New XBOX Experience - General Discussion

[SynGamer]

I've actually read through much of that exact topic recently and I am waiting for the NXE to hit and see if anyone (namely my roommate) has any problems with using his hacked hard drive (aka see if he gets banned).
I'm pretty sure they can't detect anything that's ban-worthy. You're not modifying anything, you're simply swapping HDDs (in a really complex fashion). And more importantly, you aren't flashing your HDD to play games illegally.

[gordojones88]

I don't know why so many people on other sites are making such a big deal about the leaked dashboard and bannings.

What are you talking about?
What other websites? What bannings?
Your leaked NXE console cannot connect to Xbox Live because your console ID is not recognized yet.
Microsoft wants people to be eager for this and hype it.
People speculating the worst case scenario is not fact.
Show me a post where somebody has said they have been banned.

[thrustbucket]

Because of the negative blowback from this botched preview and the leaked NXE, I have a hunch that MS will do one of the following:

1- Send out more emails for the preview, possibly weekly till launch.
2- Just throw the whole thing out early to everyone.

[zewone]

Because of the negative blowback from this botched preview and the leaked NXE, I have a hunch that MS will do one of the following:

1- Send out more emails for the preview, possibly weekly till launch.
2- Just throw the whole thing out early to everyone.

That's what I was thinking/hoping.

[sailorjensen]

I don't understand why they would want a limited beta/test group. Seems like they could find more bugs to fix with more people. At least they didn't make anyone buy a game to take place in it (SSF2HDR).

[KingBroly]

With Gears 2 coming out soon, they might throw a new batch of emails out. There is a huge backlash from fans against them for what they did and how they did it, so they might do it. Then the question becomes how many.

EDIT: After some thought, I'm thinking NXE might be on the Gears 2 disc.

[glockant]

got to create my avatar yesterday. the NXE rocks. check me out in my sig!

[Azumangaman]

Cool!
Once the avatar is done, the NXE gamercards look terrific!

[orbit18]

What are you talking about?
What other websites? What bannings?
Your leaked NXE console cannot connect to Xbox Live because your console ID is not recognized yet.
Microsoft wants people to be eager for this and hype it.
People speculating the worst case scenario is not fact.
Show me a post where somebody has said they have been banned.

I think you misunderstood what I meant. I meant to say people are arguing about whether people will be banned for the update or not. And of course I say no cause its just a patch. The sites where people are arguing about stupid stuff, is like major nelson, neogaf, ign etcetc.

[ananag112]

Can you use gamerpics as logos for T-Shirts on avatars?

[PhrostByte]

got to create my avatar yesterday. the NXE rocks. check me out in my sig!

Soundbombing II omfg I love that album! Everything from Rawkus kicks ass. :]

[Jesse_Dylan]

I really don't think they're going to release it early. They'll stick with the 19th. As far as backlash, people are just being whiny because they didn't get in the preview.

I'm whiny myself because I want the install feature.

To install a leaked preview build, do you have to have a modded 'box? And since it apparently breaks connecting to live for you, there would be no way to get the actual NXE when it comes out on the 19th, right? I'd happily go offline until the 19th if it let me install Fable II early and save my poor (noisy) optical drive, but I don't want to brick my system for Live and future updates.

[SynGamer]

Nothing illegal, as people have said, your console simply isn't on the 'list' and is therefore disconnected from Live until the 19th.

[Jesse_Dylan]

Nothing illegal, as people have said, your console simply isn't on the 'list' and is therefore disconnected from Live until the 19th.

But then it magically connects again on the 19th to be "fixed"? I'm confused by all this. And how would I install it in this manner? Burn it to a DVD and just pop it in, or would I need to mod my system as well (which would be a lot more work than waiting til the 19th)?

I'm totally willing to go offline til the 19th just for the install feature.

Okay, got it. You download the file (link on page 38), unrar the file, and burn the $systemupdate folder to the root of a CD-R, then boot your system with the CD-R in the tray. Not too tough. Goodbye til the 19th, Live, and hello installed Fable II!

[jaybird]

But then it magically connects again on the 19th to be "fixed"? I'm confused by all this. And how would I install it in this manner? Burn it to a DVD and just pop it in, or would I need to mod my system as well (which would be a lot more work than waiting til the 19th)?

I'm totally willing to go offline til the 19th just for the install feature.

No modding necessary. Download the file, unzip/unrar it and you'll get a file inside of a folder. Burn only that folder & file within to a CD. Pop it in you 360, turn it off, then restart it. It will then ask you to update.

As far as the "magic" goes, Microsoft got the console ID from all the gamers they let into NXE early when they filled out that survey. That console ID is specific to each 360, so Microsoft opened up LIVE for those users' 360s. If your console ID isn't "on the list", you're SOL until the 19th when they'll open the floodgates for every console - including those that have installed NXE early who weren't selected for the preview.

The second part is what everyone is assuming, since there's been no official word from Microsoft other than Major Nelson's "A little reminder: If you get your hands on NXE and you are NOT in the Preview Program. You won't be allowed on LIVE."

[DestroVega]

got to create my avatar yesterday. the NXE rocks. check me out in my sig!

good albums... cept for Rotten Apple... should have been called Rotten Album

what's with the Xbox radio thing... does it register songs you just stream or stuff ripped on your box that u play?

[glockant]

Can you use gamerpics as logos for T-Shirts on avatars?

nope, which sucks. they are going to open an Avatar Store in Spring '09. you want more clothes? either pay for them or hope developers make them unlockables in their games.


Soundbombing II omfg I love that album! Everything from Rawkus kicks ass. :]
yessir, great album!


good albums... cept for Rotten Apple... should have been called Rotten Album

what's with the Xbox radio thing... does it register songs you just stream or stuff ripped on your box that u play?
yea, Rotten Apple was pretty crappy.

huh, Xbox radio thing? are you talking about my Zune card?

[Jesse_Dylan]

No modding necessary. Download the file, unzip/unrar it and you'll get a file inside of a folder. Burn only that folder & file within to a CD. Pop it in you 360, turn it off, then restart it. It will then ask you to update.

As far as the "magic" goes, Microsoft got the console ID from all the gamers they let into NXE early when they filled out that survey. That console ID is specific to each 360, so Microsoft opened up LIVE for those users' 360s. If your console ID isn't "on the list", you're SOL until the 19th when they'll open the floodgates for every console - including those that have installed NXE early who weren't selected for the preview.

The second part is what everyone is assuming, since there's been no official word from Microsoft other than Major Nelson's "A little reminder: If you get your hands on NXE and you are NOT in the Preview Program. You won't be allowed on LIVE."

Yikes, so it's possible we'd be in some kind of permanent trouble? And what if there are permanent problems caused by installing it this way (like what? I dunno)? I doubt MS would be very sympathetic or have any obligation to help us.

All that said, I burned the folder (with the file in it) to a CD-R and popped it in, but instead of booting, it just goes to the dashboard and says it's a mixed media disc. I switched my options so it boots to disc rather than dashboard, but I still get the same results. I must've done something wrong.

I see what I did. I put the RAR file on the disc rather than what I'd unzipped from the rar. Sigh. One of those brain-dead days I guess.

Well, I'm going through with this. Hopefully those of us who do will still be okay come the 19th!

[jaybird]

Yikes, so it's possible we'd be in some kind of permanent trouble? And what if there are permanent problems caused by installing it this way (like what? I dunno)? I doubt MS would be very sympathetic or have any obligation to help us.

All that said, I burned the folder (with the file in it) to a CD-R and popped it in, but instead of booting, it just goes to the dashboard and says it's a mixed media disc. I switched my options so it boots to disc rather than dashboard, but I still get the same results. I must've done something wrong.

You have to turn off your 360 with the disk in the tray, then restart.

I don't think anyone really thinks they're going to ban people from LIVE for installing the NXE early. It just doesn't make good business sense. They will disable hundreds, if not thousands of buyers during their most profitable time of the year for selling games. And these aren't just normal buyers, these are their hardcore users - the ones with attachment rates of 30 to 1. It just ain't gonna happen.

Major posted that to warn people of the consequences. You have to consider there are idiots who are calling tech support right now because they can't connect to LIVE. But to me and many others his statement ends with a silent "...until the 19th", he just can't say that.

[Jesse_Dylan]

You have to turn off your 360 with the disk in the tray, then restart.

I don't think anyone really thinks they're going to ban people from LIVE for installing the NXE early. It just doesn't make good business sense. They will disable hundreds, if not thousands of buyers during their most profitable time of the year for selling games. And these aren't just normal buyers, these are their hardcore users - the ones with attachment rates of 30 to 1. It just ain't gonna happen.

Major posted that to stop the rush and put a little scare into people. But to me and many others his statement ends with a silent "...until the 19th".

Good point. Well thought-out. I'm sure someone would figure out a way to save us anyway.

I've got it installed now. I really like it. The old dashboard made me grind my teeth. I have no features til the 19th, but I have the feature I wanted--install! :) Cleaned out my puny HDD to make room for Fable II, and it's installing now. I'm actually really grateful for this, because I'll probably be done with Fable II by the 19th anyway.

[KingBroly]

Maybe you can confirm this for me. Games with 0g you have. Are they on your Gamercard anymore?

[screwkick]

Maybe you can confirm this for me. Games with 0g you have. Are they on your Gamercard anymore?

Nope. I have 0 achievements on nhl 09, and it doesn't show up in the dashboard.

[jaybird]

Good point. Well thought-out. I'm sure someone would figure out a way to save us anyway.

I've got it installed now. I really like it. The old dashboard made me grind my teeth. I have no features til the 19th, but I have the feature I wanted--install! :) Cleaned out my puny HDD to make room for Fable II, and it's installing now. I'm actually really grateful for this, because I'll probably be done with Fable II by the 19th anyway.

Fable 2 was the first thing I installed.

Enjoy the silence. :)

[KingBroly]

Nope. I have 0 achievements on nhl 09, and it doesn't show up in the dashboard.

That is definitely awesome. I no longer have to see Yaris or Super Contra on my Gamercard anymore. Now if only I could delete achievements from games I hated/don't have anymore.

[Eklypce]

I think the update will be a good addition to xbox live.

[KingBroly]

2 things I will not like about the new Dashboard:

#1 - Avatars. Don't really care for them, never will. Just like Miis
#2 - The fact that I'll have to buy a bigger HDD to use the install feature to its best capabilities.

EDIT: I just read about this on NeoGaf. It speaks for itself I'm afraid.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13464688&postcount=438

[DestroVega]

haha idiot

[BlueSwim]

I just wish I didn't have to leave the game disc in whenever I want to play something that's installed. Even a "place the game disc in once a month" DRM system would make me happy.

[bigdaddybruce44]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13464688&postcount=438

http://www.lolz.se/fun/fail-1.jpg

[thrustbucket]

then you and local friends would only need one copy of a multiplayer game

[BlueSwim]

then you and local friends would only need one copy of a multiplayer game

I don't borrow/loan out anything, I'm always afraid something will happen to it.:lol: Maybe disabling Live functions for the installed game when the disc isn't in would be the way to go to curb people abusing it, should they ever go that route. I know it's a highly unlikely pipe dream, but I'd still love to be able to jump into something like Virtua Fighter 5 on the fly. Like I said, I know it will never happen.

[JP]

I say it will happen, just not from Microsoft officially. They have given a nice little area for people to attack and try to mod/circumvent. That's just my thoughts.

[zewone]

EDIT: After some thought, I'm thinking NXE might be on the Gears 2 disc.

It's definitely not.

[KingBroly]

It's definitely not.

*Checks Zewone's Gamercard.

Touche'

[KingofOldSchool]

2 things I will not like about the new Dashboard:

#1 - Avatars. Don't really care for them, never will. Just like Miis
#2 - The fact that I'll have to buy a bigger HDD to use the install feature to its best capabilities.

EDIT: I just read about this on NeoGaf. It speaks for itself I'm afraid.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13464688&postcount=438

AHAHAHAHA

[Pure Apathy]

2 things I will not like about the new Dashboard:

#1 - Avatars. Don't really care for them, never will. Just like Miis
#2 - The fact that I'll have to buy a bigger HDD to use the install feature to its best capabilities.

EDIT: I just read about this on NeoGaf. It speaks for itself I'm afraid.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13464688&postcount=438

Awesome :applause:

[Jesse_Dylan]

Maybe you can confirm this for me. Games with 0g you have. Are they on your Gamercard anymore?

They still seem to show up for me. Some do, anyway, although Yaris is gone for me as well, I think. But non-arcade games still seem to be there.

[zewone]

You have to manually delete them. They don't just go away.

[KingBroly]

You have to manually delete them. They don't just go away.

Wait wait wait. You can delete games off your gamercard now?

[YodaEXE]

Wait wait wait. You can delete games off your gamercard now?
Only ones with 0 achievement points unlocked.

[KingBroly]

Only ones with 0 achievement points unlocked.

Better than nothing I suppose.

[ninja dog]

EDIT: I just read about this on NeoGaf. It speaks for itself I'm afraid.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13464688&postcount=438

fake story is fake

[Ex~]

I say it will happen
What does that even mean? Illegal mods are illegal mods, and they can usually be found out if you sign into XBL. His idea of jumping on Virtua Fighter wouldn't work too well through illegal mods.

[bigdaddybruce44]

What does that even mean? Illegal mods are illegal mods, and they can usually be found out if you sign into XBL. His idea of jumping on Virtua Fighter wouldn't work too well through illegal mods.

I don't see where he said it wasn't illegal. He just said that it will happen. I highly doubt it won't. How quick Microsoft catches on is another story, but I'm sure people are already working on a way to use the update against MS.

[JP]

Thanks for that bigdaddy. Wow, that sounded dirty. Anyways, yeah I never said it was illegal, just that it would happen. On the banning from Live, yeah that would result in that more than likely but there are LOADS of modded consoles on live as we speak. The people that were playing Gears 2 three weeks ago and were on Live? Still see them around and about. I'm not condoning anything illegal or piracy, just saying someone will come up with a way to get around the disc check.

[Ex~]

People found a way around the disk check in order to run games off disks as well. It's called a modchip.

People have been working on running games off a hard drive on the 360 since before they got their hands on the console. They did so with the Xbox as well (took a while, of course, and by now nobody gives a damn).

Meh.


Irrelevant since BlueSwim specifically said what he thought would "never happen" was for Microsoft to "go that route."

[BlueSwim]

I don't doubt that it will happen through mods. But what I was wishing for is that Microsoft would allow you to run installed games without having the disc in the drive, or like an XBLA game for example. Something where you have to put the disc in say, once every 30 days, or something like that in order to verify you own the game. I have no interest in modding my 360 to do it. I want it to be an official feature, not some yo ho ho and a yar har har blackmarket add-on. Once I took apart a PS2 controller one time and it took me a whole afternoon to put it back together.:cry:

[Ex~]

Wait for Xbox 720.

I'm sure full games will be available direct-to-drive in the next generation.

(Unfortunately, I might add. What an extraordinary rip-off it is when a couple companies determine the price of their own products. You end up with Nintendo charging $15 for some crap they've already made thousands off of 10 years ago.)

[Chase]

Wait for Xbox 720.

I'm sure full games will be available direct-to-drive in the next generation.

(Unfortunately, I might add. What an extraordinary rip-off it is when a couple companies determine the price of their own products. You end up with Nintendo charging $15 for some crap they've already made thousands off of 10 years ago.)


Nintendo already does that. It's called Play on the Wii (which I think will cost people more than 15 dollars).

---

I heard that we cannot change the color of clothing in Avatar creation. If so, I suppose Microsoft will allow companies to nickel and dime us for different colors (which is a bit absurd). I also heard that Avatar creation is simpler than Miis. :-k

[BlueSwim]

You see a lot of DVDs now include "digital copies" where you go online and download the movie to your computer after redeeming a code included with the movie. I'd love to see that kind of option for 360(or 720) games down the line.

[KingBroly]

You see a lot of DVDs now include "digital copies" where you go online and download the movie to your computer after redeeming a code included with the movie. I'd love to see that kind of option for 360(or 720) games down the line.

Never gonna happen. That's basically gamesharing with real discs. Why I'll just install my digital copy on one system and my friend can have the disc. How smart of them.

[BlueSwim]

Never gonna happen. That's basically gamesharing with real discs. Why I'll just install my digital copy on one system and my friend can have the disc. How smart of them.

Than why are studios like Fox and Sony Pictures doing it?

[BoneMonkey80]

Just becuase you install the game on to your hardrive you still need the game disc it checks for the disc before you play

but after the check the game is run from the hardrive

[slickkill77]

I agree with the person that said there should be a weekly check or something like that. I think a time limit type check would work. Every 7 or 14 days they must verify the disk is in. It is nice that load times will be cut down but always having to have the disk in there kinda kills the excitement a little

[SynGamer]

We should be thankful that MS included the installing games features. Without it, we would still be playing the games off DVDs. Now, we just need to pop the game in, console checks it, and off we go. Not they hard or time consuming and it's a rather fair compromise.

[slickkill77]

This post failed

[dastly75]

Well seeing as how Sony already had that feature and they allow you to upgrade your HDD I dont think this is a thanking Microsoft type thing. I think this was Microsoft having to catch up to Sony so it was neccessary

I'm pretty sure the ps3 still has to read off the disk and it still has typically longer loading times than the 360 versions of games.

[SynGamer]

Well seeing as how Sony already had that feature and they allow you to upgrade your HDD I dont think this is a thanking Microsoft type thing. I think this was Microsoft having to catch up to Sony so it was neccessary
The PS3 has MANDATORY installs, not optional. The disc is ALWAYS in the drive so it's not the same as what MS is doing with the 360.

[gordojones88]

Maybe you can confirm this for me. Games with 0g you have. Are they on your Gamercard anymore?

I wish my original post hadn't been merged into this megathread.
I answered a bunch of questions that have been asked a hundred times now.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5056339&postcount=685

[SynGamer]

I wish my original post hadn't been merged into this megathread.
I answered a bunch of questions that have been asked a hundred times now.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5056339&postcount=685
Ask the OP to put your NXE Preview into the first post.

[slickkill77]

Oh I don't have a PS3 so I fail sorry

[Chronotrigga]

I really don't understand what the arguing is about the disc installing. It would be marketing fucking suicide if you were able to download your whole game onto your 360. Microsoft isn't that stupid. And even if you're able to download the whole game onto your 360, somewhere down the line, hackers will find out how to play without a disc, and Microsoft will patch it and everyone will be pissed off.

[motuza]

Question about HD installations. Would LAN be possible with just 1 disc now? Say I have two 360s with a certain game installed on both. Could I pop the disc of the game into one 360, have the game boot up, then swap discs into the other 360 and be able to connect two 360s to play together? If so that would be great.

[BlueSwim]

I really don't understand what the arguing is about the disc installing. It would be marketing fucking suicide if you were able to download your whole game onto your 360. Microsoft isn't that stupid. And even if you're able to download the whole game onto your 360, somewhere down the line, hackers will find out how to play without a disc, and Microsoft will patch it and everyone will be pissed off.

And that's where some sort of time-based verification system would come in. For example, installing a game full game would allow you to play it for say, two weeks without having the disc in the system. After the two weeks are up you would be asked to insert the game into the system to verify that you indeed own it. Inserting the game disc before the two weeks are up would refresh the DRM license automatically.

[orbit18]

Maybe you can confirm this for me. Games with 0g you have. Are they on your Gamercard anymore?


it is true, and also I also noticed... with Kameo the game, if you earned achievements that are worth 0g you can still delete the title from your gamercard. I had one achievement for Kameo, which was downloading some DLC pack for free and it was worth 0g, so it allowed me to delete it from my GC. :)


edit: Question about HD installations. Would LAN be possible with just 1 disc now? Say I have two 360s with a certain game installed on both. Could I pop the disc of the game into one 360, have the game boot up, then swap discs into the other 360 and be able to connect two 360s to play together? If so that would be great.

I think I tried that the other day, and it booted me back to the dashboard. It would be awesome though.

[Chronotrigga]

And that's where some sort of time-based verification system would come in. For example, installing a game full game would allow you to play it for say, two weeks without having the disc in the system. After the two weeks are up you would be asked to insert the game into the system to verify that you indeed own it. Inserting the game disc before the two weeks are up would refresh the DRM license automatically.

Time verification wouldn't work because businesses such as Gamefly and Blockbuster would be screwed. To take Gamefly into example, if you just buy the one game $5.95 contract, you can get a game, install it, send it back, get another one a day later, install it, send it back, etc.. until you have like 3-4 games that you still have 2 weeks or so to play. Why pay $12.95 for 2 games a month or whatever it is if you just have to pay $5.95.

[BlueSwim]

Game companies don't care about places like Gamefly and Blockbuster because they don't profit off rentals. Plus, you would still have to re-rent said games every two weeks.

A limit on the number of games installed without having the disc in could also be used.

It isn't a "fool-proof" system by any means, but it would give a lot of incentive for people to upgrade from the 20 or 60 GB HD to the 120 GB HD, and that would mean more money for Microsoft.

[SynGamer]

Game companies don't care about places like Gamefly and Blockbuster because they don't profit off rentals. Plus, you would still have to re-rent said games every two weeks.

A limit on the number of games installed without having the disc in could also be used.

It isn't a "fool-proof" system by any means, but it would give a lot of incentive for people to upgrade from the 20 or 60 GB HD to the 120 GB HD, and that would mean more money for Microsoft.
Again, just be glad MS included the feature to begin with.

[cochesecochese]

Although I haven't listened to it, apparently on Major's podcast he said there is a possibility of a second wave of invites.

[62t]

The PS3 has MANDATORY installs, not optional. The disc is ALWAYS in the drive so it's not the same as what MS is doing with the 360.

Depend on the game. Some games have mandatory installation while some games have optional.

[Chronotrigga]

Most likely the thought of installing the full game and playing without the disc will not come to fruition. BlueSwim, although people would probably buy a bigger capacity HD, in the long run, people would be buying less games. With the economy where it is at the moment, $60 is a lot to spend. Microsoft and its affiliates would be losing much more money in game sales due to this install feature.

I love the idea of not having to play the game without a disc, but there's just wayyy too many problems and obstacles that it just won't happen. I had some ideas like only limiting the install feature to one console, but I ended up scrapping it because even if you could only install the disc on one console only, you could still give the physical disc to a friend. In time, you'll see hackers hacking the install feature anyway.

Edit: Also, just to touch, Gamefly and Blockbuster are also beneficial to Microsoft. I believe Gamefly and Netflix are the same company. If so, I may be wrong, but in the new NXE Experience shit, Netflix is somehow making an appearance with its own section or something -- Live TV or something? Not sure. In addition, Blockbuster sells real copies of games, they aren't a pure rental company. Even if the idea came to fruition, like I said, it'd hurt these companies, which would cause a backlash.

The idea is great, especially to consumers, but from a company standpoint, it's bad. I'd root for your idea 100%, but it most likely wouldn't happen (officially), which is unfortunate to us consumers considering how the economy is at the moment. Someone might come up with a mod/hack though, you never know.

[BlueSwim]

Again, just be glad MS included the feature to begin with.

I never said I wasn't glad to have the feature. I'm just voicing what I hope the feature will evolve into down the line, that's all.:)

[Chronotrigga]

If the install feature was exclusive to collector editions/limited editions, and the standard editions didn't have the capability to take advantage of the install feature, that'd be something I'd look into when it comes to fishing out the extra $10 for the buffed up copy. Because to be honest, when it comes to buying limited edition/collector stuff, it's not like I'll drink out of a CoD5 Tin Canteen on a daily basis -- even if it's only for display purposes.

[SynGamer]

I never said I wasn't glad to have the feature. I'm just voicing what I hope the feature will evolve into down the line, that's all.:)
Sorry. Was working on my french (fucking bastards) at the time. Anyway, i understand the desire to be disc-less but as it's been pointed out, people will find a way around the system. Whether it be through passing games around, Gamefly, or some other way...it'll happen.

[thrustbucket]

Although I haven't listened to it, apparently on Major's podcast he said there is a possibility of a second wave of invites.

That's what I thought would happen. Anyone confirm?

[BlueSwim]

It most likely will never happen, but I'd welcome it if they did it. This has been the best back and forth discussion I've had since I started posting on CAG. Thanks guys.8-)

On a related note, I've heard there is some issue with the audio crackling when PGR4 is installed. It might actually be a problem with the game itself not being able to handle the improved speed of the HD instead of a problem with the install feature itself.

[D4rkewolfe]

That's what I thought would happen. Anyone confirm?

It's just a possibility. Major Nelson wants to make it happen and will be trying to get something going this week. If it does happen there will not be any new entries. People chosen will be from the original batch that signed up.

If you want to hear it yourself, it's in the podcast @ 1:46:00 If you want to know how they chose people just check it three minutes earlier.

[DestroVega]

is Netflix running on this preview? no one has talked about it.

[glockant]

yes, Netflix is working. saw it in action on Saturday. it determines how good your connection is (up to 4 bars) and starts it about less than a minute later. we were watching Heroes, and even at 1 bar, it looked good.

[niceguyshawne]

yes, Netflix is working. saw it in action on Saturday. it determines how good your connection is (up to 4 bars) and starts it about less than a minute later. we were watching Heroes, and even at 1 bar, it looked good.

That is good to hear. I am looking forward to this update.

[DestroVega]

yes, Netflix is working. saw it in action on Saturday. it determines how good your connection is (up to 4 bars) and starts it about less than a minute later. we were watching Heroes, and even at 1 bar, it looked good.

awesome... looking very forward to the 19th

[CheapyD]

I believe Gamefly and Netflix are the same company. They are not the same company.

[Goodeye]

They are not the same company.

Yeah if they were the same company It wouldn't take a week to get a game from Gamefly whereas it only takes a day to get movies from Netflix (they have a depot here in Phoenix)

[lilboo]

:-k
I'm a little late to this party (I didn't get a beta invite, tears) but who is providing those new gamercards for your profile? Is this apart of the new update...?

[homeland]

:-k
I'm a little late to this party (I didn't get a beta invite, tears) but who is providing those new gamercards for your profile? Is this apart of the new update...?


you can still create a new gamercard even if your not in the trial.. just won't have avatar yet. its at mygamercard.net

[lilboo]

Oh, neat. Thanks :grouphug:

[Goodeye]

Yeah..... They look nice hopefully If they do another wave I can get in and mine will update. My avatar is going to look SWEET!

[Ex~]

I think they look like shit.

I also think the whole interface is completely fundamentally flawed.


When you move down the tabs to the right, the tabs to the left fly off the screen so you can't even see what they are. What the hell? Fundamental design flaw. Microsoft is the only company that could f*ck something so easy up so royally. Even people in their basements (making linux distros) can make UI's look better than that shit.

[BlueSwim]

Is there an option to apply your themes to the background of the Xbox Guide blades menu? I remember them saying something about being able to do that a few months ago.

[PenguinMaster]

The 1680x1050 and 1440x900 support is half-assed. I tried playing a 1280x720 video at native using those resolutions and it still filled up the whole screen. While this won't matter most of the time it means that anything that is natively 1920x1080 (like HD-DVDs) will look pretty much like it does when running at 1280x720 (even though 1680x1050 is much higher and closer to 1920x1080).

[screwkick]

I think they look like shit.

I also think the whole interface is completely fundamentally flawed.


When you move down the tabs to the right, the tabs to the left fly off the screen so you can't even see what they are. What the hell? Fundamental design flaw. Microsoft is the only company that could f*ck something so easy up so royally. Even people in their basements (making linux distros) can make UI's look better than that shit.

I think it looks good through my HDMI connection.

[FriskyTanuki]

Depend on the game. Some games have mandatory installation while some games have optional.
Or there's no install at all.

Yeah if they were the same company It wouldn't take a week to get a game from Gamefly whereas it only takes a day to get movies from Netflix (they have a depot here in Phoenix)
Takes two days to get a game from Gamefly for me, so I'm not sure why it's a week for you.

Will there be a list, maybe in a separate thread, made of the various sizes that 360 games will require? It'd be nice to see what games take up more room and which don't since I'm not going to have that much room on my HDD to try it out and won't be ponying up for a 120 GB HDD anytime soon.

[JP]

Well I just hit my buddy up to get me the sizes he has on his games for installs:

Battlefield Bad Company: 6.5 GB
Fallout 3: 5.9 GB
GTA IV: 6.8 GB
Mercenaries 2: 6.4 GB
Oblivion: 6.7 GB
Rock Band 2: 6.3 GB
Spider-man Web of Shadows: 6.2 GB

That is all he had.

[Rig]

Is there an option to apply your themes to the background of the Xbox Guide blades menu? I remember them saying something about being able to do that a few months ago.

I'm interested in this as well.

Could somebody (dastly?) with the NXE please post some screens of what they look like?

[dastly75]

I'm interested in this as well.

Could somebody (dastly?) with the NXE please post some screens of what they look like?

If that features exists, I cannot find it.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Takes two days to get a game from Gamefly for me, so I'm not sure why it's a week for you.

The one bad thing about GF is that they only have a handful of distribution centers (California, Austin, Tampa, and Pittsburgh). If you're close to one of them (like me), the turnaround should be quick.

[FriskyTanuki]

The one bad thing about GF is that they only have a handful of distribution centers (California, Austin, Tampa, and Pittsburgh). If you're close to one of them (like me), the turnaround should be quick.
We're fairly close to each other, so the delay he gets is odd.

[bigdaddybruce44]

We're fairly close to each other, so the delay he gets is odd.

Might have to do with FastReturn.

[FriskyTanuki]

I rarely get FastReturn on my stuff, so I doubt it.

[porieux]

I haven't read the whole thread, can anyone confirm if you can put a game in the HD-DvD drive to 'authorize' a game that is on the HD? Would be nice, then you could have multiple discs in at once.

[cochesecochese]

I'm pretty sure I read about someone on GAF trying that and it didn't work.

[dastly75]

I haven't read the whole thread, can anyone confirm if you can put a game in the HD-DvD drive to 'authorize' a game that is on the HD? Would be nice, then you could have multiple discs in at once.

No you cannot. The HD-DVD drive reads it as a movie dvd(if you run it gives you a please put this disc in a xbx360 standard video) and not a game.

[WhipSmartBanky]

I know Microsoft is requiring a hard drive or memory card...anyone know what happens if a system is booted without either after the NXE is installed?

[Chase]

Well I just hit my buddy up to get me the sizes he has on his games for installs:

Battlefield Bad Company: 6.5 GB
Fallout 3: 5.9 GB
GTA IV: 6.8 GB
Mercenaries 2: 6.4 GB
Oblivion: 6.7 GB
Rock Band 2: 6.3 GB
Spider-man Web of Shadows: 6.2 GB

That is all he had.


I have a 120 GB HDD, and even I'm worried about HDD space. Those installs are quite big. :hot:

[bigdaddybruce44]

The HD install sizes are pretty much what I expected. Not too concerned, considering I don't plan to install every game to the HDD.

[Calamityuponthee]

Yeah looks like if I want to install games I'm going to need to upgrade. My 20 gig drive isn't going to cut it anymore =/

[zewone]

What'd you expect? It's dual layer DVDs.

[JJSP]

I have a 120 GB HDD, and even I'm worried about HDD space. Those installs are quite big. :hot:
What I'm wondering is if you install the game to the HD, can it be deleted without taking all associated content with it? For example, if I install GTAIV, does it link my save files and content to the game file or are they kept separate? I'd hate to delete an install and lose everything with it.

Probably a dumb question, but I'm curious. I'd like to see how it classifies each game within the hard drive.

[FriskyTanuki]

What I'm wondering is if you install the game to the HD, can it be deleted without taking all associated content with it? For example, if I install GTAIV, does it link my save files and content to the game file or are they kept separate? I'd hate to delete an install and lose everything with it.

Probably a dumb question, but I'm curious. I'd like to see how it classifies each game within the hard drive.
It's separate like if it were reading just from the disc. If you watch the installation video (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/29/video-tour-new-xbox-experience-exposed-page-3/#installation) in Joystiq's NXE video tour (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/29/video-tour-new-xbox-experience-exposed/), you can see that after he installs Beautiful Katamari and checks the memory section of the menus, the save and install files are separate.

[zewone]

You can delete just the install.

[thrustbucket]

So no further word on possible more invites sending out?

[KingBroly]

Nope.

To people who have already downloaded/installed NXE, who are not apart of the program: If you're cutoff from Xbox Live, meaning the system won't connect to XBL (even with a connection in place), what's to say that you'll be able to connect come November 19th?

[zewone]

That's what Major Nelson and others from MS have said (consoles won't be able to connect until the 19th).

[KingBroly]

Nelson just said you won't be able to connect to Live. No specific time frame was given.

[orbit18]

the letter that was sent out to all preview program people who got in. It says please do not connect your hd to another machine, because that machine will not be able to connect until the 19th of november.

[Bretts31344]

I can't believe how fast everything loads. Before any list would take a while to load (demo games, XBLA games, achievements, etc.). When you slide over or select any option, the new screen appears immediately. The 16:10 support is great too. Games look even better on the 1680 x 1050 monitor. Installing the games is exactly what I expected, 6-7 GB per game, and now my 360 is super quiet. I have not tried any of the live features since I manually installed the update, but so far this is the best update of any console I own.

[DestroVega]

just install the main games you play... I have 7 games currently and I'm only going to install 3

[Corvin]

just install the main games you play... I have 7 games currently and I'm only going to install 3

Exactly. I'll toss Halo 3, Gears 2 & Rock Band 2 on there and whatever single player game I'm playing. Once I'm done, that game will get the boot and the next one will get installed.

[Wolve11]

i see myself only installing games that i know will have a long load time or have a lot of stuff going on at once, like GTA4 and Saints Row2.

[CombatCraig]

Yeah I think I might toss on GTA IV, Rock Band 2, and Guitar Hero WT

[sunnysky]

Rock band 2, Gears 2, Burnout Paradise, and COD4 for sure will get installed on my console. Maybe others, depending on how much quieter this really makes things.

[KingBroly]

Halo 3's definitely going to be installed on my Hard Drive (as it's the main game I go back to). When I get a bigger drive, I'm tossing in a few others.

[dodgeme]

Lol i got 32 games and a 20gb hard drive. I own the disks so installing is pointless to me.

[Redrazorback]

Lol i got 32 games and a 20gb hard drive. I own the disks so installing is pointless to me.

The purpose of installing the games is to improve load times and make the 360 run more quietly. Not to eliminate the need for discs. The Xbox will still check to see if you have the game disc inserted before you will be allowed to play.

But with a 20 gig hd you wouldn't be able to install more than a couple of games anyway.

[Azumangaman]

Hopefully we'll see some big deals on 120 GIG HDs in the holiday season!

[SynGamer]

I just grabbed a 120GB HDD (WD1200BEVS) for $57 shipped (brand new, 3 year warranty). I plan on doing the swap as soon as it gets here. If all goes well, i'll have saved $100+.

[ArthurDigbySellers]

I just grabbed a 120GB HDD (WD1200BEVS) for $57 shipped (brand new, 3 year warranty). I plan on doing the swap as soon as it gets here. If all goes well, i'll have saved $100+.

Care to explain that deal? It sounds too good to be true.

[bigdaddybruce44]

This is what he is looking to do:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/150970/upgrade_your_xbox_360s_hard_drive_on_the_cheap.htm l

[jaybird]

Care to explain that deal? It sounds too good to be true.

I don't think he's referring to the official Microsoft 120 drive. :)

[Redrazorback]

I just grabbed a 120GB HDD (WD1200BEVS) for $57 shipped (brand new, 3 year warranty). I plan on doing the swap as soon as it gets here. If all goes well, i'll have saved $100+.

If you don't mind, could you let us know what website you ordered from? And how fast the shipping is and if everything goes well? I've also been planning on doing the swap for my 360, but there's not exactly a lot of online sites that sell that specific model.

[gordojones88]

I know Microsoft is requiring a hard drive or memory card...anyone know what happens if a system is booted without either after the NXE is installed?


Hey, a new question that has not been asked or answered.
I actually wondered and did this yesterday.
I booted up the NXE 360 without the hard drive and
without the memory card that holds my gamertag.
Guess what?




Still NXE!
Put in my memory card with gamertag to play Far Cry 2.

But I've been swapping my memory card between
my NXE offline 360 and my old Blades online 360.
The memory card doesn't hold the update
and didn't ask if the other 360 wants to update either.
I originally put the NXE folder on a flash drive to update.

Okay, so what happens if I put my 120GB HDD on the NXE
because I want to install more than one game at a time,
I put the NXE on the old 20GB HDD.

I think it's the avatars and their creation that take at least 128MB,
hence the need for a save device.
Unless you got the invite, you can't make an avatar yet.

[SynGamer]

If you don't mind, could you let us know what website you ordered from? And how fast the shipping is and if everything goes well? I've also been planning on doing the swap for my 360, but there's not exactly a lot of online sites that sell that specific model.
I ordered from TigerDirect.com but it's now out of stock. My drive will arrive on Thursday though according to UPS. You can get the drive for $60 shipped through J&R.com or Amazon.com (other sellers).

[zewone]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136072&Tpk=WD1200BEVS

[thrustbucket]

Hey, a new question that has not been asked or answered.
I actually wondered and did this yesterday.
I booted up the NXE 360 without the hard drive and
without the memory card that holds my gamertag.
Guess what?




Still NXE!
Put in my memory card with gamertag to play Far Cry 2.

But I've been swapping my memory card between
my NXE offline 360 and my old Blades online 360.
The memory card doesn't hold the update
and didn't ask if the other 360 wants to update either.
I originally put the NXE folder on a flash drive to update.

Okay, so what happens if I put my 120GB HDD on the NXE
because I want to install more than one game at a time,
I put the NXE on the old 20GB HDD.

I think it's the avatars and their creation that take at least 128MB,
hence the need for a save device.
Unless you got the invite, you can't make an avatar yet.

You are right. The core OS of the 360 (Whatever it is) resides on a ROM chip on the motherboard (not sure how big it is, but I think I heard 64MB somewhere).

I don't know for sure, but the 128 megs needed of storage most likely is for Avatar and various caching. But the NXE itself has to almost entirely reside on the ROM chip every 360 has.

[gordojones88]

I just grabbed a 120GB HDD (WD1200BEVS) for $57 shipped (brand new, 3 year warranty). I plan on doing the swap as soon as it gets here. If all goes well, i'll have saved $100+.


Well, some of us on here have grabbed a used Xbox 360 120GB HDD from Gamestop for $70.
$100 used - %20 coupon - %10 Edge = $70

This is without fear of getting console and gamertag banned from LIVE.
I've seen the 120GB HDD in every Gamestop I've been to the last month.
You can do this right now for $80 with the current %10-off email coupon and Edge card.

Altering your 360 this way is against your contract with Microsoft.
They have the right to brick your console permanently.
How do you know the new NXE update won't be able to detect this?
Read other forum posts and you'll see people not being able to play their
Arcade games from their "new" HDD even after using the DRM licensing tool.
Imagine losing all your console, hard drive, gamesaves, and gamertag to save $20.

[SynGamer]

Well, some of us on here have grabbed a used 120GB HDD from Gamestop for $70.
$100 used - %20 coupon - %10 Edge = $70

This is without fear of getting console and gamertag banned from LIVE.
I've seen the 120GB HDD in every Gamestop I've been to the last month.
You can do this right now for $80 with the current %10-off email coupon and Edge card.

Altering your 360 this way is against your contract with Microsoft.
They have the right to brick your console permanently.
How do you know the new NXE update won't be able to detect this?
Read other forum posts and you'll see people not being able to play their
Arcade games from their "new" HDD even after using the DRM licensing tool.
Imagine losing all your console, hard drive, gamesaves, and gamertag to save $20.
There shouldn't be any fear of being banned. You're taking the official files on the MS 120GB HDD and putting them onto another (Western Digital) 120GB HDD. You're basically flashing the HDD. You ARE NOT touching anything on the console itself, hence why it's safe. And in my case, i have a 3 year warranty on my drive (brand new).

[Jesse_Dylan]

Well, some of us on here have grabbed a used MS 360 120GB HDD from Gamestop for $70.
$100 used - %20 coupon - %10 Edge = $70

This is without fear of getting console and gamertag banned from LIVE.
I've seen the 120GB HDD in every Gamestop I've been to the last month.
You can do this right now for $80 with the current %10 off coupon and Edge card.
Altering your 360 this way is against your contract with Microsoft.
They have the right to brick your console permanently.

Oh goodness. Not even Microsoft can peer into your 360 hard drive to see if it's modded or not, and they certainly wouldn't ban you from Live. That would be silly since Live is a cashcow and they love all the money we toss at them buying stuff that requires no packaging, shipping or store fees.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Yeah, it would be impossible for MS to detect anything in this case, because there is no modded firmware or game back-ups present. Done correctly, it would come up as the same, exact thing as the official MS drive.

[Jesse_Dylan]

Yeah, it would be impossible for MS to detect anything in this case, because there is no modded firmware or game back-ups present. Done correctly, it would come up as the same, exact thing as the official MS drive.

And what would they do anyway, take away our warranty? Not let us buy their stuff anymore? Pardon my vitriol. I just get annoyed at Microsoft sometimes.

Of course if one were pirating games, that would be another story.


They have the right to brick your console permanently.
How do you know the new NXE update won't be able to detect this?
Read other forum posts and you'll see people not being able to play their
Arcade games from their "new" HDD even after using the DRM licensing tool.
Imagine losing all your console, hard drive, gamesaves, and gamertag to save $20.

Microsoft dislikes used hard drives being sold just as much as they dislike users swapping their official hard drives, too, though, mind you. How do you know the NXE can't detect that your used drive hasn't been used in someone else's system? Be careful! They have the right to brick your system and ban your gamercard, all because you bought a used drive instead of a new one!

:) I'm giving you a hard time, obviously. They most certainly do not have the right to brick anyone's system! You're paranoid, my friend. And no one is looking down upon you for buying an official drive anyway. I bought the official 120gb drive myself, on clearance. The only thing I hate more than overpriced official system accessories is buying used from CrookStop! :) That's my own beef, though.

[dastly75]

I guess it's important that if you're flashing a the 360 hard drive, you need SATA connectors. My computer is a couple years old and only has IDE so I can't do this. Just a thing to keep in mind.*
*I believe there's adapters for SATA to IDE or SATA to USB but that costs extra of course.

[SynGamer]

I just built my computer this past summer so i should have all the connectors necessary. I'll be sure to report how this goes on Thursday when i do the 'mod'. And NO, i am not running pirated games. As i said, that requires flashing your console's firmware and i definitely don't want to mess with that.

[Rig]

I don't have the cord in front of me, so I cannot check. But, if you are installing the WD drive, does the Microsoft hard-drive transfer kit still work to move your old stuff to the new drive? Do you need two Microsoft HDD enclosures?

[SynGamer]

I don't have the cord in front of me, so I cannot check. But, if you are installing the WD drive, does the Microsoft hard-drive transfer kit still work to move your old stuff to the new drive? Do you need two Microsoft HDD enclosures?
You are basically taking your 20GB HDD out of the enclosure, hooking it up to your computer and dumping files from it. Then you are hooking up the new 120GB HDD and partitioning it along with putting the official 120GB files onto it as well.

[Rig]

You are basically taking your 20GB HDD out of the enclosure, hooking it up to your computer and dumping files from it. Then you are hooking up the new 120GB HDD and partitioning it along with putting the official 120GB files onto it as well.

I see. The article listed above really didn't mention much. This (http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=660096) one was more descriptive.

[SynGamer]

I see. The article listed above really didn't mention much. This (http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=660096) one was more descriptive.
I have the thread at the top of that forum bookmarked, the one about HDDHackr.

[Chronotrigga]

Im surprised how much the Hard Drives are. How much does a 60gb go for?

[greyzieoriental]

this video does the trick too, i prefer visuals over reading

3WR9inneEkA

[gordojones88]

When you crack open your 20GB HDD and modify the internals in any way,
you are indeed in violation of the terms of your Xbox Live service.

I am not paranoid or concerned or accusatory.
I'm just giving a friendly little shout-out that promoting this mod
might have some unintended risk involved during some later update.
This the NXE experience thread, not "This is how to mod your Xbox" thread.

[SynGamer]

It's already been confirmed that there are no problems for people with a WD/modded 120GB HDD and the NXE. So i thought i would throw it out there.

[YodaEXE]

this video does the trick too, i prefer visuals over reading

3WR9inneEkA
Nice video, but that doesn't explain how you go about flashing the firmware to the drive to allow it to be read properly by the 360 and the software.

[SynGamer]

Nice video, but that doesn't explain how you go about flashing the firmware to the drive to allow it to be read properly by the 360 and the software.The files on the USB thumb drive that you're going to use to boot up contain the .bin file which flashes to the new HDD so that the console reads it as an official drive.

[YodaEXE]

The files on the USB thumb drive that you're going to use to boot up contain the .bin file which flashes to the new HDD so that the console reads it as an official drive.
Hmm, I see. I'm really considering doing this now. Sounds like a much better solution than spending $150 on a 120gb drive from Microsoft.

[Jesse_Dylan]

When you crack open your 20GB HDD and modify the internals in any way,
you are indeed in violation of the terms of your Xbox Live service.

I am not paranoid or concerned or accusatory.
I'm just giving a friendly little shout-out that promoting this mod
might have some unintended risk involved during some later update.
This the NXE experience thread, not "This is how to mod your Xbox" thread.

Understood, and I didn't intend to be a turd or anything either. I did just want to assert my personal (maybe too strong) opinion that, at least as was phrased above, there shouldn't be any difficulties. The appropriate non-official 120gb HDD inside the official enclosure should function in the same manner as the official, and while it does void the warranty, at least of the hard drive, they'd have no way of knowing. (And, to beat a dead horse, sorry horsie, if they did know, there's really nothing they could do, in my personal opinion.)

[thrustbucket]

Microsoft: Half of initial NXE features cut. (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/04/microsoft-half-of-initial-nxe-features-cut/)


This is odd since I've read in other people's previews how the photo party works.

[orbit18]

I don't think I will install anything cause I'm at the bare minimum after I install any game. Unless the game install dramatically speeds up the load time, then I probably won't install anything.

[Goodeye]

Does anyone happen to have a one month netflix trial if so PM me....

I really wanna try out the netflix streaming and I know people were handing them out awhile back on this thread but I missed them.....

[Gourd]

I'll check my account, Goodeye, and see if I have one.

Might be later today before I can get back to you. On my way out to run errands and such.

[Goodeye]

Thats cool if anyone else does feel free to PM me....

Thanks in advance!

[guyver2077]

i saw the download for the nxe disk on sites up already.. anyone could install the update already just no live...

[TrueBlueLS]

I'd upgrade mine, but I'm holding off since it's only 2 more days until Gears of War 2.

[AdvOfJet]

Since I let my Gold account lapse for a bit anyways I went ahead and installed the NXE. It is leaps in bounds ahead of the old system in terms of usability for me. With so many games played, it used to take a good minute to a minute and a half to pull up my ACH list on my 360. Now it pulls up in less than 2 seconds.

Same with the install feature. Fracture for me had huge loads times as I was playing through the campaign. After installing to the hard drive, the loading times are about half as long for that specific game for me. The noise level is infinitely better as well since I have a fairly old system that can be quite noisy.

The rest of the features dont really do much for me, but these two things alone make this a great update.

[ryanbph]

for those in the official test group, how is the selection of streaming movies for netflix? Is there a list available somewhere? I own a shitload of dvd's/hddvd/blu ray but I am leaning more to renting/ streaming movies. I am sure in the future that netflix streaming will have a great library but I wanted to know if it was worth signing up now or when the library is more flushed out.

[ninja dog]

Anyone hooked up through VGA on a 1440x900 monitor? I've got black bars on the sides in NXE and games. :\

edit: nevermind. found out it does that to maintain the aspect ratio

[SynGamer]

Well, it was a long day but i finally swapped HDDs. I now have 103GB free :) Downloading the L4D demo as we speak.

[KamiNoYadoru]

In the NXE early, the real NXE not the "non-switch-flipped" one. Kind of goofy, Avatars are dumb (show me software that uses them as well as Miis and I might be down), Netflix is cool but I do that today with other software, and the new interface is smoother than I thought it would be. The HDD installs piss me off (http://www.8bithacks.com/2008/11/new-xbox-concerns-in-the-experience.html), though.

Even though the NXE lets the user install games in full to the XBox 360 hard drive, it still requires the disc for the particular game to be in the drive before starting up so it can check the security info on the disc. This is a move straight out of the PC gaming playbook, where developers have relied upon a disc check authentication step for eons. However, while it peeves me to a degree on the PC where you're usually sitting within arm's reach of the machine, I find that this move in the XBox space really incenses me far more than I expected it would.

While I understand the motivation and the desire to hold to core tenets of hardcore Digital Rights Management, this move violates my first rule of DRM: do not inconvenience your paying customers. We have been over this rule a few times in the past, with Amber's troubles with Steam, and with my own take on the Spore activation saga, but the basic rule remains the same. This has never been a concern in the era of removable console media before because the protection was inherent to the platform design. Games were stored on removable media, and in order to switch games, you needed to swap media. However, now that I've got all these games loaded onto the hard drive of my 360, every time I stand up to swap from Gears of War 2 to Lost Odyssey I know that everything the system needs to play the game is already in the box, and I'm doing a dance to satisfy Microsoft and prove that I own a legal copy of the game. Now, the paying customer is being inconvenienced.

[jeremy517]

In the NXE early, the real NXE not the "non-switch-flipped" one. Kind of goofy, Avatars are dumb (show me software that uses them as well as Miis and I might be down), Netflix is cool but I do that today with other software, and the new interface is smoother than I thought it would be. The HDD installs piss me off (http://www.8bithacks.com/2008/11/new-xbox-concerns-in-the-experience.html), though.

That article is stupid. If there was no disc-check requirement, it wouldn't just be the pirates playing games illegally, it would be almost everyone. Even people that wouldn't know the first thing about pirating a PC game would share with their friends, copy rented games, buy and return used games from Gamestop, etc. If anyone seriously thinks that the 360 software industry could survive with everything being THAT easy to play illegally, they are delusional.

[YodaEXE]

Well, it was a long day but i finally swapped HDDs. I now have 103GB free :) Downloading the L4D demo as we speak.
Any chance of a nice writeup of how to go about it? I've seen a few videos and written things, but it's hard to get everything into one place. How'd you go about formatting the drive? Did you use a flash drive or something to boot into some form of DOS?

[jeremy517]

Well, some of us on here have grabbed a used Xbox 360 120GB HDD from Gamestop for $70.
$100 used - %20 coupon - %10 Edge = $70

This is without fear of getting console and gamertag banned from LIVE.
I've seen the 120GB HDD in every Gamestop I've been to the last month.
You can do this right now for $80 with the current %10-off email coupon and Edge card.

Altering your 360 this way is against your contract with Microsoft.
They have the right to brick your console permanently.
How do you know the new NXE update won't be able to detect this?
Read other forum posts and you'll see people not being able to play their
Arcade games from their "new" HDD even after using the DRM licensing tool.
Imagine losing all your console, hard drive, gamesaves, and gamertag to save $20.

If you are buying a used hard drive from Gamestop/eBay/etc, you have absolutely no guarantee that it does not contain a hard drive that someone upgraded themselves.

[bigdaddybruce44]

I'm sorry, but this complaining about the disc-check is simply silly, now. Look...here's the deal. Microsoft is offering up something we didn't have before in game installs. And they making them totally optional, unlike the PS3. That's the end of it.

They simply cannot let us NOT verify we own the disc. As an above poster said, every moron who can at least turn the 360 on would realize what they could do with that.

[Chronotrigga]

As supplied by KamiNoYadoru and this article, http://www.8bithacks.com/2008/11/new-xbox-concerns-in-the-experience.html, the author creates a very poor contrast between the "usual counter-cry". The author goes on to describe why the HD install is a problem, but never addresses the true reason as to why there is an install feature in the first place. A key argument is always to address the task before addressing further issues, which the author fails to state.

The main purpose, like so many others have said, is to prolong the life of the disc drive and also tone down the sound of the drive when running a game. It is essentially helping you prolong the life of your console. The author goes on to explain why it is such a "hassle" considering the whole game is on there but needs a disc to prove that he/she actually owns the game.

No one gives a fucking shit about Microsoft Office. It's a poor fucking comparison, and the person who wrote it is poor at making comparisons in general.

edit: The author fails to state as to why Microsoft Office has been shared over the internet countless times. The main reason is because most PC based discs/programs require a CD Key or something to that extent. As with the case of Microsoft Office, this CD Key could easily be shared and 'cracked'. It is much harder to 'crack' a disc for the 360 because there is no CD key. Seriously, this writer on 8bithacks fails.

[SynGamer]

Any chance of a nice writeup of how to go about it? I've seen a few videos and written things, but it's hard to get everything into one place. How'd you go about formatting the drive? Did you use a flash drive or something to boot into some form of DOS?
I'm thinking about combining all the tutorials and tips i found into one master tutorial. Basically, i found a floppy drive (somehow), made a boot disk (on a floppy) and from there...lots of backing-up files and hex editing. So far everything is running well. I was playing the Left 4 Dead demo off the HDD with no problems. And i have 102GB free :D

[ninja dog]

In the NXE early, the real NXE not the "non-switch-flipped" one. Kind of goofy, Avatars are dumb (show me software that uses them as well as Miis and I might be down), Netflix is cool but I do that today with other software, and the new interface is smoother than I thought it would be. The HDD installs piss me off (http://www.8bithacks.com/2008/11/new-xbox-concerns-in-the-experience.html), though.


Please paypal me the brain cells I just lost reading that.

[Corvin]

While I understand the motivation and the desire to hold to core tenets of hardcore Digital Rights Management, this move violates my first rule of DRM: do not inconvenience your paying customers.

Ummm... okay? Step away from the keyboard and pull your thoughts together before typing. If you want to play Halo 3 today you get up and put the disc in the drive. If you want to play Halo 3 after Nov. 17 you get up and put the disc in the drive. How is that an inconvenience? That's a lateral move. The only benefit is a quieter system, potentially shorter load times and definitely less strain on the system. Were you just unaware of that before getting in the preview?

[SynGamer]

It amazes me that so many people are posting without thinking. The ONLY way Microsoft could eliminate discs is if they 1. offered them online as digital downloads (line Burnout Paradise PS3 on PSN) or 2. have us send in out discs in return for a code to download the games...other than that, the discs need to remain in the drive for verification purposes otherwise piracy will be worse than it is on the DS.

[dastly75]

I just learned something about NXE, you cannot install a game and download content at the same time.

[ratzombie]

I haven't been keeping up, so how useful is it to install to the HDD?

I would imagine that it would decrease the amount of "pop-in" in regards to geometry and textures in some games where a lot of data is being streamed off the DVD.

[archibishopthedoge]

I haven't been keeping up, so how useful is it to install to the HDD?

I would imagine that it would decrease the amount of "pop-in" in regards to geometry and textures in some games where a lot of data is being streamed off the DVD.

I find its greatest advantage is the 360 doesnt sound like a jet engine when playing certain games. As for loads etc, I've not noticed a big difference, but I've never been a stickler for that. The best bit for me is the very noticeable difference concerning the sound of the machine itself when playing.

[Spybreak8]

Please paypal me the brain cells I just lost reading that.

Agreed, man LMFAO, dude shut the hell up. Why is everybody jumping on the DRM bandwagon, gawd. I'm looking forward to the feature, will hopefully cut down on load times for GH: WT but most importantly will be one less thing making noise in my 360.

[DestroVega]

for those in the official test group, how is the selection of streaming movies for netflix? Is there a list available somewhere? I own a shitload of dvd's/hddvd/blu ray but I am leaning more to renting/ streaming movies. I am sure in the future that netflix streaming will have a great library but I wanted to know if it was worth signing up now or when the library is more flushed out.

It's the same as the movies you can watch instantly on your PC with Netflix... and the selection isn't that great. That being said, I'm sure it's likely to improve over the next few months, with the 360 streaming and the sale of their own streaming machine for your TV.

But realistically, with getting 2 movies in the mail at a time, with the option to watch a decent amount of things instantly, Netflix is bar-none the best program around... in my opinion.


As far as the game installs go... people are really fucking stupid to think they shouldn't need their discs... MS did you a fucking favor to keep your machine from breaking down faster and keep it quiet.... everyone should do the same, keep quiet. Be happy they did it at all.

Give people an inch they want a mile.

[CombatCraig]

Since I let my Gold account lapse for a bit anyways I went ahead and installed the NXE. It is leaps in bounds ahead of the old system in terms of usability for me. With so many games played, it used to take a good minute to a minute and a half to pull up my ACH list on my 360. Now it pulls up in less than 2 seconds.

Same with the install feature. Fracture for me had huge loads times as I was playing through the campaign. After installing to the hard drive, the loading times are about half as long for that specific game for me. The noise level is infinitely better as well since I have a fairly old system that can be quite noisy.

The rest of the features dont really do much for me, but these two things alone make this a great update.

I don't have Gold right now either. Would you mind telling me how I can install NXE on my XBOX? Thanks!

[KingofOldSchool]

I don't have Gold right now either. Would you mind telling me how I can install NXE on my XBOX? Thanks!

Download it onto a USB or CD-R and pop it in the 360. Just do a search for it in this topic.

[GamerDaddy85]

I'm curious if they'll have party games with the avatars we create, sort of like the Wii. That would be cool, like Bowling, Baseball, Pool, Boxing, etc... I know they're copying in a way, but other than showing off your 3D avatar, I see no point in boasting about having one.

[thrustbucket]

I'm curious if they'll have party games with the avatars we create, sort of like the Wii. That would be cool, like Bowling, Baseball, Pool, Boxing, etc... I know they're copying in a way, but other than showing off your 3D avatar, I see no point in boasting about having one.

Game shows are coming in spring. The new Scene it game uses them, and an XBLA coming out on the 19th uses them.

[GenDV138]

Just got an e-mail from msftconn@microsoft.com saying "The Xbox 360 Fall Flash update will be available to you by 11am PST on November 8th (2pm EST on November 8th, 7pm GMT on November 8th)."

Guess they're opening some more spots, so if you didn't get in earlier like me, check your e-mails!

[TrueBlueLS]

I got it too!

[Regian]

Just got an e-mail from msftconn@microsoft.com saying "The Xbox 360 Fall Flash update will be available to you by 11am PST on November 8th (2pm EST on November 8th, 7pm GMT on November 8th)."

Guess they're opening some more spots, so if you didn't get in earlier like me, check your e-mails!

Major Nelson posted that another round of previews were going to happen. E-mails will be sent by tonight and access granted tomorrow.

[LegendK7ll3r]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally got in.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Xbox 360 Fall Flash update will be available to you by 11am PST on November 8th (2pm EST on November 8th, 7pm GMT on November 8th).

[cochesecochese]

Missed out on this round too. Sweet!

[SynGamer]

Still no invite. I'm positive i was one of the first 1,000-3,000 to sign up...

[LegendK7ll3r]

Still no invite. I'm positive i was one of the first 1,000-3,000 to sign up...

It had nothing to-do with how early you signed-up, I don't believe. It was just them going through, and choosing certain people for it, out of the thousands on entries.

[SynGamer]

It had nothing to-do with how early you signed-up, I don't believe. It was just them going through, and choosing certain people for it, out of the thousands on entries.
I have Netflix...so one would think they'd want to get those people in on the preview.

[zewone]

Just got an e-mail from msftconn@microsoft.com saying "The Xbox 360 Fall Flash update will be available to you by 11am PST on November 8th (2pm EST on November 8th, 7pm GMT on November 8th)."

Guess they're opening some more spots, so if you didn't get in earlier like me, check your e-mails!

I can't believe I didn't make it in again.

[screwkick]

hope i get in this time.

[KaneRobot]

Weird. Got approved this time. Not much reason to update the OP at this point but if I see anything cool I will.

[moojuice]

Sweet.

[LegendK7ll3r]

I have Netflix...so one would think they'd want to get those people in on the preview.

Yeah, that's why I'm shocked I got in, because I don't have Netflix at all.

[Redrazorback]

I haven't received an email this time either, but Major Nelson said the second round invites would be chosen at random from those who applied the first time.

[KingofOldSchool]

So have all of the second round invites already been sent out or are they still going through it?

[Kevlar281]

Strike 2 :cry:

[orbit18]

i didnt get in either :( and i installed the nxe update so i cant get on until the 19th

[deadite76]

Got mine as well!!

[jmillion]

dang missed 2nd rd.

[thrustbucket]

Lame, another miss

[HotShotX]

Lies! It's all lies!

~HotShotX

[LinkinPrime]

:-(

[bigdaddybruce44]

Another swing and a miss for me. With the date approaching so quick, though, and so many great games out right now, I couldn't care less.

[Bazz]

Nothing for me either.

[ratzombie]

No luck here, at least we don't have to wait much longer.

[LinkinPrime]

Looks like CheapyD got in...just saw him on my FL watching Netflix movies...and here's his avatar:

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/CheapyD/avatar-body.png

[BlueSwim]

Looks like CheapyD got in...just saw him on my FL watching Netflix movies...and here's his avatar:

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/CheapyD/avatar-body.png

:lol::lol::lol:BIG ASS CHAINS!!!:lol::lol::lol:

Looks like Major Nelson checked his E-mail.

[Aku]

No dice on my end, but thanks for the heads up to check my account.

BTW love Cheapy's Avatar.

[CheapyD]

Looks like Major Nelson checked his E-mail.
Bingo!

Question for you Netflix users...
How do you get HD playback going? Apparently there is HD content (The Orphanage and Heroes mentioned here (http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/30/debunk-xbox-360-streams-hd-netflix-over-component-just-fine/)), but I never see the HD playback option). Does it happen automatically of your connection is good enough?

Perhaps I have to pay an extra $1/month for Blu-ray access?

http://avatar.xboxlive.com/avatar/CheapyD/avatarpic-l.png

[dastly75]

Does it happen automatically of your connection is good enough?


Yes.

[FriskyTanuki]

Was there no option for an orange shirt?

[Corvin]

Yeah, that's why I'm shocked I got in, because I don't have Netflix at all.

Apparently it had nothing to do with Netflix. According to 'e' on the Major's last podcast they chose people based on:

- Region
- service provider
- router / modem
- gold user over silver

That way they have a good mix of every provider, every region and every router/modem setup.

[Spybreak8]

Apparently it had nothing to do with Netflix. According to 'e' on the Major's last podcast they chose people based on:

- Region
- service provider
- router / modem
- gold user over silver

That way they have a good mix of every provider, every region and every router/modem setup.

Haha damn I should have put in an application, I've got a satellite connection. I wonder if I could get in due to fast but crappy connection haha. Oh well I guess I'll wait.

Congrats to the people that got in.

[thrustbucket]

This second round was completely random, nobody was chosen for any of those things.

Something tells me Cheapy got NXE some other way other than the random lottery. ;)

[FriskyTanuki]

This second round was completely random, nobody was chosen for any of those things.

Something tells me Cheapy got NXE some other way other than the random lottery. ;)
It's not like he didn't confirm (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5083945&postcount=962)that a few posts up.

[Zyzomys]

I was hoping to get in also. I guess this gives me time to find a relatively cheap 120 GB hdd. I am so looking forward to loading my frequently played games simply so that I do not have to listen to the disc drive roaring during game play.

[KingBroly]

See, here's the problem with Cheapy's avatar. I can't tell if it's supposed to be him or J. Allard. But I'm guessing Allard would be a Zombie since no one's seen him in forever.

[LegendK7ll3r]

This giant white blob at the bottom of the screen is already pissing me off, but otherwise, I'm liking it so far.

[moojuice]

Theres a severe lack of minorities represented as templates >_>

[Mojimbo]

Anyone with NXE know how Netflix works with multiple 360 profiles? If someone else on my machine wants to use Netflix will they have to login to my profile? Thanks.

[KaneRobot]

As I believe someone said earlier, the friends list is godawful on the dashboard itself. Thank god they left in the standard one as well. Cheapy is also the only guy on my friends list who has an avatar, daymn. Anyone knows what the "starred" avatar clothing items signify?

[Persona7]

So whens the third wave of invites. :(

[LegendK7ll3r]

So whens the third wave of invites. :(

November 19th. :p

[woodcan]

I was hoping to get in also. I guess this gives me time to find a relatively cheap 120 GB hdd. I am so looking forward to loading my frequently played games simply so that I do not have to listen to the disc drive roaring during game play.

I 2nd that.

[spydey]

No email for me. :(

[moojuice]

I suddenly really want a 120 GB hard drive. Damn you Microsoft.

[Gourd]

Theres a severe lack of minorities represented as templates >_>

Well, honestly, I figured it would be like that. That's usually the case.

I'm just glad that you can /customize/ your character to look quite a bit like yourself. That's far more important than template avatars that, frankly, DO represent a majority of the population.

Personally I'm excited that beauty marks are in.

[KingBroly]

Here's a question for the NXE beta testers (That's what you are, deal with it):

With the PS3, when you send a FR, in that message you can include a message to go along with it (mainly to spell out where the hell you're from). Does NXE allow you to include messages in FR's or do they still have to be separate messages?

[KaneRobot]

Here's a question for the NXE beta testers (That's what you are, deal with it):

With the PS3, when you send a FR, in that message you can include a message to go along with it (mainly to spell out where the hell you're from). Does NXE allow you to include messages in FR's or do they still have to be separate messages?

Just tried it...you can include a voice message. No text though.

[cochesecochese]

Here's a question for the NXE beta testers (That's what you are, deal with it):

Oh no she di'nt.

[CheapyD]

Anyone knows what the "starred" avatar clothing items signify?
I think those are items that have been added recently.

[shinryuu]

I suddenly really want a 120 GB hard drive. Damn you Microsoft.
Me too.. maybe the 60 will do though.

[Malik112099]

just got this today...love it......also makes me want a bigger HD but I can live without it for a while (till the 120 gig comes down in price more)....

i have a 360 upstairs i play in bed at night sometimes and i take the HD with me....anyone heard of people getting perma banned for putting the NXE on another xbox?

[TrueBlueLS]

The other 360 will have a different console ID and won't be able to access Live until November 19th.

[Chronotrigga]

Is there a video/screenshots showing the current list of clothes for the avatars?

[Aku]

Silly question, I'm sure this download will take quite a while. Will I be able to have the 360 download this while in it's powered off, or "sleep", state or does it have to be fully on? I'd love to have this download for me while I'm at work, but I really don't want to leave my Xbox on by itself for that long.

[KingBroly]

Just tried it...you can include a voice message. No text though.

Thanks for the answer, but I must say that's bullshit.

[ratzombie]

Thanks for the answer, but I must say that's bullshit.

Well "bullshit" is kind of a strong word in this instance, don't you think?

It is... inconvenient... but unlike the PS3 you can send a friend request and a message through Xbox.com, so sending a message is a lot easier as you don't have to connect a USB keyboard and such.

[Malik112099]

Silly question, I'm sure this download will take quite a while. Will I be able to have the 360 download this while in it's powered off, or "sleep", state or does it have to be fully on? I'd love to have this download for me while I'm at work, but I really don't want to leave my Xbox on by itself for that long.


Took less than 10 minutes for me.

[orbit18]

I have the nxe thing, but i had a question. I installed gow2, but if i hit play game I notice it is louder than when I hit y and then say play from hard drive. does anyone else get this?>

[Redrazorback]

Well, I just expanded to the 120 gig hard drive. I'm all set now for the game installs!

[ebiya]

any chance the video player can now play subtitles with xvid/divx files? like .srt or .sub?

[xbox_mole]

Silly question, I'm sure this download will take quite a while. Will I be able to have the 360 download this while in it's powered off, or "sleep", state or does it have to be fully on? I'd love to have this download for me while I'm at work, but I really don't want to leave my Xbox on by itself for that long.

NXE is a 128 MB download so it won't really take that long and the console will auto-update when you go to sign into Live you won't be able to download it while powering it off.

[xbox_mole]

I have the nxe thing, but i had a question. I installed gow2, but if i hit play game I notice it is louder than when I hit y and then say play from hard drive. does anyone else get this?>

Well if you just choose to play the game it's going to play the game from the disc and be louder. If you chose to play from the hard drive it spins the disc shortly when the title loads to confirm that you own the title and then stops spinning the disc and plays entirely from the HD.

[KaneRobot]

NXE is a 128 MB download so it won't really take that long and the console will auto-update when you go to sign into Live you won't be able to download it while powering it off.

It took less than 3 minutes total for me. There are two updates, one small one that you apply from the old dashboard that restarts your console, then another when the console restarts that actually installs the new dash. Was surprised how quick it was.

This may be unrelated/just a change in luck, but watching Inside XBox videos also is much quicker for me now. Quick buffering and no pausing while watching. Now if only the Inside XBox videos were worth watching.

[slickkill77]

It took less than 3 minutes total for me. There are two updates, one small one that you apply from the old dashboard that restarts your console, then another when the console restarts that actually installs the new dash. Was surprised how quick it was.

This may be unrelated/just a change in luck, but watching Inside XBox videos also is much quicker for me now. Quick buffering and no pausing while watching. Now if only the Inside XBox videos were worth watching.


I think they are saying it will take a long time because everyone and their mother will be dld this on the same day

[LinkinPrime]

As I believe someone said earlier, the friends list is godawful on the dashboard itself. Thank god they left in the standard one as well. Cheapy is also the only guy on my friends list who has an avatar, daymn. Anyone knows what the "starred" avatar clothing items signify?

I believe I heard from a MajorNelson preview that it was to mark the new items.