It has been an interesting week of leakage and speculation about the Spring dash update and we now know that it's all true. Microsoft has officially pulled back the curtains on the update's features and when we'll be getting our mitts on the all the goodies. First off, we think it'd be appropriate to recap all the big new features that the update has to offer. Without further adieu, the Spring dashboard update will feature ...
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Windows Live Messenger IM integration.
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More informative achievement notifications.
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A brand new Marketplace blade with updated organization.
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Upgraded XBLA friend interaction functionality.
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Auto-off downloading functionality featuring low power mode.
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Enhanced family settings for chatting.
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Ability to watch videos while downloading off the XBLM.
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Hundreds of other random fixes and tweaks.
Is there anything you think should have been included in the update or something you're specifically looking forward to? Also, will you be using the Windows Live Messenger integration through your 360? Fanboys, it's your duty to discuss!
Update 1: Xbox.com has more information on the other features included in the dash update including various video playback options.
Instant Messaging Comes to Xbox 360, Expanding the Largest Social Network on Television
Xbox 360 owners can connect with more than 260 million Windows Live Messenger users on Xbox 360, Windows-based PCs and Windows Mobile-powered devices beginning the week of May 7.
REDMOND, Wash. - April 8, 2007 - Your Xbox LIVE® friends list is about to get a whole lot bigger. Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of Windows Live™ Messenger on Xbox 360™, connecting friends across Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft® Windows®-based PCs and Windows Mobile®-powered devices. With this update to Xbox 360, friends and families can easily connect and chat directly from their television using Windows Live Messenger, a network of more than 20 billion relationships and more than 260 million active accounts.
Beginning the week of May 7, 2007, the Xbox 360 Spring Update will provide Xbox 360 owners worldwide with access to Windows Live Messenger features, broadening the communication options on the Xbox LIVE social network. Members of the 6 million-strong Xbox LIVE community currently send more than 2 million text and voice messages a day and can now use Windows Live Messenger to text chat with up to six people on their contact list at one time, while playing games, listening to music or watching movies. Text chat adds to the variety of options friends and families already have to communicate with on Xbox LIVE, including voice and video chat.
Current relationships on Windows Live Messenger and Xbox LIVE will be unified on Xbox 360 and users will see at a glance if their existing friends on Windows Live Messenger have gamertags, instantly expanding the breadth of connected experiences they can share online.
"Bringing the largest IM community in the world, Windows Live Messenger, to Xbox 360 makes sense, as Xbox LIVE has really become the largest social network on television," said Jerry Johnson, product unit manager of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft. "For our growing community of 6 million on Xbox LIVE, using Xbox 360 is a very social, connected experience. They are using Xbox 360 to play games, music and movies while simultaneously communicating with one another through video, voice and text chat. With this announcement we are simultaneously expanding the access of Xbox LIVE users to existing friends and family while introducing Windows Live Messenger users to the benefits of Xbox 360."
Beginning the week of May 7, users of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360 will text chat using the virtual keyboard accessible on Xbox 360, or by connecting a USB keyboard to the console. This summer Microsoft will launch a QWERTY text-input device, a new accessory that will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging.
Beyond Windows Live Messenger, the Spring Update for Xbox 360 includes hundreds of new features and enhancements including the following:
- A richer Achievement notification pop-up will showcase the name of the unlocked Achievement and the gamerscore value without needing to leave the game to check the Achievements list.
- Enhanced family settings features for Xbox LIVE communications enable different defaults for video chat and voice chat.
- A new Xbox LIVE Marketplace blade lets Xbox LIVE members access the content they seek - whether it is game content or TV shows and movies (available in the United States) - from one place on Xbox LIVE.
- Updates to Xbox LIVE Arcade allow owners to quickly see which Xbox LIVE Arcade games their friends are playing and join in the fun. Xbox LIVE members can also compare progress of leaderboard scores and Achievements directly with all friends on their friends list. Expanded Tell a Friend capabilities make it easier than ever to boast about Achievements and high scores.
- A new option in Auto Downloads provides faster access to the entire collection of free, trial-version Xbox LIVE Arcade games.
- New progressive download controls provide easy access to optimal viewing options by letting people fast-forward, rewind, pause and resume as their video is downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
- Extension of the background download functionality will allow owners to set their Xbox 360 console to turn off automatically after downloads are complete.
The Spring Update is free beginning the week of May 7 and is easily accessible to every Xbox 360 owner through Xbox LIVE or on Xbox.com.
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox LIVE online gaming network and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a catalog of more than 160 high-definition games and is available in 37 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.
About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects millions of members across 25 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies in the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.
About MSN and Windows Live
MSN® attracts more than 465 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 42 markets and 21 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering compelling programmed content experiences to consumers and online advertising opportunities to businesses worldwide. Windows Live, a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. MSN and Windows Live will be offered alongside each other as complementary services. Some Windows Live services entered an early beta phase on Nov. 1, 2005; these and future beta updates can be found at http://ideas.live.com. Windows Live is available at http://www.live.com. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com. MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
4-09-2007 @ 12:11AM
Jake said...
Sweet. I like the QWERTY add on thing
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4-09-2007 @ 12:11AM
Jake said...
Ooo I got first
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4-09-2007 @ 12:12AM
Johnny said...
When people that I dont feel like talking too IM me. I usually use "I was playing xbox" as my excuse.
Now I have to think of somthing else.
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4-09-2007 @ 12:31AM
Parvin said...
when are they going to make it so I can have more than two people in voice chat? Its friggin annoying because Xbox 1 allowed up to four people per voice chat.
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4-09-2007 @ 12:33AM
Champloo said...
Great updates, it seems like they're really putting a lot of effort into these updates. With the added Windows Live Messenger functionality I assume e-mail is next, and from there some sort of web browser.
Although to be honest, who would want a Microsoft-based web browser? The last thing I want is a bad Internet Explorer program clone filling my 360 with viruses, and leaving me open to more attacks than an armor-less knight. =/
On another note, these are some great updates, but I'd rather see them put more effort into backwards compatibility. Microsoft just doesn't seem to get that it *is* an important feature. You buy an Xbox 360 and then suddenly 70% of the Xbox game library is now useless. I'm not saying they need to put *all* of their effort into it, just *more* effort.
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4-09-2007 @ 12:48AM
SouthBeachCasa.com said...
I wish there was an option to choose whether a disc is loaded when you turn on your 360. I typically keep a game in the console and soetimes would prefer to boot to the dashboard. Actually, I would prefer to ALWAYS boot to the dashboard and then load my game.
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4-09-2007 @ 12:51AM
pos said...
to quastion number 6!!!
You can already do that! there is an option for bootin into the dashboard already since the last Update 6 months ago or more :D
CHECK THIS OUT GUYS!!!!
"H.264 video support: Up to 15 Mbps, Baseline, Main, and High (up to level 4.1) Profiles with 2 channel AAC LC and Main Profiles."
Its not the same like x264 movie files? or is it??
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4-09-2007 @ 12:52AM
NuAngel said...
Uhh, #4 (Parvin) - I believe this spring update is going to allow up to six people in a group XBL voice-chat.
As far as the QWERTY thing goes, I don't know if I like it... too small for my fingers, I'm 22 for God's sake. Not to mention, I wish the On Screen keyboard was QWERTY instead of ABC.
Nu
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4-09-2007 @ 12:54AM
BobbyBob said...
Uh, SouthBeach? That is an option. It's under one of the settings menus. It's been there since launch, IIRC. Thought you might like to know before someone comes in and flames you (not that this'll stop them)
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4-09-2007 @ 12:54AM
Tony said...
"Not to mention, I wish the On Screen keyboard was QWERTY instead of ABC."
Me too. At the same time, you can just plug in any USB keyboard and use that instead... so at least there are alternatives.
It's hard to say what I want to be in this since I'm not sure what's in the "hundreds of other tweaks". A lot of my so-called problems with Live tend to be very minor things that might actually be addressed by that. We shall see.
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4-09-2007 @ 12:54AM
Tony said...
Also, I think the disc loading thing was added during one of the last major patches. I know it wasn't a launch option or even an option several months later.
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4-09-2007 @ 1:17AM
Imadogg99 said...
Yea the disc launching thing came through a patch...
And what I'd like to really see is who on my friend's list has XBL Gold and who has Silver... I'm pretty sure you can't do that. Would help a lot when I'm inviting people to play, instead of me getting "my one month trial is done."
Xbox360fanboy, let M$ know of this
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4-09-2007 @ 1:42AM
Parvin said...
@ 8 (NuAngel)
I think that was just for the MSN chat channels. You can CHAT (type) with six other people.
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4-09-2007 @ 2:11AM
Paul Scearce said...
great updates! But I still wait for subtitles / closed caption add-on for movies/ tv shows downloads. Im deaf and there are alot of deaf and hearing impaired people out there waiting for that!
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4-09-2007 @ 2:33AM
theodl.com said...
@ # 12:
You CAN do that already. When you look at a friend's gamertag, if the bar on where their tag is shown is gold, they have gold, and if it is silver, it's a silver account.
This update is literally worthless to me, as all of my friends use AOL IM. A part of my wants Microsoft to stop putting all this stupid mainstream stuff into the 360 and focus on serious gamer needs (full on clan support, more people in private chats, etc.), but realistically, this is what Microsoft needs to do to pull in the mainstream. I'll put up with some of this as long as it means that we'll have more 360 owners out there.
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4-09-2007 @ 2:56AM
Shyze said...
Where is the web browser, the ability to chat with more than one person, and the easy bake oven attachment?
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4-09-2007 @ 3:08AM
colin said...
I am glad that there is a low power download mode with auto-off when the download queue is finished. I worry that my xbox will die in my sleep.
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4-09-2007 @ 3:17AM
DjDATZ said...
geniouses! wow!
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4-09-2007 @ 3:54AM
Andres said...
An upgrade that was not mentioned and i'm looking deseperate to it, is for the playback quality of regular dvd. The image right now seems jagged. The 360 has a poor dvd image reproduction. The hd-dvd looks great, but the regular ones are horrible. It is something that i think has priority over others updates. The updates for may 7 are nice, very nice, but until they fix the dvd problem i will have a great discomfort.
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4-09-2007 @ 4:05AM
Jazza said...
The Messenger integration is nice, but I'd have preferred voice chat than text IM
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