• new xbox experience

    NXE Experiencing New Errors

    Seems like the New Xbox Experience isn't rolling out quite as smoothly as one would have hoped. Reports are trickling in about sporadic issues accessing content via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Currently on my end, accessing anything on marketplace is running incredibly slow, erroring out at times with various numerical error codes. Just a moment ago the new Fable II theme appeared on the service with a date of 11/20 attached, only to error out when trying to access it, which is probably good seeing as breaking the laws of space and time totally voids your warranty.

    We've put a shout out to Xbox Live's Larry Hyrb to see if there was any official word on the current stability of the newly relaunched service. In the meantime, how's NXE been treating you folks? Good? Bad? Ugly? Feel free to discuss among yourselves.

    10:20 AM on Wed Nov 19 2008
    By Mike Fahey
    4,654 views, 229 comments

    Most discussed Magnum1024k: Its been great, I've actually had it for a week now, I got in on the third wave of the more »

  • NXE branded experiences

    Xbox 360 Gets Its First Wii Channel

    It looks like the New Xbox Experience will be going live tomorrow with its first... Wii Channel?

    Sure it may not have the grid-like precision of its Nintendo counter-part, or the obsessive content (yet), but the first thing I thought of when I laid my eyes on Capcom's "branded experience" for Super Street Fighter II Turbe HD Remix, was Nintendo's Wii Channels.

    The Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix "destination experience" looks to be a hang-out spot, a "channel" if you will, for fans of the game on the Xbox 360. More »

    4:00 PM on Tue Nov 18 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    17,968 views, 129 comments

  • xbox 360

    New Xbox Experience Going Out To Surprised Xbox 360 Owners

    If you've turned on your Xbox 360 this evening and been greeted with a request to update your system, only to find the New Xbox Experience loading unexpectedly, you're not the only one. Kotaku readers are coming out of the woodwork, firing up the tips line with reports that the NXE is arriving a little earlier than promised. That's without pre-notification from Microsoft that they'd been accepted into the early preview program. Last minute round of invites? Someone flip a switch they shouldn't have?

    Nope. According to Xbox Live's Larry Hryb "everyone who successfully applied to the preview program" for the New Xbox Experience is now in. Congrats to everyone who can fill out a form. You'll be able to brag for another 24 hours and change about how special you are. Enjoy!

    8:40 PM on Mon Nov 17 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    11,300 views, 172 comments

    Most discussed WEGGLES90: I tried to, but when I got to the one weird MS thing, it glitched up on the last step more »

  • new xbox experience

    The First Thing You'll See Once NXE Installs

    Upon completing your download of the New Xbox Experience via your trusty Xbox and finishing the install, you'll restart directly into this lavishly produced video, ushering in a new age of Xbox navigation. Grass will grow, cars will race, whole cities sprout from the ground, and a giant cloud of what I imagine flatus would look like were it visible rises out of the very earth, becoming some sort of fiery poop tree of Microsoft goodness.

    Welcome to the age of fiery poop trees. Our long struggle is finally over.

    12:00 PM on Mon Nov 17 2008
    By Mike Fahey
    12,266 views, 215 comments

    Most discussed 3inst3in is all up in your relativistics.: Um, we're not going to have to watch that EVERY time we start up our 360's are we? lulz, fiery poop more »

  • xbox 360

    Microsoft Inviting One Last Group Into NXE Preview

    Microsoft has announced it is once again adding more LIVE members to the NXE Preview Program. This is the third and final time Microsoft is doing this, and the company is adding over 10,000 LIVE members. Invites are coming via email. According to Microsoft mouthpiece MajorNelson.com: "As before, we’re only pulling names from those that originally signed up (there is no way to sign up if you missed it, sorry) and this selection process will be at random from those that previously filled out the Connect Program Survey from my original post. Again, this is final wave. All Xbox LIVE members will be getting the New Xbox Experience via Xbox LIVE November 19th."

    NXE Preview: Third (and final) wave [Major Nelson]

    6:30 AM on Fri Nov 14 2008
    By Brian Ashcraft
    3,827 views, 140 comments

    Most discussed Ganonmaster: I got an email this morning! I'm in! Yay! more »

  • xbox 360

    So, Does Installing A Game To The 360's HDD Really Help Improve Load Times?

    Best feature of the New Xbox Experience isn't avatars, or a new UI, it's the ability to install games to the console's HDD. It was - in our wildest dreams, anyway - meant to cut down on two of the 360's biggest problems: loud DVD drives, and long waits for load times/disc caching. But does it? Eurogamer put a number of games to the loading-time test and found that...results vary. Some games, like The Orange Box, see massive decreases in load times, but others (like Halo 3) weren't much improved. Most depressingly, Mass Effect's famous elevator sequences were as nap-inducing as always. Turns out installing a game to your HDD does little for a game that wasn't coded to take advantage of one in the first place. Hopefully that's something we can expect to be rectified in the shining, glorious, post-NXE future.

    New Xbox Experience: DVD vs. Hard Disk Face-Off [Eurogamer]

    8:20 PM on Tue Nov 11 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    22,164 views, 140 comments

    Most discussed Fermbiz: The elevators in Mass Effect never the issue for me...It was the stupid texture pop-ins that drove me insane. I more »

  • xbox live

    Microsoft Swings Xbox Live Banhammer, Thousands Fall

    The forums trolled by Xbox Live subscribers are thick with accounts of bannings today, with what appears to be a broad sweeping set of Live accounts deleted, keeping thousands from accessing online gaming. At this point, we're not sure of the root cause — and neither, does it appear, do those affected — but there is rampant talk in the Xbox Scene forums, at least, about the abuse of pirated copies of games like Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World At War. It's all cleaned up "played early" and "back up copy" talk — thinly veiled "I pirated Game X before launch day" — amongst some users.

    Others swear innocence and false bannings. Whatever the cause, it's affecting a larger group than normal. We're attempting to learn more from the folks at Microsoft about the current rash of Xbox Live bannings and who is affected.

    XBOX LIVE - Fail what?? [Xbox Forums]
    Just Got Banned? (post Here), ONLY POST IF BANNED [Xbox Scene Forums]

    3:40 PM on Tue Nov 11 2008
    By Michael McWhertor
    12,521 views, 214 comments

    Most discussed 8bitcity: Still, what's the real harm in someone pirating a game before launch date, provided they actually pay for the game more »

  • xbox 360

    See Somebody Create An NXE Avatar


    We've read about how to create an Xbox 360 avatar. Thanks Mike! Now it's time to see how you create an Xbox 360 avatar. Still think they look, as a whole, kinda goofy, but the gamerpic photo booth thing looks surprisingly neat.

    7:20 AM on Tue Nov 11 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    2,734 views, 78 comments

    Most discussed Vesperius: Funny how everyone's waiting for something I've been able to do for 12 days already... :p more »

  • nxe

    New Xbox: Parties and Photos

    On Gamerscore Blog, Major Nelson explains the functionality of two new features — parties and photos — coming to the new Xbox dashboard (nyah, nyah, didn't say "experience") on Nov. 19. There are more screenshots and a video narrative of the two features at the link. More »

    4:00 PM on Sat Nov 8 2008
    By Owen Good
    9,611 views, 72 comments

    Most discussed Glorax: My parents saw me playing Rez HD and I think it made them afraid of video games forever. more »

  • xbox 360

    So, How Much Faster Do 360 Games Load After An Install?

    Perhaps the best new feature of the New Xbox Experience is the ability to install 360 games to your HDD. Least, it is for me, since my console's DVD drive sounds like a Blackhawk trying to take off. But the advantages don't stop with a reduction in noise, they extend to faster load times. Just how much faster? MTV threw a few vids together to demonstrate. It's quite a lot faster. More »

    8:20 PM on Fri Oct 31 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    21,687 views, 200 comments

    Most discussed Theibault: Seriously, have we become so ADD that 30s load screens ruin our enjoyment of games? I believe....hey look at that more »