With Microsoft’s announcement of the “New Xbox Experience” have come concerns over existing content in the form of gamerpics and themes. While details were fuzzy when they made their initial presentation, since then they have clarified several times over that both will still be usable with the new interface. Their design team did a few mock ups to show how your existing theme you’ve spent precious Microsoft Points on will work with the newly designed Dashboard. Keep in mind they are mock ups only so by definition an early sketch instead of a final version.
Posted by Herr General on July 16, 2008 at 12:22 pm
It looks like something from Windows Vista.
Posted by Jim 028 on July 16, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I want to know where the adverts are going to appear in the final design.
I can’t see anywhere on these mockups where they can fit on without cluttering up the minimalist design Microsoft have shown us.
Posted by mendicantbias00 on July 16, 2008 at 12:47 pm
and they have the gall to use Halo in their new ads for the dashboard…
>=/
Posted by Matthew McIntosh on July 16, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Isn’t that Gears of War?
Posted by Hugh on July 16, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I’m going to assume that they allow you to choose whether or not to use your avatar as your gamerpic. An option I won’t be using, by the way.
@mendicantbias00
Um, gall? What? Why? Microsoft owns Halo and it’s arguably their biggest franchise. Why wouldn’t, or shouldn’t, they use it?
Posted by Valentine on July 16, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Hmm… I wonder how that DP content thing will fit into all this.
Posted by AusQB on July 16, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Actually, this is one area where themes will make an improvement. In the current design, most themes make the text extremely hard to read, especially if it’s some dark Gears of War theme. I hope against hope that we will finally be able to create custom themes (custom image for each “blade”).
Posted by Ray on July 16, 2008 at 6:26 pm
@mendicantbias00:
Agreed.
@Hugh:
Have you been living under a rock, or do you just not follow Bungie news?
@BS Angel:
LOL Tetris =)
Posted by mendicantbias00 on July 16, 2008 at 6:31 pm
@Hugh
Considering that M$ not only booted Bungie out of E3, but also shutdown the release of their new game (which has more or less been confirmed as another Halo game) I think its a slap in the face to the developers and their fans. Buuuuuut….thats just me….and Ray…
=)
Posted by bs angel on July 16, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Fucking Microsoft. ;)
Posted by Paulie Danger on July 16, 2008 at 8:11 pm
It’s like Microsoft is reading my mind….and then doing the exact oposite. Remember the spring (or summer?) update that was going to fix a bunch of stuff on the dashboard? Like, allow user controlled scrolling in item descriptions.
That update would have perfected the dashboard. Now they do the thing I wanted them not to. Change it. And the avatar? That’s a big-huge deal? If I wanted an avatar, I would have bought a Wii.
I don’t know. Do I sound like a “they were better when they were underground” jackass?
Posted by Aperture S on July 17, 2008 at 12:31 am
Oh that looks nice. The dashboard is better with a theme.
I love the halo theme.
Posted by Hugh on July 18, 2008 at 12:15 am
I’m well aware of the news, but I hardly think there’s anything to get up-in-arms about. Microsoft made a spur-of-the-moment decision to not reveal a game. It’s no fun, but it happens. So what? Halo is MS’s property and they’re well within their rights to use it in promotional materials.
Posted by Paulie Danger on July 18, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Yeah, but Hugh. I think for three games now we’ve all really gotten excited about the way Bungie promotes Halo releases. The I<3Bees ARG, the high quality media blitz for H3. We were all just getting really revved up for another great publicity campaign and then MS pulls the plug. There’s definitely a little “aww shucks, there goes our fun” feeling against MS right now.
I think we’re well within our rights to be dissapointed that MS backed out of the announcement at the last second.