Shortly prior to Kinect hits store shelves upon November 4th, Microsoft skeleton on rolling out a Fall Update to Xbox Live — even earlier for those who signed up for a preview module. That shouldn’t come as most of a warn, unequivocally: even without a numerous leaks, the tumble refurbish is a longstanding convention for the roughly five-year-old console, and a association devoted the vast chunk of the E3 2010 display to speak about the greatest additions. That includes Netflix poke (finally!), Zune song, as well as an party heart for a certain worldwide sports broadcaster… ESPN. We’ve had the possibility to spend a little time at home with a Fall Update, follow us after a break for the full impressions!

P.S. – Looking for some-more? Our BFFs during Joystiq have compiled the series of downright videos chronicling the Fall Update. Check it out!Xbox Live Fall 2010 Dashboard Update preview

Dashboard
The greatest change with the Xbox Dashboard, as well as arguably a biggest since a New Xbox Experience debuted in 2008, is with row display — which is the churned bag if you ask us. No long do they pour out, providing what was an admittedly blocked perspective of six selections; instead, we’re shown three panels in their entirety, with just a subtlest of hints that there’s some-more to a right or left. It’s much cleaner as well as panels themselves more aesthetically-pleasing, sure, though to be honest, we thought it was functionally easier to have a spirit of what’s further down a menu. Again, yet, we can’t say we’re disappointed — after all, navigation feels most snappier. As you saw briefly on a Featured add-on (with an announcement, of course, Microsoft allows for full-motion video presented even upon non-highlighted panels.

Also removing a acquire UI overhaul is a Customize Avatar shade. Your virtual doppelganger right away stands front as well as center as you go by a selection of wares and facial adjustments. There aren’t any surprise facilities, though navigation does feel much reduction unwieldy.

ESPN3

As far as brand-new facilities go, ESPN3 is tip of which list. For a price of Xbox Live Gold and carrying an dependent ISP (here’s a list, as well as not to be concerned NYCers, Microsoft assures us Time Warner Cable will shortly be partnering up), you can watch live sporting events as well as replays of anything ESPN has the rights to stream — as well as trust us, that’s a lot. (Don’t have an dependent ISP? You’ll miss out on a live events and full replays, though all other clips and highlights should still be available.) The initial screen facilities a throng of avatars erratic on a bottom, whilst hulk displays offer as the screens for the featured videos. Hovering over a single preference for some-more than the few seconds as well as a video will autoplay; pressing X will make the video full screen, that you can do immediately during the price of the brief hitch of low-resolution footage as it buffers a HD stream.

More highlights can be found in the menu accessible via the leftmost row. It’s the setup familiar to Netflix owners: a textual list of categories as well as a plane smorsgabord of related videos. Here’s where we come into some hiccups, however: when we last checked live event replays, there were 241 games in all — not easy to navigate. Microsoft alleviates some of this by adding the My Sports add-on, permitting you to select as well as fast glance over your favorite round game, but even then, expect some sifting. We’ve been betrothed some-more more formation with ESPN’s online suite — including being able to name specific “My Teams” to follow — some time in a not-too-distant future.

All the video streams in HD regulating the same non-static bitrate record as Zune video. You’re additionally given a same controls (pause, quick brazen, rewind, etc.) and a portal will remember where you left off in a sure video if you wish to burst in and out of the handful at the time. The best part is with live events, being means to rewind to tools you missed even if you tuned in late. Unfortunately there’s no jumping to key moments à la a web browser stream, though like you were told with My Teams, it’s on the proverbial roadmap. At any indicate during any video, you can press Y to bring up the scores for all current, recent, as well as arriving games, sortable by competition, as well as if it’s upon during a impulse, you can fast jump to a game with a press of a button. Again, the repeated mantra here is which there’s intensity for more and it’s in a works. That’s not to downplay anything that’s being offering out a embankment; what you have listen to is pretty considerable for sports fans, if for zero else as the great approach to stream matches from your living room set but carrying to deposit in the wire TV.

Netflix

Netflix has been an fast tack to the Xbox 360’s entertainment side, and for the prolonged time a single of a greatest non-gaming reasons to pick up the console. The only complaint was that you still indispensable an additional device altogether to try the library, as a software limited you to a pre-selected form of drive-in theatre (organized by category) as well as what was already combined to your Instant Watch queue. Thankfully that’s all been changed with this update. In addition to eschewing cascading navigation in preference of something upon a same plane of abyss (notice the direction here?), search has right away has been combined. It works good, opting for a line of letters instead the classical Xbox 360 virtual set of keys, and a formula update with any letter added. If the selection isn’t accessible to watch now, it’ll still uncover up upon the list as “DVD Only” as well as suggest suggestions to identical titles. Needless to say, this still stays a single of the most appropriate Netflix practice out there.

Zune music

Zune video got the handful of UI tweaks — its selection menu for video is thankfully much more streamlined — though visitor here is song as well as Zune Pass. Unsurprisingly, it works similar to Zune video as well as most alternative party panels, as distant as navigation is concerned. Search presents you with multiple apart panels for results that updating with any additional letter: artist, song, manuscript, playlist. The artist page sorts songs by album as well as individual popularity, and even provides bios with hotlinks to other artists, the nice small touch. All a Zune functionality you’d expect is here, including Smart DJ. Pick an artist as a jumping off indicate and regulate the playlist according to your likes. The program itself functions good; whether or not you wish to persevere your TV to streaming song is wholly your call, but at least the option’s there.

Kinect

Screen from E3 2010
We didn’t get the chance to bring Kinect home to give it the turn (no beta for us, we’re afraid), though Microsoft did entice us to its offices to try it in studio. By as well as vast, though, it’s what we saw back during E3 with some refinements — and approbation, it does work while sitting down. If you’re calibrated to your profile, on foot in front of a Kinect camera will automatically sign you in (if no one else is already). Waving your hand will rivet a gestures, swiping from one side to a other will navigating through a special panels (so prolonged as you bond a hand cursor to a correct arrow icon ahead of time), as well as you still have to float upon a panel for mixed seconds to select sure equipment. That part seemed quicker than before, but it’s still the con compared to fast moving by around a controller. Voice commands have been again singular to name options, as well as it’ll prompt you upon what does as well as doesn’t work. Using your hand to squeeze and fine-tune where in a video you have been is still a nice hold, though unequivocally, this is only an swap method for navigation. Great for novelty’s sake or if you can’t find a remote / have been out of batteries, though we’re still the ways off from Minority Report.

Wrap-up
We hate to make use of a revolution vs. expansion analogy here, but that’s just what a brand-new dashboard is: an expansion of a New Xbox Experience. Aesthetic revisions as well as imminent Kinect formation notwithstanding, a large takeaway from this refurbish is the vastly improved Netflix as well as a clever debut for ESPN, that unequivocally is starting to make a little people rethink their cable TV subscription. Sure, it’s imperative, but don’t be concerned, it’s flattering much an improvement in each way imaginable — unless, of course, you like cascading panels.

Via Engadget