Boot to dashboard, better media functions, and background downloading - at last!
The Xbox 360 is to receive its first major update in the coming weeks, with new features including background downloading, direct booting to the dashboard and improved media functions all set to be included.
Details of the update have been revealed both officially by Microsoft spokespeople and in an accidental leak through the firm's Knowledge Base system, where details of some new functions were published briefly ahead of time.
The most important enhancements in the new update, which is expected to arrive within the next fortnight, will be to the functionality of Xbox Live Marketplace - the content download system which has proved wildly more successful than Microsoft originally predicted.
The interface for locating content on Marketplace will be significantly improved with the addition of new categories, which subdivide the content into more easily manageable groups, and a specific function within each category to view only recently added items.
Yesterday a Forum post was put up on xbox.com with links to Microsoft's official news on the update. Then where taking down soon after. Teamxbox.com managed to catch on to its info before it was taking down.
With an active downloads list, you receive the following benefits:
-Each item that you download is downloaded separately in the background. This lets you continue to use the console while you download an item.
-You can stream music, play DVDs or CDs, play arcade titles, and play games while you download an item from the marketplace.
-If you start to play an online game, the download is automatically paused while you play the game to help prevent game lag because of network congestion. This helps you receive the best online gaming experience that the network can provide.
-All downloads are associated with your profile. If a download is paused or if the download is interrupted, the download will resume the next time that you connect to Xbox Live.
-You can add items to the active downloads list at any time by selecting more items from the marketplace.
-You will receive a notification in the Xbox Guide when an item starts to download and when the download is completed. You will also receive a notification if the download fails.
We already suspected it was supposed to drop this month, but Microsoft's Knowledge Base (KB article #919421) has revealed the feature set and the release date for the Xbox 360's long anticipated background downloading functionality. The date: yesterday.
Alright, so they're running a little late (at least it's not Vista-late), but the feature set is promising. Instead of the compromised functionality many of us expected (Arcade games or videos only while downloading), the newly re-dubbed "Active Download feature" is fairly robust. It appears the only thing one can't do while background downloading is play online games, for obvious reasons. Actually, you can play online games -- the system just pauses your download to be resumed later. We've included the contents of the KB article after the break, lest someone at Redmond gets wind and decides to remove it.
Microsoft: roll it out and we'll gladly cross this one off our list of Xbox 360 annoyances (both of em ... this was really annoying).
Watch Karate Dog, a canine comical caper that will have you howling with laughter. Premieres Monday, May 29 (7:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on ABC Family. Click Here for more.
Feel free to discuss the new show in our pc-hq.com forum thread here:
Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Aishwarya RaiAt long last, India is about to join the league of nations that has the privilege of playing Microsoft's Xbox 360. They're aiming for a launch before October 21, which is when the Indian festival of lights, Diwali, takes place. Why then? Because that's when many companies dish out their annual employee bonuses.
"It is estimated there are 1.6 million gamers in India who spend at least 2 hours playing everyday," explained Mohit Anand, who is a country manager at Microsoft's India entertainment and devices division.
I wonder if they'll catch on to the whole Uno craze.
The Xbox 360 console with one game and a controller will retail for 19,990 rupees, which comes to $439 US. So they'll be paying slightly more to join the Xbox 360 club. Microsoft intends to set up 1,200 retail outlets in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and the tech-hubs of Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad.
HQ Network: 8,272 | 
Guests: 4667 |
Members: 0
