crapgamer
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 |  Subject: New Xbox 360 dashboard looks like Windows 8, Windows Phone 7  Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:45 pm | |
|  Even though we didn’t see it on stage at yesterday’s Microsoft E3 presentation, Microsoft is working on a new Xbox Live dashboard, like they do every fall. What’s notable about this year’s dashboard refresh is that it looks almost identical to the preview of Windows 8 that we saw at D9 earlier this week. It also bears a strong resemblance to Windows Phone 7. Developers did take time to show it off at a side-event after the main briefing allowing us to get a good look at what to expect.
The new dashboard is built entirely in the Metro UI design style, and uses live tiles grouped together to organize your content. All of your games are in your “collection,” predictably under “games,” your music is under the “music” section, “apps” in the apps section, and so on. Twitter and Facebook apps will live in the “apps” section, along with services like Netflix instant and Last.fm.
Curiously, there’s also a “live tv” section in the images we found, which implies that the Xbox 360 may get some DVR-like features that allow you to watch, stream, and possibly store live TV using your hard drive. The new Xbox 360 dashboard also tips support for YouTube videos, as well as enhanced support for the Zune Marketplace for music and the Xbox Live Marketplace for games. There’s also a “social” group on the side that will show off your Xbox Live friends and avatar, the number of friends currently online, and what they’re all playing.
The new dashboard will also feature Bing integration for video and game search, and the live TV options will be provided on a channel by channel basis depending on Microsoft’s agreements with video providers. Microsoft plans to bring local and sports channels to viewers worldwide before the end of the year, when the new dashboard launches.
While they didn’t exclusively say that the Xbox 360 would be able to work as a DVR, a tile labeled “My DVR” was shown during a smaller briefing at E3. We think all of those new features may have something to do with the upcoming Xbox Live “Diamond” membership level tipped last week.
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