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Fall Dashboard Update features announced, 360 finally getting DivX support

Recommended Videos We’ve all heard the rumors about what the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update might encompass, but there’s no need for that anymore, as Microsoft has released a full list of features. Truth be told, much of it has already been announced, but there are some minor things that haven’t been discussed yet. First […]

Jordan Devore
Jordan Devore
Nov 30, 2007 3:28 pm

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We’ve all heard the rumors about what the Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update might encompass, but there’s no need for that anymore, as Microsoft has released a full list of features. Truth be told, much of it has already been announced, but there are some minor things that haven’t been discussed yet.

First up, there’s the new Xbox Originals service which will allow gamers to download select Xbox games at a rate of 1200 Microsoft Points per title. Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, Halo, Fable, Fuzion Frenzy, and Psychonauts will be the debut games for the service when it launches alongside the Fall Dashboard Update on December 4.

The Xbox Live Arcade Hits program will showcase the top XBLA releases. Best of all? These games will be reduced in price! The first ‘hits’ are Bankshot Billiards 2 and Lumines Live at 800 Microsoft Points each, and Marble Blast Ultra, Small Arms, and Zuma Deluxe at 400 Microsoft Points each.

Since I was unsuccessful in cramming every last update detail into four paragraphs, you’ll have to hit the jump for the rest of the features. If you enjoy “obtaining” movies via the Internet, you’ll be glad you did.

While not nearly as nice as a web browser, Inside Xbox, a feed that displays the latest Xbox.com news straight to your Xbox 360 dashboard, is still a step in the right direction.

It’s hard to get your message across to Xbox Live randoms while conforming to your motto’s character limit. Microsoft has decided to fix this by adding expanded bio’s that will appear in your profile. Going one step further, the update will let you see who’s on your friend’s friend list.

In an attempt to beef up the Xbox 360’s parental controls, there will be a “Family Timer” come December 4. Because, y’know, it’s just too damn pesky to manually remove children from the videogame console.

Media enthusiasts will be thrilled to know that the update will add support for Mpeg-4 part 2 video files in AVI container. Streaming DivX and Xvid up to 1080p to your Xbox 360!? F**k yes! Forget about Xbox Originals and Inside Xbox, this is the one feature I truly care about.

Lastly, the Xbox Live dashboard interface itself is going to be re-imagined. Navigation looks to be much easier for the new game and video sections of the marketplace — watch the above video to see for yourself.

And that’s the Fall Dashboard Update in a nutshell. If you’ve dreamed of being a know-it-all in the field of Xbox-related updates, you can read up on every single minuscule improvement right here (thanks for the tip, Aaron).

What do y’all think? Is there anything Microsoft didn’t include in the update that you’ve been dying to see? Clan support and IPTV anyone?

Jordan Devore

Jordan is a founding member of Destructoid and poster of seemingly random pictures. They are anything but random.

Tags: Updates Xbox Live

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