10 reasons the Xbox 360 doesn't quite rock - yet

[Gamewatcher]

I've spent some time picking apart the Xbox 360. Overall, there's much to love. But despite all of the innovation, there are still moments when using the next-gen console will leave you scratching your head (http://www.gamestay.com/stories/2005/12/15/10ReasonsTheXbox360DoesntQuiteRockYet.html). For instance:

5. Better overall usability. The new "blades" interface is brilliant. And that whooshing sound effect, wow. But let's face it, any UI that has to tell you how to find a feature by supplying written directions just isn't done yet. And that's exactly what happens when you download a new Theme: "To use this theme, open the Xbox Guide and select Personal Settings, Themes."

Even with the written directions, I kept looking for Themes under Display Settings - where you'd find them in Windows. Turns out, you're supposed to use the oversized Guide button on your controller to access Personal Settings, which contains all of your personal settings - except for those stored on the Settings blade or accessed by clicking your Gamer Card. That's right, there are three different places for settings before you even launch a game! Why not just put Themes in Display Settings too, so you can access them from either place? Isn't the 360 supposed to be about personalization and choice?

What do you think. Anything I missed? Anything you disagree with?

[Tia]

whiny, long, and not very interesting.

[ruprect]

I agree on the Themes thing. That frustrated me . . . the first time I just gave up after looking in what I thought were obvious places.

[kokyunage]

Nothing wrong with the article, but for the love of god increase your column width. My widescreen monitor is crying when viewing that page.

[Gamewatcher]

whiny, long, and not very interesting.

Wow, I was going for nitpicky, not whiny.

My hope is that it is interesting to those folks (albeit the few, the proud, the line-standers!) who have 360s and are grappling with these very issues.

Did I miss the mark? Anyone else?

[King Drewsky]

Anything you missed? How about Clan support? Or at least some type of recognition of who you roll with. As a moderator for a website of 3000 gamers over the age of 25, I tend to only want to play with members from the site. However when I receive a friend request, I am unable to distinguish if the guy is from the site or just some random Timmy that I would prefer to ignore. With the Halo2 interface, you could tell who people were by the clan they were a part of. Now all I've got is a gamer tile and a silly motto in which most people just put, "I like b00bs." Wouldn't it be nice if you could know if the person was from Evil Avatar, the Team Xbox forums, the Penny Arcade forums, Clan PMS, 2old2play, or some other online organization?

[Sinistar]

I think that I would agree with some of your comments. My biggest issue with Live is the constant scrolling that happens when looking through the downloads, themes ... etc.

But if you remember what the original version of Live looked like and how much better it looks (on the Xbox) today then you're safe to assume that MS will update the interface over time and for the better.

[Reanimated]

lol, I figured how to set up themes within the first 5 minutes of plugging in and booting up.

Guess it's an IQ thing. Maybe they should make the interface more moron proof along with the DVD drives that you can't use while doing backflips.

[Captain Awesome]

lol, I figured how to set up themes within the first 5 minutes of plugging in and booting up.

Guess it's an IQ thing. Maybe they should make the interface more moron proof along with the DVD drives that you can't use while doing backflips.


lol nice...

[protocol_image]

in regards to your Live account auto login issues.......just password protect your account........that way it will never auto-login, and you will not be at the mercy of room mates ruining your rep online or buying things, and you will never get notifications whilst watching a dvd

i think a more refined complaint would be about not having the ability to customize the notifications.......how about being able to establish that if i'm in a game, give me the notifications, but if i'm watching a dvd, don't

but yeah, just do the simple 4-button password rather than unplugging your cable (yuck!) everytime

[Kelegacy]

lol, I figured how to set up themes within the first 5 minutes of plugging in and booting up.

Guess it's an IQ thing. Maybe they should make the interface more moron proof along with the DVD drives that you can't use while doing backflips.
If it's an IQ thing, you probably just got lucky.

[Reanimated]

in regards to your Live account auto login issues.......just password protect your account........that way it will never auto-login, and you will not be at the mercy of room mates ruining your rep online or buying things, and you will never get notifications whilst watching a dvd

i think a more refined complaint would be about not having the ability to customize the notifications.......how about being able to establish that if i'm in a game, give me the notifications, but if i'm watching a dvd, don't

but yeah, just do the simple 4-button password rather than unplugging your cable (yuck!) everytime



You could just set your status as away when you watch a DVD.

[OUX]

If it's an IQ thing, you probably just got lucky.


snap......

[XenonCJ]

Nothing wrong with the article, but for the love of god increase your column width. My widescreen monitor is crying when viewing that page.Agreed - I think I could easily read that shit on my lame ass PDA...

[Deadend]

On the memory card thing, my store recived 8 core systems and 1 memory card. Yeah, that really sucks.

The system could be better with the user interface, I am just waiting for the modded systems to appear like on the Xbox. Then I will get a 360, possibly one that can toggle between plebian and elite.

[Mac]

If it's an IQ thing, you probably just got lucky.

B-B-B-B-Buuurrn.

[dr_wily]

whiny, long, and not very interesting.

ouch

i dont even have an xbox 360 and found it interesting. I am in the camp of multiplicity, where certain things can be changed in more than one area. Totally agree with you on that.

I understand almost all your points, specially with the game saves

Tia is the whiny one.. that was a blatant flame and not constructive. Very EA though!

[mig]

This guy sounds too nitpicky. Some of the things are a little annoying, but nothing worth listing as a Top Ten reason why the 360 doesn't "rock".

Speaking of annoying, any 360 owners out there figured out how to eject the disc using only the gamepad/menu? Must be an IQ thing.

[Reanimated]

If it's an IQ thing, you probably just got lucky.




You'd be lucky to find the on button. :(

[OUX]

You'd be lucky to find the on button. :(

swing and a miss

[bean19]

Deceptively titled. . . should be 10 really solid suggestions for improving the X360.

Also, the best one isn't in the list at all IMO. The suggestion of putting an 8MB memory card in the Core units is excellent.

[Reanimated]

swing and a miss



NEW! :rolleyes:

[Reanimated]

This guy sounds too nitpicky. Some of the things are a little annoying, but nothing worth listing as a Top Ten reason why the 360 doesn't "rock".

Speaking of annoying, any 360 owners out there figured out how to eject the disc using only the gamepad/menu? Must be an IQ thing.




With the gamepad? Haven't thought of trying that. Normally if I'm ejecting the disc, I'm going to have to get up to change it anyway, so I just hit the eject button on the console.

[karak]

lol, I figured how to set up themes within the first 5 minutes of plugging in and booting up.

Guess it's an IQ thing. Maybe they should make the interface more moron proof along with the DVD drives that you can't use while doing backflips.


Exactly. I havent heard many people having issues, I know my dorm didn't. And since we were all holed up in seperate rooms, most of the "figuring out" occured one at a time.

As for the DVD drive, man thats so right.
"Wait, you mean I can't expect the drive to allow me to shake the xbox and turn it back and forth while its playing?" Whats the world coming too?
My Plextor doesn't allow me to flip my computer upside down while its burning very well either. Damn.

[xDrZaiusx]

well, consitering that there is nothing like xbox live on any other console, i'd say im not supprised that there are areas taht need improvement. microsoft is basically paving the way with this, and clones will follow im sure. give it some time. its new technology

[Zanzibar]

whiny, long, and not very interesting.

Wrong.

A good read, some really good ideas in it. I particularly agree with the inability to 'surf' while downloading. What's really nice is that nothing you're talking about is not do-able in a future iteration of XBL - the 360 hardware itself is REALLY solid.

[Reanimated]

I believe everyone would like the ability to download in the background. At least while playing Live Arcade games and using the blades. Major Nelson talked about that in his last Podcast and apparently it's already something that they're looking at.

Obvoiusly it will be great to have that, but I for one am just happy that we've FINALLY gotten the ability to download demos, trailers, music, and games to a console. It's an absolute first in this space, so obviously there will be user experience improvements over time as it evolves.

[MosBen]

The downloading in the background stuff does sound pretty nice, but overall I'd say the article was pretty nitpicky. I'm not sure that any of that stuff, either individually or all together, really amounts to keeping the system from not "rocking".

[iamkevin]

in regards to your Live account auto login issues.......just password protect your account........that way it will never auto-login, and you will not be at the mercy of room mates ruining your rep online or buying things, and you will never get notifications whilst watching a dvd

i think a more refined complaint would be about not having the ability to customize the notifications.......how about being able to establish that if i'm in a game, give me the notifications, but if i'm watching a dvd, don't

but yeah, just do the simple 4-button password rather than unplugging your cable (yuck!) everytime

I don't understand. Why don't you hit: Guide -> Gamercard -> Disable Auto Sign-In?

[Heretic Machine]

Ten reasons why we don't need two new posts everyday about why some people haven't bought a 360.

10. Don't care.
9. Don't care.
8. Don't care.
7. Don't care.
6. Don't care.
5. Don't care.
4. Don't care.
3. Don't care.
2. Don't care.
1. Don't care.

[Pumped'Up]

10 reasons the Xbox 360 doesn't quite rock - yet
Title says it all - no need for an article to elaborate on such a trivial reputation.

[Loganrapp]

When did we start pimping our own articles on here?

[Gamewatcher]

Ten reasons why we don't need two new posts everyday about why some people haven't bought a 360.


Actually, I've bought two 360s. And I'm glad I did.

In answer to someone else's post, yes, it's nitpicky. It's the little things that get in the way of an otherwise superb experience. For those who didn't get it, this was meant to be a constructive criticism and jumping off point for an in-depth discussion on what works and what could be better about the 360. And I did start out by describing three fantastic experiences I've had to date. I expect there will be many, many more.

I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses and, as usual, I'll aggregate them and blog about the best ideas that everyone has (not just me) once we've hit critical mass.

[Hugenex]

Yo article's page is offline?

[bean19]

Yo article's page is offline?

Does Ev Av have wang power? Did we kill a website? Fantastic!

[Achilles]

I’d really like the ability to surf and play Live Arcade games while I download. Some of those files are over 200 megs, it would be a perfect opportunity to put in some games of Geometry Wars.

I agree about the theme thing as well. Took me 10 minutes first time to find out how to change a theme.

Nothing wrong with saying ‘I really like it, but it would be nice if these things were improved’. Hopefully MS is looking at some of this constructive feedback and rolling it into the next Live update, because you know there will be one, probably early next year. The great part about making all these software features is that they can improve them all they want after the system shipped.

[Gamewatcher]

Yeah, my site is down. I'm trying to find out from the hosting provider what's happened. My guess is someone who didn't like the idea of my article (and probably didn't even bother to read it) launched a denial of service. Or maybe I was just evav'd. Who knows.

[easi]

Someone on EA DoS'd you for dissing the 360?

Sadly, I believe it.

[Gamewatcher]

Someone on EA DoS'd you for dissing the 360?

Sadly, I believe it.

If you read the article, you'll learn it's not a diss. But at the moment, no one can read it. Funny, isn't it?

[King Drewsky]

Only the title is a dis. Otherwise it's constructive criticism. The having to watch TV instead of play Live Arcade while downloading sucks butt.

[Wonka]

Anything you missed? How about Clan support? Or at least some type of recognition of who you roll with. As a moderator for a website of 3000 gamers over the age of 25, I tend to only want to play with members from the site. However when I receive a friend request, I am unable to distinguish if the guy is from the site or just some random Timmy that I would prefer to ignore. With the Halo2 interface, you could tell who people were by the clan they were a part of. Now all I've got is a gamer tile and a silly motto in which most people just put, "I like b00bs." Wouldn't it be nice if you could know if the person was from Evil Avatar, the Team Xbox forums, the Penny Arcade forums, Clan PMS, 2old2play, or some other online organization?

I still can't read the article. But I agree with this comment wholeheartedly. Clan support in the dashboard would add SOOOO MUCH to the LIVE! experience. When word leaked out that the friends list had made it into the dash, I started hoping for this feature. Lets hope that they are working on that as we grumble.

[Grimgrock]

But let's face it, any UI that has to tell you how to find a feature by supplying written directions just isn't done yet.

Are you saying you would prefer no directions or online documentation of any kind? I really think you would find that 90% of the people buying an Xbox require some time of documentation on how to use the features of the Xbox. Whether those instructions are written down and supplied in a hard-copy manual or supplied as an integrated feature of the interface. The exsistance of "help" is in no way proof that the interface "isn't done yet". In fact, it is the exact opposite.

For those interested in what actual software experts think of the Xbox 360 interface, I suggest reading what John C. "Gets No Spam" Dvorak says about it.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1884539,00.asp

[Steele Johnson]

lol, I figured how to set up themes within the first 5 minutes of plugging in and booting up.

Guess it's an IQ thing. Maybe they should make the interface more moron proof along with the DVD drives that you can't use while doing backflips.

Well said!

[Steele Johnson]

I don't understand. Why don't you hit: Guide -> Gamercard -> Disable Auto Sign-In?

lol... I'm finding the comments more useful than the article. :p

[iamkevin]

so here's my rundown on the article:
It walks the line between nit-picky and whining. Some of the stuff is valid and helpful, some of it just makes you roll your eyes and move on to the next point. Anyway, on to my responses:

1) If someone gets enough complaints, he will be banned appropriately (temporary ban from using voice, or from playing on live, etc). Apparently what Gamewatcher wants is a sign that says "I'M A JERK" for all to see. Maybe we could also have public floggings in the town square...

2) Neat in theory, but there are problems.
So lets say are achievements A1, A2, and A3 - A1 means you finished the game on Easy. A2 means you finished the game on Hard, A3 means you finished the game on all difficulty settings (Easy & Hard).
Now, you have two versions of your account, P1 (your main one) and P2 (on your second box). P1 plays through the game on hard, and gets A1. P2 plays through the game on easy, and gets A2. Both of these occur offline. You go online with P1, and it syncs up with Live that you got A1. You connect to live with P2 and it syncs up A2. But you won't get A3 unless the GAME can somehow merge the saves on each box, which it can't. So, the honest user has the problem that they won't get that achievement.
Then there's the cheating Achievements problem: make multiple copies of your profile, have multiple people play simultaneously to get all achievements quickly.

3) yeah, this would be cool.

4) I don't know what the hell he's talking about. When you download something from live, it is linked to the console on which it was originally downloaded and to the live account. as long as one of those is around, you can play. So, you can re-download it on a friend's box, and as long as you are signed in to live, the game will be unlocked. Or, on your box, no matter who is signed in, it will be unlocked.
What Gamewatcher could do is - purchase the game with HIS profile on HER xbox, then she can play on her box, and he can play (signed into live) on his box.

5) agreed, some of the features are in non-obvious places, or there are multiple places they could appear, but only show up in one.
turning off auto sign-in works for me, but it would be nice if you could save your "appear offline" state as a default.
You can also change your privacy settings so nobody can see your state.
Guide -> Gamercard -> Edit Gamer Profile -> Privacy Settings -> [Online status | Played Games | Gamer Profile | etc ]

6) you can turn Caps on and off by clicking the Left thumbstick.
Auto complete would be cool
The databases are set up with licensing. A product like Xbox 360 can't just connect to different databases at will, MS has to pay db X for the rights to use it. However, I believe it's the same databas as WMP uses, so you can edit the album data there and assuming it's approved, it'll end up available to the xbox.
Apple didn't allow MS to license their DRM. Blame them for not being able to play iTunes songs on your Xbox. You can't just throw a DRM cracking solution in there without getting sued.

7) This would be cool, and from what i've read in interviews with J Allard and other Xbox execs, user created content is a planned feature.

8) That's a pretty cool idea.

9) A gamercard "blade" or whatever in the dash would be neat. I think the Guide is restricted cause it runs on top of all games, so it can't hog resources, but the dash can do whatever it wants, so that would be a cool addition.

10) I'm pretty sure it's not an effort to "control our every mode," Capt. Paranoid. The emulation of the xbox on the xbox 360 is ridiculously hard. Everything about the two consoles is different from the processor to the gpu to the endianness of memory. I bet the file systems are different, and because of that, maybe they have to wrap up all the Xbox 1 data in packages that internally are Xbox 1 FS, but live in Xbox 360 files, and they can't easily be extracted without running the emulator.
At least you can take your HDD with you, making your Xbox 1 saves portable as well.