New dashboard update = FAIL

[Big Brunsy]

whats up with the new 360 dashboard update. Going back to windows ME looking stuff with all of the square corners and what not. Nothing like going back in time to be able to support new technology (kinect)

[gHoSt437]

I saw some pic's of it on a few gaming sites and agree it looks really...well plain. Did it launch today? haven't played for a few days but knew it was coming by Thurs for the kinect launch.

[Brokinarrow]

Probably changing it to make it more Kinect friendly.

[radz28]

That's what that message was, lol.

The reviews aren't sounding good... I'll have a look when I get home...

[Brokinarrow]

Wow, yeah I feel like I just got downgraded to a Wii, what the crap? You know, I understand that they are trying to capture some of that casual gamer market that nintendo has... but give me an OPTION to make my dashboard look like last gen tech!!!

[irocnroll]

Lol I totally dont notice a difference. Guess I am not that observant. That and I don't get on their to often.

[Hemlawk]

Im more pissed about the XBL cost increase to $60 now...

[radz28]

Originally Posted by Hemlawk

Im more pissed about the XBL cost increase to $60 now...

WTF?!!!

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by Hemlawk

Im more pissed about the XBL cost increase to $60 now...

Originally Posted by radz28

WTF?!!!

Wait, what??!! I didn't hear about that BS! Freaking xbox if there weren't so many games I liked on there i'd be tradin in for PS3...

[2ndgenz28]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/pricelock/default.htm

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/30/di...from-amazon-n/


http://www.pcworld.com/article/20447...microsoft.html

Xbox Live Price Hike: A Higher Cost for Microsoft

Microsoft says it's raising the price of Xbox Live Gold, effective November 1.

arly subscriptions will increase from $50 to $60, quarterly subscriptions will jump from $20 to $25, and monthly subscriptions will go up from $8 to $10. Before the price hike, Microsoft is giving subscribers a chance to get one more year for $40, effectively negating the new price until 2012. Joystiq points out that several retailers are also selling $40 yearly subscription cards, which you can stock up on now and use over a longer period of time.

The troubling thing about this price hike is not so much the $10 difference itself, but the feeling of powerlessness that it instills.

For people who've been paying $50 for Xbox Live since its inception, the change is a wake-up call. It's a reminder that $50 per year is not a guarantee that comes with the console. Nor is $60, for that matter. Folks who've chosen the Xbox 360 over the Playstation 3 or Wii - both offer free online play - must now realize they are locked in to whatever price Microsoft decrees. At least one analyst thinks that price could reach $100 per year over time.

In essence, Microsoft makes itself look like a cable company by increasing the price of Xbox Live. Sure, you could switch to another provider, or quit the service and sacrifice the benefits, but both those options bring their own hassles and drawbacks, so you suck up the price hike and curse the company that brought it.

Short-term, that's fine for Microsoft. I don't foresee a mass exodus from Xbox Live over $10 per year, and if the Kinect motion controller brings in a new demographic of users, as Microsoft hopes, the Xbox 360 will have a lot of users who never knew about the old price.

Long-term, Microsoft is building a bigger price gap between its online service and those of its competitors, one that'll make consumers think twice about staying loyal to the Xbox brand. If the gap continues to grow between now and the next console generation, Microsoft will get its comeuppance.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by 2ndgenz28

Joystiq points out that several retailers are also selling $40 yearly subscription cards, which you can stock up on now and use over a longer period of time.

Awesome bit of info, sad that I will have to resort to it. :(

[Jay_LHD3]

Originally Posted by irocnroll

Lol I totally dont notice a difference. Guess I am not that observant. That and I don't get on their to often.

+1; Looks 98% same to me.

[gHoSt437]

I updated last night and its still pretty much the same just plainer looking imo. Only thing that annoyed me a bit was having to go into 2-3 sub-folders to access content that used to be 1 button press away like marketplace content.

As far as the price hike..yea it sucks since no one like to pay "more" for something, but after paying $15 a month to Blizzard when I played WoW for 4 years I'm not really that bugged by it. Plus they announced it fairly early and offered renewals for $40 until 2 days ago. Mines not up until May and I did a 2 year for $85 and they are giving me 1000 ms points at renewal.

I'm a sucker for premium content though, and joined Playstation Plus as well. Payed $50 for a year+ (they gave 4-6 bonus months, don't remember) and have downloaded about $60+ worth of free games, expansions, etc over the last 4 months so can't really complain.

[J4R3D]

Don't worry about the price hike. Twice a year www.buy.com has an eBay special 12 months of Live for $29.99 while supplies last. (You'll see it on www.slickdeals.net when it happens)

Also Amazon does the same thing $29-$35 twice a year.

Don't renew your membership on the dashboard for a lower price. If you read the fine print you agree to pay full price after the 12 months expire.