of online functionality. Granted, I'm going to drop $50 on Xbox Live for the full functionality, so that helps make up some of the price differential. But you need to step up. Please.

(On a different coin, although the facts in the article appear good, Paul Thurrott is a jackass and his "SuperSite" is usually trash)

[CrysDark]

(On a different coin, although the facts in the article appear good, Paul Thurrott is a jackass and his "SuperSite" is usually trash)


Really now, Most of his reviews have been spot on, and from his writting it seems that he has alot of contacts within ***

Please point me in the direction that shows he is a jackass

[jim_rock]

Whoohooo $300 next gen gaming machine MCE box?!
*ghetto* holla atcha boi boit *ghetto*

[Bushi]

Ok, horrible quote sounds like a bad dating service.

[Cha-Ka]

Dear Sony,

Please copy this. I don't care if what you come up with is a shameless ripoff, just stop sitting on your hands and build it.

Man, I heard that!

/sign

[Heretic Machine]

I think it sounds cool, the XBOX Button sounds much less useless now than I thought it would be. Being able to bring up a universal interface no matter what I'm doing could have a lot of potential.

[mister_slim]

"The Inhale" has been topped. The invention of the "The Blade" label hurts my brain. There is no point inventing nonsense names when there are perfectly good ones that are already familiar and available.

[Baronen]

Yes, Just as I hoped. I'll be able to organize the game to play music from my iPod as a custom soundtrack.

[*Legion*]

Please point me in the direction that shows he is a jackass

Find any article which makes reference to a non-Microsoft product (Apple, Linux, etc). Beware drowning in the bullshit - bring water wings.

[Wonka]

"The Inhale" has been topped. The invention of the "The Blade" label hurts my brain. There is no point inventing nonsense names when there are perfectly good ones that are already familiar and available.

They talked about that whole range of different stuff and all you can think about is "the blade"? Honestly, I think you need to try and get a little perspective. Its not like this is anything new. I don't care if you call your product a "Dualshock" or a "Power Glove" or "LIVE!". Almost everything that has ever been mass marketed has had some kind of retarded name attached. It's an important part of how people sell things on the mass market. So your simply incorrect, and there is actually a point to these silly names. The point is to make money by getting people to REMEMBER the name of your product and why they wanted it when they walk into a store...

[DannoHung]

I gotta say, "Blade" sounds hella cooler than tab.

I think I'm going to start calling Firefox's tab features the "blade" feature.

YES!

[KDups]

For a company like Sony that was so keen on hyping the future online capabilities of the PS2 before it even launched, they've done a pretty terrible job of getting an online network up and running. Releasing a HDD/BBA and saying to 3rd parties, "Ok, do something with this on your own" is pretty lame. And I've heard very little about their PS3 online plans other than the PSP and PS3 will somehow be interconnected. Fills me with loads of confidence.

[riposte101]

(On a different coin, although the facts in the article appear good, Paul Thurrott is a jackass and his "SuperSite" is usually trash)

I can confirm everything that was in this article is true. Gamefest just happened last week and they covered everything that was in the article and much more.

[Cyrano]

"You can actually drill into someone's digital profile"

Sounds painful.

[Wonka]

I can confirm everything that was in this article is true. Gamefest just happened last week and they covered everything that was in the article and much more.

Sweet. I am actually much more excited about the new software features than I am about the hardware advances. I actually agree with MS that the majority of the new advances in games this next generation are going to be software and not hardware related. Just think about it for a moment. What will the impact be of having an increasing amount of the game network code already written and available in the device? Well thats going to have a HUGE impact. It's still "just software", but it has the broad kind of impact that providing a new doo-dad into the hardware would have had, suddenly game developers everywhere have a new tool in their arsenal that they can leverage on ALL of their new games. The only difference is, that with this new generation, MS can continue to add features that continue to be tapped into by developers everywhere. By putting a dedicated button in that can access the dashboard at any time, they have opened up a way that they can upgrade their dashboard (and related features) at any time in the future. Now all games can have new features added to them by modifying the dashboard code just once, rather than a bunch of different developer studios all scrambling to try to implement these ideas in roughly the same manner (the old system). In the new system MS writes the code, the code is the same across all the games, and the developers (at the most) just have to use it in the context of their games. This should make for a MUCH more unified user experience that is easier for everyone involved with to maintain, and implement.

Now just consider the possibilities: if MS discovers that people really want better clan support, they can just add it in there and at the most game devs just have to add a couple function calls to their game. If MS discovers that people want to edit in game objects, then they can add in a modeler tool, (or better yet just release one for the PC platform), and thus provide everyone with a single set of simple tools to edit stuff for their games. The same could be done for map editors and the like. MS could provide the basic editor tools, and devs could just write the hooks in there to allow the usage of such a system. Even basic scripting editors should be possible to allow game mods (though they would have to be limited to a basic sandbox arrangement for obvious safety reasons). Of course many of these projects would be really quite difficult to do, but that is exactly why I think that MS will eventually try to do them (and therefore take their console somewhere that Sony has a hard time following them). Of course, if Sony continues to blow off developing and end to end solution for online gaming then they might decide that its safer to just add more jukebox features.

[mister_slim]

They talked about that whole range of different stuff and all you can think about is "the blade"? Honestly, I think you need to try and get a little perspective. Its not like this is anything new. I don't care if you call your product a "Dualshock" or a "Power Glove" or "LIVE!". Almost everything that has ever been mass marketed has had some kind of retarded name attached. It's an important part of how people sell things on the mass market. So your simply incorrect, and there is actually a point to these silly names. The point is to make money by getting people to REMEMBER the name of your product and why they wanted it when they walk into a store...
You seem to be missing the point. No one is walking into a store and ordering a 'Blade-displayer'. It's a simple UI, akin to tabs, panes, or panels, except based around a silly visual metaphor and not a function or usability analogy. What's next? The Four-Airlock car (far more secure and safe)? The Frontier Domineer for your TV (change the channel from your couch!)?

A real feature will speak for itself. There's no need to make up labels and pretend innovation. The tab system is a good way to present information, and the implementation seems nice. Bullshit is just a distraction.

[Achilles]

But what do you think about the features mister_slim? Personally I think they're great, and using MS's strength as a software company to their advantage. I also respect that it all relates to gaming.

For all of Sony's talk of turning the Playstation line into a line of computers they are talking not-at-all about the software services that their system will have. You can't just make a powerful system, deny that it's a game machine and slap linux on it and think that it's a computer. It needs to come with a variety of software services. Right now MS has shown that, even though all their services are based around gaming (imagine that) it's still far closer to a computer than the PS3 is so far.

[mister_slim]

But what do you think about the features mister_slim? Personally I think they're great, and using MS's strength as a software company to their advantage. I also respect that it all relates to gaming.

Some of them sound good, some of them seem silly. Mostly I'm waiting till I can actually play around with before I comment. It's really all about implementation and execution, for most of what they are doing. And I doubt it will be as clean as I like (I'm a Mac type). I think most of this won't actually be that useful to me. I do expect the 360 to be better done designed than the PS3 and more full-featured than the Rev, but I don't expect the 360 to have the life-changing effect MS seems to believe it will.

[Wonka]

You seem to be missing the point. No one is walking into a store and ordering a 'Blade-displayer'. It's a simple UI, akin to tabs, panes, or panels, except based around a silly visual metaphor and not a function or usability analogy. What's next? The Four-Airlock car (far more secure and safe)? The Frontier Domineer for your TV (change the channel from your couch!)?

A real feature will speak for itself. There's no need to make up labels and pretend innovation. The tab system is a good way to present information, and the implementation seems nice. Bullshit is just a distraction.


Well your above statements are just a collection of words. And everyone else uses these same words, and so using your same logic here, why should I care about anything that you say? Why should I assume that you could possibly have ANYTHING NEW to say? You still saying it using verbs, nouns and prepositions, so how could there possibly be anything new in there? The answer is obvious: its because the whole of what you are trying to say has a meaning that is greater than the sum of its parts. In the same way, all software is made of many of the same elements(windows, tabs etc.), but it's still possible to innovate with software as well.

And actually, my newest remote control DOES have a silly name. It's called a "harmony" remote control. This was done to try and get customers to remember how easily it integrates a bunch of other remote controls. It's pretty nice, and I actually like it quite a lot. And while it's true that it's ultimately just a slightly nicer remote control than many other universal remote controls, I honestly don't give a crap that they called it a "Harmony". You see, I realize that those guys who named it a "Harmony" remote were just trying to make their product stand out and I am not going to let their silly names detract from my enjoyment of their device. Ultimately, I don't care what they called it, I just bought it for what it does. Did it hurt me that they called it something different? Nope. In fact it helped me to buy their product. In fact, I could walk into any electronics store today and say "hey do you guys carry the harmony remote?" , and they would be likely to know exactly what I meant by that. That's actually kind of convenient if you ask me.

Now lets be HONEST here. The X360 will be the 1st CONSOLE in history to integrate the use of its dashboard this closely with every single game. It will also sport the most developed UI and online service package ever shipped with any console when it launches. In doing this, they have raised the bar significantly in terms of the built in utilities and capabilities for a game console as well as for every game produced on that same console. You may not be personally interested in the product that they have produced, but at the end of the day, they have definitely moved things forward for consoles here. And so if they want to call the UI that they have for these features the "stinky cheese wheel of doom" why should you care about that? If anything, it gives you some way to tell the stores what you pretty clearly don't want. At that point, you could walk into a store in November and say: "Hey give me any game console as long as its not that one with the 'stinky cheese wheel of doom' interface, I really hate that one". And everyone would know imediately how you felt and be better informed about how to help you...

Microsoft is just naming this product so that it seems memorable to consumers and salesman. Its a technique as old as capitalism, and its used by every successful business on the planet. If you are going to get bent out of shape about that every time that this happens, you are going to spend the rest of your life very bitter.

[Cyrano]

Nah, mister_slim is right. "Harmony" is the name of the product that someone would walk into the store to buy. As he pointed out,

"You seem to be missing the point. No one is walking into a store and ordering a 'Blade-displayer'."

Now, if they called it the Harmony Blade-Displayer, you'd have a point. But they didn't. They stuck with the well-known "remote control". How can you miss the difference between a product brand name and renaming a standard feature for no reason? I bet used car dealers lick their lips when they see you coming. See, this car has a Super-Duper-Thrust-Lever you press with your foot to make it go!

[Wonka]

Uh well actually I was using the example of my remote control actually having a strange name exactly because Mr. Slim had claimed that it would be ridiculous to give such a product a silly name. Remember this?

The Frontier Domineer for your TV (change the channel from your couch!)?

Anyhow, if YOU want to argue that parts of a product cannot have silly names, but only complete full products CAN have silly names, then go on ahead. But I personally find even THAT to be rather unreasonable. It doesn't bother me for example that my Tivo has a "Tivo central" button on it, even if that is really just a "main menu" button. Nobody who owns a Tivo is actually excited about the fact that the button is called that. The button is really only called that for marketing purposes. Tivo wanted to drum up excitement about their product and make it seem more special. This button makes their product stand out a bit from the competition, because their remote control has a brightly colored button on the top of it, and people who want to buy a Tivo remember why they want it when they see the button in the store. It makes their product seem more straightforward and friendly to use. In that sense, this example is VERY analagous to one of these blade thingys. Do they need to be called blades? No. Do they on their own make the UI better? That would really depend on what the alternative is...but lets go ahead and say no again just for the sake of argument. Does it help Microsoft sell consoles? Probably. And THAT is the point of doing it. Not because it necessarily improves the product, but because it makes the products other enhancements seem more memorable. And whats so wrong with that? It's not like they haven't improved the UI in any other ways. So I am not going to begrudge them a few silly marketing names if they want to emphasize all the work they did on their front end? Hell no. Why should I care that they want to call this UI thing that lets me listen to my music while I game a "blade".

Mr. Slim seems to be angry about this kind of labeling, and I am not. And that's pretty much the entirety of this long drawn out (and fairly petty) conversation.

Maybe if I had ever bought (or knew someone who bought) something PURELY because of what it was called I would feel differently. But from where I stand, the marketing ploys have only ever served to help people I know REMEMBER the stuff that they ACTUALLY like (like being able to play custom soundtracks in games etc.).

[Achilles]

So "Blade" servers are in, but "Blade" UI is out, gotcha. That’s a pretty unimportant thing to be bothered about, but okay. The blades really do look pretty cool, they’ve got 3d stuff going on in the background and whatnot.

[mister_slim]

And actually, my newest remote control DOES have a silly name. It's called a "harmony" remote control. This was done to try and get customers to remember how easily it integrates a bunch of other remote controls. It's pretty nice, and I actually like it quite a lot. And while it's true that it's ultimately just a slightly nicer remote control than many other universal remote controls, I honestly don't give a crap that they called it a "Harmony". You see, I realize that those guys who named it a "Harmony" remote were just trying to make their product stand out and I am not going to let their silly names detract from my enjoyment of their device. Ultimately, I don't care what they called it, I just bought it for what it does. Did it hurt me that they called it something different? Nope. In fact it helped me to buy their product. In fact, I could walk into any electronics store today and say "hey do you guys carry the harmony remote?" , and they would be likely to know exactly what I meant by that. That's actually kind of convenient if you ask me.
Did they call the remote 'chocolat-o-licious' because remotes look vaguely like candy bars? No, they called it 'Harmony' because it is designed to harmonize television controls. Thats the point of the product, and the primary selling point. Does the Xbox having a coherent and intuitive tabbed user-interface combining access to music and movies, Live, and games count as a point in its favor? Yes. If someone sees 'bladed-interface' on the box does that mean anything? No. Is a blade functionally different than a tab? No.

[zangster]

Did they call the remote 'chocolat-o-licious' because remotes look vaguely like candy bars? No, they called it 'Harmony' because it is designed to harmonize television controls. Thats the point of the product, and the primary selling point. Does the Xbox having a coherent and intuitive tabbed user-interface combining access to music and movies, Live, and games count as a point in its favor? Yes. If someone sees 'bladed-interface' on the box does that mean anything? No. Is a blade functionally different than a tab? No.

Can we all just agree that you and Wonka are arguing semantics and be done with it. The blade vs. tab argument shouldn't affect your decision to purchase an Xbox 360, and quite frankly this arguments distracts us all from play the new Halo 2 maps.

[Morratut]

MS you have my money when your console is released. All the new features i will use. My girlfriend will use the music and photo functionality also.


I love this quote...
'Sony can continue to do the gadgetry demos, and they can continue to do the science experiments with the rubber ducks falling into the tub. But when it comes to building great games, and delivering great consumer entertainment experiences, it's right here.'

Well put.I still can't believe I actually love MS in the console industry :D

[*Legion*]

Well put.I still can't believe I actually love MS in the console industry :D

Indeed. It's amazing what the corporation can do when they're motivated to compete, instead of just to stop others from competing.