The next time you turn on your Xbox 360 (assuming you didn’t leave it on all night so that you’d make millions of dollars in Fable III by doing nothing, like I did) you’ll be treated a quick but very important update. That’s right, it’s Fall Dashboard Update time!
The new update not only completely revamps the dashboard’s visual appearance, but adds a few notable features–not the least of which is Kinect functionality:
“Turn on your Xbox 360 and tune into Xbox LIVE! ESPN and Zune music launches on Xbox LIVE today, delivering 3,500 live and on demand sporting events and millions of music tracks to tens of millions of televisions in the US and around the world.
The Xbox LIVE Update also includes enhanced search for Netflix on Xbox 360, a refreshed Xbox LIVE dashboard and updated Xbox LIVE Family Settings so you can help choose the right play and viewing settings for your family.
With 25 million members spending 1 billion hours on the service each month and 42 percent of US Xbox LIVE Gold members watching an average of one hour of TV and movies on their Xbox every single day, Xbox LIVE is the leading social entertainment service in the living room and in the industry.
ESPN and Zune music join a growing roster of world-class entertainment partners on Xbox LIVE which includes Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Zune video, Last.fm, and Sky Player and Canal+ in Europe.
Now for the first time in the US, ESPN will offer access to 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events a year from ESPN3.com plus daily highlights from ESPN.com on the big screen via Xbox LIVE. With HD programming, out of market games, and full DVR controls, fans will never miss a beat. Beyond great content, Xbox is making your entertainment interactive and social. Access real-time score information from the world of sports without leaving the game you’re watching, voice chat with friends, pick who you think will win and see how the rest of the community voted.
Xbox LIVE is also changing the way you enjoy music in your living room with unlimited on-demand streaming of millions of songs, available through the Zune Marketplace, with a Zune Pass music subscription. Now you can enjoy a rich music experience through Xbox LIVE with features like Smart DJ, which plays songs that complement your music tastes, and the Zune online community, which connects you with like-minded music fans.
But this is only the beginning! In three days on November 4, Kinect for Xbox 360 will deliver controller-free sports, movies, music, and games for the first time to your living room. With Kinect, control your entertainment with nothing but the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice. With Video Kinect tens of millions of people will be able to enjoy living room video chat conversations with friends and family through the TV.
Xbox LIVE will also expand to nine new countries on November 10, delivering on our vision of providing the entertainment you want, with the people you care about, made simple. Xbox LIVE will be launching in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia and South Africa.“
All I got out of that was the last line that says I will now have annoying Polish and African people to play Call of Duty with, on top of the already obnoxious array of rednecks, Scotts, and underage British kids that I can’t tell if I’m cussing out a boy or a girl.
