New XBOX Experience - General Discussion

[KaneRobot]

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

Yeah, just went on the newsgroup discussion about NXE and saw that. Thanks (thanks Cheapy too).



One new thing I noticed (at least I think it's new, correct me if I'm wrong) - most people who have the camera are probably familiar with how the dashboard sort of put up a "watery" image of what the camera is viewing as a transparent overlay. Well, I just noticed if you go to "change theme," there is a new menu to the right of the main theme selection that lets you pick a few different camera effects. One is the "watery" one that current dash users see. There is also a "dotty" one that basically puts a large set of pulsating pixels up instead, as well as an "edgy" one that sort of gives it a splotchy/grainy effect...makes the outlines of objects really bold. You can also select to turn the effects off completely.

The watery one is probably the least intrusive. The dotty one is pretty pointless to me, looks crappy. The edgy one is actually cool but it's almost too bold, it really changes the look of your dash.

[zewone]

Yeah, just went on the newsgroup discussion about NXE and saw that. Thanks (thanks Cheapy too).



One new thing I noticed (at least I think it's new, correct me if I'm wrong) - most people who have the camera are probably familiar with how the dashboard sort of put up a "watery" image of what the camera is viewing as a transparent overlay. Well, I just noticed if you go to "change theme," there is a new menu to the right of the main theme selection that lets you pick a few different camera effects. One is the "watery" one that current dash users see. There is also a "dotty" one that basically puts a large set of pulsating pixels up instead, as well as an "edgy" one that sort of gives it a splotchy/grainy effect...makes the outlines of objects really bold. You can also select to turn the effects off completely.

The watery one is probably the least intrusive. The dotty one is pretty pointless to me, looks crappy. The edgy one is actually cool but it's almost too bold, it really changes the look of your dash.
Those have been there. They are on the old dash.

[orbit18]

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.

Hmm thats strange though. I figure they would be smart and it would auto detect whether the game was installed and just play it from the hard drive no matter which option you picked. Seems like an extra step they added in for no reason.

[Jesse_Dylan]

Hmm thats strange though. I figure they would be smart and it would auto detect whether the game was installed and just play it from the hard drive no matter which option you picked. Seems like an extra step they added in for no reason.

Yeah, it does auto-detect if it's on the HDD or not. It's not going to run it off the disc if you've already got it installed on the hard drive.

Unless my version of the new dash is different than others', I'd say there must have been some kind of problem with the installation.

[espy605]

Yeah, it does auto-detect if it's on the HDD or not. It's not going to run it off the disc if you've already got it installed on the hard drive.

Unless my version of the new dash is different than others', I'd say there must have been some kind of problem with the installation.

Mine is the same as yours, although some games crank up the internal fan, like Gears of War 2, so it sounds like it's playing from disc.

[orbit18]

maybe thats why it sounds loud on some games i play

[KingBroly]

If it doesn't play quietly, what's the point of installing it? And don't give me this disc drive wear and tear nonsense, as HDD wear and tear becomes its' replacement.

[bigdaddybruce44]

If it doesn't play quietly, what's the point of installing it? And don't give me this disc drive wear and tear nonsense, as HDD wear and tear becomes its' replacement.

Difference is, there hasn't been widespread issues with the 360 hard drives. Earlier 360 optical drives were trash. So, it's still important factor. Also, load times are still a benefit from hard drive installs.

[SynGamer]

If it doesn't play quietly, what's the point of installing it? And don't give me this disc drive wear and tear nonsense, as HDD wear and tear becomes its' replacement.
Seriously, just stop posting if you're going to bitch and complain so much. There's nothing you can do to stop this update aside from not connecting to live starting Nov. 19th so just get over it. You don't have to use the feature, move on.

[Jesse_Dylan]

Right, there's no one forcing the install feature upon anyone. It's totally optional, and I'm grateful that they throw it out there for nerds like me. I love it, personally, because it solves the problem of my ailing optical drive and the noise. If the cooling fan has to turn on, I can definitely handle that. Much rather listen to a fan than a grinding optical drive. It improves load times pretty drastically (especially considering my load times were a little more than normal with my drive skipping).

I never seem to have drive trouble installing, and running off the hard drive is fantastic.

I'm certainly not letting MS off the hook for selling me a janky system, or for their high prices on HDDs, but there's really nothing I can do about those things besides make sardonic comments, and this is a good solution (until the video shorts out or something--I'm getting blue bars across the screen that scroll up, only really visible when the screen is particularly dark... at least when it red rings, I'll still have Fallout 3 on PC, or whatever else, and my new Christmas PS3 [sold my soul to Wal-mart on the 8th] to keep me more than busy, and if my warranty is out by then, I'll buy an Arcade unit and strap my 120gb HDD to it and grouse rancorously into the next console generation about my travails).

Sorry, having a little gin before bed. Makes me garrulous and haphazardly punctuative.

[ninja dog]

If it doesn't play quietly, what's the point of installing it? And don't give me this disc drive wear and tear nonsense, as HDD wear and tear becomes its' replacement.


umm, it plays quieter than with the disc drive spinning. are you ret...nevermind.

[smarkbran]

umm, it plays quieter than with the disc drive spinning. are you ret...nevermind.

Haha

[hankmecrankme]

I cannot wait to get GOW2 installed on my HDD. 20 GB user here, so that will be the only game I'll install.

[Malik112099]

just requested the transfer kit..prolly gonna pick up a used 120gig from gamestop

[crunchb3rry]

So what exactly is the benefit of installing to the HDD in regards to online? Like in Battlefield, for example, will you get into the game faster than disc loaders? As if getting to the choppers and artillery were not hard enough...

[SynGamer]

So what exactly is the benefit of installing to the HDD in regards to online? Like in Battlefield, for example, will you get into the game faster than disc loaders? As if getting to the choppers and artillery were not hard enough...
Online games still wait for EVERYONE to load before the game starts, so i don't think we'll be seeing actual advantages gameplay wise.

[KingBroly]

Has anyone tried out the party system with games that don't have a party system implemented into them? This feature seems like the most questionable feature in the new dash to me in terms of where it drops you (ranked/unranked/public/private and what options your given for those games (maps/times/rounds), etc.

[Mojimbo]

AFAIK, the party system is basically just 8 player private voice chat with a menu option to send mass invites to all the people in your party.

[GamerDaddy85]

So I see you can copy games from the disc to the HDD with the new NXE. Whats to prevent us from renting from Blockbuster, and copying the game? This is funny to me, because a lot of people are gonna stop buying games and just rent/copy to HDD. Seven dollars for new releases? Not bad!

[Zyzomys]

So I see you can copy games from the disc to the HDD with the new NXE. Whats to prevent us from renting from Blockbuster, and copying the game? This is funny to me, because a lot of people are gonna stop buying games and just rent/copy to HDD. Seven dollars for new releases? Not bad!As soon as NXE is available on November 17 you should copy all your games to your hard drive and then take them to your local EBGames and trade them in immediately before the trade in values completely plummet. Better yet, download the bootleg version now, and do all the copying today. Then tonight you can get the best trade in values possible. Act now! Your trade in values will only suffer the longer you wait.

[homeland]

As soon as NXE is available on November 17 you should copy all your games to your hard drive and then take them to your local EBGames and trade them in immediately before the trade in values completely plummet. Better yet, download the bootleg version now, and do all the copying today. Then tonight you can get the best trade in values possible. Act now! Your trade in values will only suffer the longer you wait.
:lol:

[-GoodFella-]

I thought you needed the game disc in order to verify the game in the HDD???

[bigdaddybruce44]

So I see you can copy games from the disc to the HDD with the new NXE. Whats to prevent us from renting from Blockbuster, and copying the game? This is funny to me, because a lot of people are gonna stop buying games and just rent/copy to HDD. Seven dollars for new releases? Not bad!

You still need to put the disc into the drive, in order to verify that you own the game.

[Zyzomys]

Shhh! Some lessons in life need to be learned the hard way! Personally I am looking forward to all the posts following November 17 with people complaining that the NXE broke their Xbox 360s and that their games will no longer play.

[thrustbucket]

As soon as NXE is available on November 17 you should copy all your games to your hard drive and then take them to your local EBGames and trade them in immediately before the trade in values completely plummet. Better yet, download the bootleg version now, and do all the copying today. Then tonight you can get the best trade in values possible. Act now! Your trade in values will only suffer the longer you wait.

Well the poor kids first, but not last, confusion would arise on the 17th when the update didn't happen. Because it happens on the 19th.

[KingBroly]

Shhh! Some lessons in life need to be learned the hard way! Personally I am looking forward to all the posts following November 17 with people complaining that the NXE broke their Xbox 360s and that their games will no longer play.

Sad thing is, I can't wait for that to happen to some dumbasses. I just wonder if Gamestop is going to be nice or not.

[SynGamer]

Sad thing is, I can't wait for that to happen to some dumbasses. I just wonder if Gamestop is going to be nice or not.
Why should they?

[guyver2077]

You still need to put the disc into the drive, in order to verify that you own the game.

that sort of defeats the purpose of it for myself atleast

[bigdaddybruce44]

that sort of defeats the purpose of it for myself atleast

As has been mentioned before, there are more benefits from it, including increasing the lifespan of the DVD drive and decreasing load times. Also, you really can't expect them to NOT require the disc. I think we all know by now where that would lead.

[Chase]

As has been mentioned before, there are more benefits from it, including increasing the lifespan of the DVD drive and decreasing load times. Also, you really can't expect them to NOT require the disc. I think we all know by now where that would lead.


I support game installs for all reasons above and how it will allow the 360 to run a lot more quietly.

[KingofOldSchool]

So I see you can copy games from the disc to the HDD with the new NXE. Whats to prevent us from renting from Blockbuster, and copying the game? This is funny to me, because a lot of people are gonna stop buying games and just rent/copy to HDD. Seven dollars for new releases? Not bad!

Yeah, you should hurry up and download it onto your XBox so you can rip the games onto your hard drive. That way you can trade in all of your games to Gamestop for a nice profit.

That's the true cheap ass way. :)

[Pratt75]

I support game installs for all reasons above and how it will allow the 360 to run a lot more quietly.

This is the biggest feature for me. A quiter, cooler system hopefully increases the system lifespan.

[SynGamer]

So I see you can copy games from the disc to the HDD with the new NXE. Whats to prevent us from renting from Blockbuster, and copying the game? This is funny to me, because a lot of people are gonna stop buying games and just rent/copy to HDD. Seven dollars for new releases? Not bad!
People are already doing this. The NXE update was leaked a week or two ago and that's what everyone is doing. Might want to get in on that leaked update before they patch the file...

[moojuice]

Huh, I just got prompted to update again. Wonder what is going on.

And this one is gonna take a while...10+ minutes.

[DestroVega]

Huh, I just got prompted to update again. Wonder what is going on.

And this one is gonna take a while...10+ minutes.

Beta testing proof.

[Megalith]

Is the NXE seriously 720p native? The jokes simply don't cease.

[bigdaddybruce44]

People are already doing this. The NXE update was leaked a week or two ago and that's what everyone is doing. Might want to get in on that leaked update before they patch the file...

Yeah. But remember, you have to wrap a towel around your 360 and stuff it into a cramped area, as well.

[Jesse_Dylan]

As soon as NXE is available on November 17 you should copy all your games to your hard drive and then take them to your local EBGames and trade them in immediately before the trade in values completely plummet. Better yet, download the bootleg version now, and do all the copying today. Then tonight you can get the best trade in values possible. Act now! Your trade in values will only suffer the longer you wait.

HA! I was just going to say that, feeling all clever about myself; you beat me to it!

Better yet, we should all download and install the NXE early and copy all our games to our HDD and trade them in immediately.

I wonder if there will be a flood of this once NXE releases? And then a subsequent flood of "OMG... what have I done?"

("Please insert disc to play.")

Next, someone will say, "WTF is the point of installing it if you still need the disk?" :)

I'm surprised this feature was even included, seeing the confusion it has already wrought. I'm glad they included it, though; I'm already using it, and I already can't imagine living without it. Games should have had install options from the get-go the way some PS3 titles (Valkyria Chronicles, for one) excellently offer.

Well the poor kids first, but not last, confusion would arise on the 17th when the update didn't happen. Because it happens on the 19th.

Ha!

[KingBroly]

If I were a Gamestop employee, and it was the 19th, or soon thereafter, all 360 trade-ins would be accompanied by the 'Are you aware that even if you have the game installed on your HDD you still need the disc to play this game, right'?

Someone might disagree with me on this, but it's the smart business thing to do. Because once they figure out you still need the disc to play the game, they're going to feel they were tricked into trading the game in, and are never going to shop there again.

[Chronotrigga]

WOW WHAT A DEAL! Someone is selling a 120GB HD on eBay with Fable 2, Fallout 3, GoW2, and more for only $80! This will happen in the near future. Instead of people getting scammed by trading in stuff at Gamestop, other people will be capitalizing on this and gaining a profit.

[KingofOldSchool]

This will happen in the near future. Instead of people getting scammed by trading in stuff at Gamestop, other people will be capitalizing on this and gaining a profit.

Hell I'd take a 120gb HDD for $80.

[KingBroly]

This will happen in the near future. Instead of people getting scammed by trading in stuff at Gamestop, other people will be capitalizing on this and gaining a profit.

I know Microsoft's intentions for this were good, but there's going to be so much shit with this feature it's going to be mindboggling.

[FrankySox]

Hell I'd take a 120gb HDD for $80.

I second that.

[Goodeye]

If I were a Gamestop employee, and it was the 19th, or soon thereafter, all 360 trade-ins would be accompanied by the 'Are you aware that even if you have the game installed on your HDD you still need the disc to play this game, right'?

Someone might disagree with me on this, but it's the smart business thing to do. Because once they figure out you still need the disc to play the game, they're going to feel they were tricked into trading the game in, and are never going to shop there again.


The store my brother works at is doing this... I spoke to his manager at the GOW2 launch last week and he has instructed all his employees to do that since they all own a 360 they are aware of this feature coming etc...

[woodcan]

I got an $80 120GB HDD on clearance at Target tonight!

[cochesecochese]

I got an $80 120GB HDD on clearance at Target tonight!

Nice going! Be sure to fill it up now.

[SynGamer]

If I were a Gamestop employee, and it was the 19th, or soon thereafter, all 360 trade-ins would be accompanied by the 'Are you aware that even if you have the game installed on your HDD you still need the disc to play this game, right'?

Someone might disagree with me on this, but it's the smart business thing to do. Because once they figure out you still need the disc to play the game, they're going to feel they were tricked into trading the game in, and are never going to shop there again.
What? From a business standpoint i'm not going to say anything. Let the dumb-ass(s) trade their games in only to realize they still need the disc. GameStop will not only rip the kids off with the trade-in, they'll rip them off again when the kid comes back to buy the games they traded in used.

[KingBroly]

What? From a business standpoint i'm not going to say anything. Let the dumb-ass(s) trade their games in only to realize they still need the disc. GameStop will not only rip the kids off with the trade-in, they'll rip them off again when the kid comes back to buy the games they traded in used.

It's long-term vs. short-term business. Why make money now when you could make more over the long run?

[ratzombie]

It's long-term vs. short-term business. Why make money now when you could make more over the long run?

It doesn't make any sense, Broly. Why is it Gamestop's job to inform their customers of this? And it's not like they ask you why you're trading your games in. Now, having a little poster/pamphlet around that informs about this from Microsoft would be a swell thing to do but they are by no means obligated to do that.

No one sane is going to get angry at Gamestop for buying their trade games, they are most likely to be pissed at Microsoft/360 than Gamestop.

[dabebop]

I got an $80 120GB HDD on clearance at Target tonight!

Wait how can this be on clearance !?! :whee:

[007]

I

No one sane is going to get angry at Gamestop for buying their trade games, they are most likely to be pissed at Microsoft/360 than Gamestop.

Yes, but how many sane people shop at GameStop? Most people that this is going to happen to ARE going to get mad at Gamestop, because what's the FIRST THING they're going to do when they get home and realize the problem?

That's right, go back to Gamestop and ask for their games back.

Of course, GS isn't going to do that. Then, what's the next option? Buy them back for the used prices?

Yeah, no way people are going to be mad at GS here. ;)


... I understand that it's not their problem, but people will always blame the immediate issue, not the overall one. Most won't even make the logical jump to blame MS, they'll just want their damn games back. So, yeah, if it comes down to it... Gamestop should confirm with people why they're trading in an entire stack of 360 games, at least for the first week.

It's something that should be done, if only to save GS employees massive personal headaches.

[ratzombie]

Well that is really difficult for me to comprehend, as it makes absolutely no sense to get pissed at Gamestop or any other store that accepts trades. Hell, it doesn't make any sense to get pissed at Microsoft either in my opinion.

Maybe I'm overestimating the logic of the typical gamer.

[TrueBlueLS]

If someone were to trade all of their 360 games into Gamestop after installing them to the hard drive, it wouldn't be hard to get them back. People would just need to know the correct chain of command. As a business, it is that companies duty to know what is going on and inform their customers. With escalating the issue to a district manager or possibly higher up in corporate, I could see someone getting their games back without having to rebuy them. It isn't the first time I've heard of that happening.

[SynGamer]

It's long-term vs. short-term business. Why make money now when you could make more over the long run?
Here's my rational behind my decision;

Those dumb enough to actually think they can install the games, then trade them in have likely decided that they can rent games in the future and continue doing the same thing. That's piracy and for that, while at first they may not think of it as piracy, that is what they would be doing. But we know they need the disks still so shame on them.

As such, they will now have to repurchase their games. They will likely do so at GameStop (or other Video/Movie store) because they sell used games. The customer will be pissed in the short-run, but come to realize that they made a mistake. Long-term, they will likely continue to shop at GameStop (or other said stores) if they shopped their prior to the update.

[SynGamer]

Yes, but how many sane people shop at GameStop? Most people that this is going to happen to ARE going to get mad at Gamestop, because what's the FIRST THING they're going to do when they get home and realize the problem?

That's right, go back to Gamestop and ask for their games back.

Of course, GS isn't going to do that. Then, what's the next option? Buy them back for the used prices?

Yeah, no way people are going to be mad at GS here. ;)

... I understand that it's not their problem, but people will always blame the immediate issue, not the overall one. Most won't even make the logical jump to blame MS, they'll just want their damn games back. So, yeah, if it comes down to it... Gamestop should confirm with people why they're trading in an entire stack of 360 games, at least for the first week.

It's something that should be done, if only to save GS employees massive personal headaches.
Fuck GS employees. They blow so much shit out of their asses it's not even funny.

[SynGamer]

If someone were to trade all of their 360 games into Gamestop after installing them to the hard drive, it wouldn't be hard to get them back. People would just need to know the correct chain of command. As a business, it is that companies duty to know what is going on and inform their customers. With escalating the issue to a district manager or possibly higher up in corporate, I could see someone getting their games back without having to rebuy them. It isn't the first time I've heard of that happening.
Nononono...it is NOT their duty. Their duty is first and foremost to the shareholders I'm sure there is a lovely little message on the NXE when you install a game that tells you the game disc is still required. If someone could post screens from the install process, that would be great.

[Malik112099]

I'm trying to remember the sudden explosion of people trading in games after installing them when the PS3 came out....oh..it didn't happen. While people might be eager to try this, one would think that they would try playing the game without the disk before trading it in just to be sure it works. Either way I don't see this being such a big deal.

[Jesse_Dylan]

I'm trying to remember the sudden explosion of people trading in games after installing them when the PS3 came out....oh..it didn't happen. While people might be eager to try this, one would think that they would try playing the game without the disk before trading it in just to be sure it works. Either way I don't see this being such a big deal.

You can install games on PS3? Aren't they rather large, being on Blu-Ray?

Whatever the case, this is a "new" feature on the 360, lots of hype floating around about it, and lots of people not understanding what it does or what it's for. I think we also have a larger base of less savvy folk on the 360. I'm not saying there'll be an explosion, but there will be some of it. It's amazing how many people I've heard say, "It comes out the same day as Last Remnant! I'm gonna install it and trade it in right away!" and things like that.

I got an $80 120GB HDD on clearance at Target tonight!

Dang... I got mine there for $125! I wonder if I should've waited. I don't suppose I could get a partial refund? I don't know if I even have the receipt, so I guess not!

[Corvin]

Those dumb enough to actually think they can install the games, then trade them in have likely decided that they can rent games in the future and continue doing the same thing. That's piracy and for that, while at first they may not think of it as piracy, that is what they would be doing. But we know they need the disks still so shame on them.


Exactly. The onus falls on the pirate consumer. If they think they can pirate install all their games and trade them in willy-nilly, that's their own damn fault. However I do believe there should be a strong disclaimer on the dashboard about installs.

[Malik112099]

Has anyone tried to play an installed game without the disk?

EDIT: Just tried Fallout...you have to go to the Game Library then you can choose one of your games. When i chose fallout it had the "play from hard drive" option and when I picked it, it told me to insert the disk. This is exactly what I thought it would do other than giving me the option to play the game even without a disk in the tray.

[strongpimphand]

How is this confusing? The ps3 basically does the same thing!!!

If anything, it should be marketed just like the ps3's feature. You can load your games faster with quieter effects. Anyone who thinks they're smart by just installing their games and then returning it DESERVES to be milked like cereal!

Shoot, I had concerns about the feature too. So, you know what I did? I SEARCHED FOR INFORMATION!!! Went to this thread. All M$ has to do is tell me that by loading fable 2 on my HD, I can finallly run through it without hearing my 360 weeze and gasp for breath.

[Malik112099]

DESERVES to be milked like cereal!


wat

[Goodeye]

The difference between the PS3 installs and 360 installs is the whole game is not installed to the PS3 Only selected parts are installed to help with loading times etc... In the case of the 360 the whole game is installed to the hard drive.

[ninja dog]

How is this confusing? The ps3 basically does the same thing!!!

If anything, it should be marketed just like the ps3's feature. You can load your games faster with quieter effects. Anyone who thinks they're smart by just installing their games and then returning it DESERVES to be milked like cereal!



PS3 does mandatory partial installs just to get load times to normal. They don't market it...in fact, they try to keep quiet about that.

[thrustbucket]

I am actually continuously surprised by how many people on CAG still have NOT boycotted GS.

[KingofOldSchool]

I am actually continuously surprised by how many people on CAG still have NOT boycotted GS.

Why should they?

[slickkill77]

Why should they?


They do suck in some aspects but no reason to boycott

[ninja dog]

I am actually continuously surprised by how many people on CAG still have NOT boycotted GS.

Because overall, it's the most convenient option to get "cheap" games. And the site is called "cheap" ass gamer. Sure, people run into problems dealing with them, but please name one retailer that doesn't have a vocal crowd of haters. Even amazon has issues.

[hufferstl]

I can't wait for this thread to be closed.

[greyzieoriental]

has anyone tried taking the disc out during playing from the HDD?

[kevlar51]

has anyone tried taking the disc out during playing from the HDD?

What would that accomplish?

[ratzombie]

has anyone tried taking the disc out during playing from the HDD?
It kicks you back to the dash if I remember correctly.

[Chase]

I have no issue with paying for Xbox Live Gold each year. I do have issue with how advertisements run rampant throughout NXE. I browsed screenshots of the new interface, and there are far too many advertisements.

[thrustbucket]

I have no issue with paying for Xbox Live Gold each year. I do have issue with how advertisements run rampant throughout NXE. I browsed screenshots of the new interface, and there are far too many advertisements.

I agree. A live subscription should omit advertisements.

[cochesecochese]

Why should they?

Used games being sold as new, terrible trade in values, screwing people over on preorder extras, etc.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Because overall, it's the most convenient option to get "cheap" games. And the site is called "cheap" ass gamer. Sure, people run into problems dealing with them, but please name one retailer that doesn't have a vocal crowd of haters. Even amazon has issues.

Indeed. There are a lot of people on here who don't blindly hate on GameStop. It has it's issues, but it also has a ton of positives. Where else are you getting a used copy of newly-released games for $35? I've gotten a bunch of them over the last year, thanks to the 25% off coupons and EDGE. The $10 bonus for two current-gen games is a great way to dump crap off on them. And the reality is, like it or not, there are a lot of bonuses and such that are exclusive to GS. Smart CAGs deal with GS when it is to their advantage. They certainly don't disregard a store...ever. That's basically cutting down the competition for your dollar, and that's not being "cheap" at all.

[guyver2077]

The difference between the PS3 installs and 360 installs is the whole game is not installed to the PS3 Only selected parts are installed to help with loading times etc... In the case of the 360 the whole game is installed to the hard drive.


Right. The way it was marketed made it seem like you can copy your games to your hd and not need to carry your discs around.

That is what i was looking forward too but now it doesnt seem like such a great feature. If anything they are just catching up with sony.

[thrustbucket]

The fair way to do it, and probably the way it will be done on the next Xbox console, is to either require the disc in the drive, or require you to be connected online to play it, and have some type of registration system. Or, they will likely start shipping games with unique codes that allow that game to be installed, disc-less, on one console, and no require the disc.

[BoneMonkey80]

I can't wait for this!

[dastly75]

Supposedly Halo 3 loads slower when installed to the HDD. From a Bungie.net weblord:

The Xbox 360 hard drive has limited bandwidth. Any game that is heavily optimzed to use the hard drive for caching (like Halo 3) is going to see little to no gain for "installing" it using the NXE. Our tests show Halo 3 usually loads assets slower when you use the NXE install feature.

This isn't a bug - it is a consequence of Halo 3 already utilizing the hard drive to its maximum ability. It doesn't need the NXE to load faster, as it is already doing everything it can to speed things up.

In short, don't use the NXE to install Halo 3 to your hard drive. We already did the work to make the game use the hard drive in the best way for Halo 3, a generalized solution in the form of the NXE installation feature is not required.

[TrueBlueLS]

Used games being sold as new, terrible trade in values, screwing people over on preorder extras, etc.


Are you referring to used games sold as new when they gut the cases to prevent theft? Screwing people over on preorder bonuses? So it's Gamestop's fault that a vendor couldn't supply them with what was promised? I'll give you terrible trade in values though.

[screwkick]

USA Today has a sign up to get the update. Only 250 people though...hurry!

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-11-10-xbox-live_N.htm#uslPageReturn

[SynGamer]

USA Today has a sign up to get the update. Only 250 people though...hurry!

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-11-10-xbox-live_N.htm#uslPageReturn
MS is turning this into a circus, seriously. They should just send out X number of invites each day until Nov 19th in hopes of reducing SOME of the lag that will no doubt plague XBL on that day.

[orbit18]

i just sent a email to them, i hope i get in :)


edit: when do you think they will tell u if u got in. if i sent it 5 minutes ago, do you think i got in?

[zewone]

USA Today has a sign up to get the update. Only 250 people though...hurry!

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-11-10-xbox-live_N.htm#uslPageReturn
I took a shot at it, but I assume 250 people have already emailed them in the past hour and a half since the article has been up.

[screwkick]

I took a shot at it, but I assume 250 people have already emailed them in the past hour and a half since the article has been up.

I thought that too, but I figured a lot of people may still be at work and don't know off hand their console's id and serial number.

[strongpimphand]

the difference is while its easy to input your ID name....it's much harder to actually get home and turn on your console for the # and ID!

[Goodeye]

Hey does anyone here at all have a valid month trial for netflix? If so could you PM me? I really wanna try out the netflix on 360... Your help is greatly greatly appreciated.

[orbit18]

well not many people know this, but you can go to xbox.com/drm and tell ur serial and console id # from there

[strongpimphand]

Supposedly Halo 3 loads slower when installed to the HDD. From a Bungie.net weblord:

The Xbox 360 hard drive has limited bandwidth. Any game that is heavily optimzed to use the hard drive for caching (like Halo 3) is going to see little to no gain for "installing" it using the NXE. Our tests show Halo 3 usually loads assets slower when you use the NXE install feature.

This isn't a bug - it is a consequence of Halo 3 already utilizing the hard drive to its maximum ability. It doesn't need the NXE to load faster, as it is already doing everything it can to speed things up.

In short, don't use the NXE to install Halo 3 to your hard drive. We already did the work to make the game use the hard drive in the best way for Halo 3, a generalized solution in the form of the NXE installation feature is not required.
wow.....hopefully M$ tells everyone which games shouldn't be installed so the user doesn't have to go scouring message boards to find out for themselves!

and i agree with someone else concerning ads - i can understand the free version having them, but the paid version too???? it's like at pogo.com. I pay 30 dollars a year mainly so I don't have to have my game interrupted by ads. it's really a case of the rich getting richer!

[screwkick]

According to the author of the article on usa today.com, the sign up button will remain until 250 people have singed up, then they will remove it. So if you still see the sign up button, your chances of getting in are pretty good.

[Goodeye]

Yeah but what If I don't want my most played games running the disc AT ALL? In the case of Halo 3 this is the only benefit.

[SynGamer]

According to the author of the article on usa today.com, the sign up button will remain until 250 people have singed up, then they will remove it. So if you still see the sign up button, your chances of getting in are pretty good.
But what if the author is lazy? ;)

[cochesecochese]

Are you referring to used games sold as new when they gut the cases to prevent theft? Screwing people over on preorder bonuses? So it's Gamestop's fault that a vendor couldn't supply them with what was promised? I'll give you terrible trade in values though.

No, I'm referring to games being gutted and then brought home for employees to play. On three separate occasions I bought a 'new' DS game only to bring it home and find save files on it.

I worked at a GameStop in Vermont for a brief while. When I worked there it was a regular occurrence for the manager to give away preorder schwag to his longtime employees even though he was only sent enough to cover his preorders. From what I understand this was a common practice at all other Gamestops in the area. If Gamestop can't come through with the preorder bonuses then the chain shouldn't accept peoples' money for them.

[screwkick]

But what if the author is lazy? ;)

Good point.

Also from what I have read, when they get the 250, they will then send the info to Microsoft (Major Nelson probably), and they will then send the update directly to your console sometime tomorrow.

[Owen]

USA Today has a sign up to get the update. Only 250 people though...hurry!

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2008-11-10-xbox-live_N.htm#uslPageReturn

250 seems so randomly low but I guess USA Today will be getting a lot of new members signing up just for the chance to give the new dashboard a try.

[HotShotX]

Found this at the bottom of the article:

Posted 18h 29m ago
Updated 2h 3m ago

I'm skeptical as to whether any of us got in.

~HotShotX

[Malik112099]

just got back from checking 4 local targets for 120gb hdds. Only one had them and they were $125. I pulled the trigger and grabbed one. Installing cod4 now.

[KingBroly]

I think the Halo 3 response given was a load of BS. Let's see...what's the main draw of the install feature? OH YEAH! TO PLAY YOUR GAMES IN PEACE! Their stupid game, along with every other MGS-published game I have runs louder than all non-MGS titles I have.

[Stonecoldfreak1]

you sign up for their site and then you have to email them? eh? why even have the sign up button if you don't log in, fill out a form, and then submit your information to them?

[ratzombie]

I sent the email, probably no chance but whatever.

[thrustbucket]

you sign up for their site and then you have to email them? eh? why even have the sign up button if you don't log in, fill out a form, and then submit your information to them?

It is kind of wonkey. But I signed up anyway, just in case they check to see if you are really a USA today member.

Edit: From the author, posted 22 minutes ago in the talkback:

We will post a note when we hit 250. Thanks again for your participation.

Mike

[KingBroly]

Too much hassle for a week preview.

[Kevlar281]

I thought the sign-up process was pretty painless.

Did anyone else make it a point to comment on the article just in case?

[ratzombie]

I thought the sign-up process was pretty painless.

Did anyone else make it a point to comment on the article just in case?
No.

Kevlar281 wrote: 6m ago
Yay!

:lol:

[Aku]

Just sent an email. Thought it'd be worth a shot. Plus it'd be nice to get a chance to download it on my days off.

[orbit18]

It is kind of wonkey. But I signed up anyway, just in case they check to see if you are really a USA today member.

Edit: From the author, posted 22 minutes ago in the talkback:



pretty awesome, then I think i have a very good chance! Cause I signed up whenever someone first posted about the article in the thread, which was like over a hour or two ago

[screwkick]

pretty awesome, then I think i have a very good chance! Cause I signed up whenever someone first posted about the article in the thread, which was like over a hour or two ago

That was me. I registered about 2 hours ago. I hope this isn't a scam, as it seem odd that they haven't hit 250 people yet.

[LinkinPrime]

According to the author of the article on usa today.com, the sign up button will remain until 250 people have singed up, then they will remove it. So if you still see the sign up button, your chances of getting in are pretty good.

Damn...It's still up...I'd try to get in but I don't know my console id since I'm not home :-(

[orbit18]

Damn...It's still up...I'd try to get in but I don't know my console id since I'm not home :-(


you can check it like i said in my earlier post, if you go to http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/licensemigration/ and sign in, it shoudl tell you it.

[KingofOldSchool]

That was me. I registered about 2 hours ago. I hope this isn't a scam, as it seem odd that they haven't hit 250 people yet.

Yes USA Today, a major newspaper is trying to scam customers and potential customers.

[Aku]

That was me. I registered about 2 hours ago. I hope this isn't a scam, as it seem odd that they haven't hit 250 people yet.

Would be funny as hell if it was. I can see the headlines on X3F tomorrow: "Thousands of 360 players have there console identities stolen by USA Today!"

Or maybe I'll see a cover on the mag at work: "HA HA! SUCKERS!"

[Goodeye]

you can check it like i said in my earlier post, if you go to http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/licensemigration/ and sign in, it shoudl tell you it.


That only gives you the console ID not the serial...

[orbit18]

That only gives you the console ID not the serial...

lol thats all he was askin for :p

edit: how ever you can check ur console repair on the website repair thing if you ever did it over the online, and it will tell u the serial #

[screwkick]

Yes USA Today, a major newspaper is trying to scam customers and potential customers.
Websites have been hijacked before...just sayin'

[Goodeye]

lol thats all he was askin for :p

edit: how ever you can check ur console repair on the website repair thing if you ever did it over the online, and it will tell u the serial #

Ah..... Well I had to call in for some reason the website never reads my seiral number and tells me to call support who then tells me its registered and good to go so I can't even see it via there.

[thrustbucket]

I am VERY skeptical that they haven't gone over 250 by now. However, I surmise the following:

1- Often, they lowball the actual number of invites they have in these things, I believe.
2- The winners aren't going to hear back on this for a day or two.

[KingofOldSchool]

Used games being sold as new, terrible trade in values, screwing people over on preorder extras, etc.

If that's the worst thing Gamestop does then they aren't anywhere as unethical as Wal*Mart.

[DestroVega]

I got LBP beta through USA today LONG after it went on the website so even though I just emailed them, I think I'll still luck out... if not, no big deal.

[cochesecochese]

If that's the worst thing Gamestop does then they aren't anywhere as unethical as Wal*Mart.

Who said anything about ethics?

[KingofOldSchool]

Who said anything about ethics?

Company ethics is the same thing as business practices.

Just because Gamestop gives low trade in values is nowhere near as bad as Wal*Mart making clothes and such in poor working conditions overseas where the workers get paid almost nothing.

Just saying, boycotting Gamestop over something like that is asinine when there are far worse business models going on.

[Redrazorback]

Well, I sent an email. I figure it's worth taking a shot.

[Manatee]

Who said anything about ethics?

I would assume that is why someone would boycott a business.

[SynGamer]

Company ethics is the same thing as business practices.

Just because Gamestop gives low trade in values is nowhere near as bad as Wal*Mart making clothes and such in poor working conditions overseas where the workers get paid almost nothing.

Just saying, boycotting Gamestop over something like that is asinine when there are far worse business models going on.
Don't get me started on ethics. Wal-Mart 'exploits' foreign nations because their governments allow them to. Wal-Mart, like all corporations, has a fiduciary duty to it's shareholders, to make as much money as possible. It is NOT Wal-Mart's fault that the working conditions are lower overseas. It is also NOT Wal-Mart's fault that there are not established minimum wages.

Blame the government, not the company.

[cochesecochese]

Just because Gamestop gives low trade in values is nowhere near as bad as Wal*Mart making clothes and such in poor working conditions overseas where the workers get paid almost nothing.

Just saying, boycotting Gamestop over something like that is asinine when there are far worse business models going on.

Ok. Just to reiterate.

Gamestop has sold me used games (save files on the carts) marked as new for the full retail price. Gamestop has accepted my money as a deposit in exchange for some preorder trinket and failed to give me the promised trinket yet taken my money nonetheless. Gamestop does not give me enough for trade ins for me to consider the trade in worthwhile.

These are three different business practices that I do not agree with and so I do not shop at Gamestop.

What is it, exactly, that Wal*Mart's labor conditions have to do with any of Gamestop's sales practices?

[XxFuRy2Xx]

I'm not that excited about this new live. I think the current blade system works fine. Also, the avatars don't really do much for me, either. Who knows, I may like it once I actually get to experience it.

[SynGamer]

Ok. Just to reiterate.

Gamestop has sold me used games (save files on the carts) marked as new for the full retail price. Gamestop has accepted my money as a deposit in exchange for some preorder trinket and failed to give me the promised trinket yet taken my money nonetheless. Gamestop does not give me enough for trade ins for me to consider the trade in worthwhile.

These are three different business practices that I do not agree with and so I do not shop at Gamestop.

What is it, exactly, that Wal*Mart's labor conditions have to do with any of Gamestop's sales practices?
Perhaps you are too loose with your money? If your game has a save file, bring it back and threaten to report them (your local GS) to the BBB. And as for pre-orders, if they don't have your 'trinket', get your money back or don't pre-order there.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Gamestop has sold me used games (save files on the carts) marked as new for the full retail price.

Why on earth did you buy the open game and pay full price for it? That's your own problem. I know I would never, unless the game was extremely rare.

Gamestop has accepted my money as a deposit in exchange for some preorder trinket and failed to give me the promised trinket yet taken my money nonetheless.Most pre-order bonuses are first come, first serve. You're not paying $5 for the bonus. You are paying $5 for the pre-order. If you don't get there in time to get the bonus, that's just the way it is.

Gamestop does not give me enough for trade ins for me to consider the trade in worthwhile.Then, you don't trade there. Not that hard.

[TrueBlueLS]

No, I'm referring to games being gutted and then brought home for employees to play. On three separate occasions I bought a 'new' DS game only to bring it home and find save files on it.

I worked at a GameStop in Vermont for a brief while. When I worked there it was a regular occurrence for the manager to give away preorder schwag to his longtime employees even though he was only sent enough to cover his preorders. From what I understand this was a common practice at all other Gamestops in the area. If Gamestop can't come through with the preorder bonuses then the chain shouldn't accept peoples' money for them.

If you bought those DS games all from the same store, that manager should be reprimanded. A game cart is no different than a disc when it comes to the policy that if there is the slightest of use (scratch, save, whatever), then the employee must buy it regardless. Then again, that's why I only check out used games.

The Gamestop that you worked at in Vermont was one of the crap stores. The only way any employee has any way to be entitled to any preorder bonuses would be if the employee preordered the game or if the bonus had sat around the store after the game was released due to the customer not picking it up.

I can admit a bad manager can ruin a store. That's why it is hard to find a good Gamestop that you wouldn't want to screw over. If most of the managers really paid good attention to who is reserving stuff all the time, there wouldn't be as many gripes with the preorder bonuses or customer treatment in the stores.

[cochesecochese]

Perhaps you are too loose with your money? If your game has a save file, bring it back and threaten to report them (your local GS) to the BBB. And as for pre-orders, if they don't have your 'trinket', get your money back or don't pre-order there.

I did bring back the games and I did stop shopping there. As I said before this is the reason I don't shop there anymore...

[Aku]

So, hopping back on topic, let's say I do luck out and get an invite from USA Today. Do my buddies on my friends list have to have the new dash update as well in order to try things out with them, such as the new party system?

[HotShotX]

So, the article has 279 comments, and the "Sign-Up" link has yet to be taken down...

There's definitely no way there hasn't been 250 sign ups yet, so I'm thinking our chances just got a bit dimmer.

Rolling through the comments, the author stated about 5.5 hours ago:

Mike Snider wrote 5h 36m (currently 9:28pm EST) ago:

Everyone who has sent their information in so far should be fine. (If you forgot some of the information, you need to resubmit.) We will not be contacting you directly. You will simply get the Xbox Live update when you start up, probably tomorrow night but possibly sooner.

Thanks again,

Mike

So by my estimate, if you submitted before 4pm EST, you should be good to go.

~HotShotX

[badramen]

Question who have legit NXE, is the download queue still only six items?

[Vulcan2422]

Question who have legit NXE, is the download queue still only six items?

Good question, I hate that damn Download que. Very annoying sometimes.

Also for anybody with the NXE, Are there good sizes for the avatar? Cause I want my Avatar like me, Fat :D

Any good t-shirt options either?

[TrueBlueLS]

The avatars only get so fat. I was surprised by that, but I'm sure some parent would throw a shit fit if they saw their kid's avatar being morbidly obese.

[orbit18]

Author of article where you sign up update:

USA TODAY Staff
Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 5m ago
Hi, thanks for hanging with us. We're right at our 250. Just waiting for a Web designer to change the Sign In function. Thanks so much for participating. We'll get your data to Microsoft. Enjoy the new Xbox Live.

Mike


So Looks like everyone got in if you signed up, until 5 minutes ago. :)

[slickkill77]

If the disc or cart has been used ask for money off. They will do it

[DestroVega]

Author of article where you sign up update:

USA TODAY Staff
Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 5m ago
Hi, thanks for hanging with us. We're right at our 250. Just waiting for a Web designer to change the Sign In function. Thanks so much for participating. We'll get your data to Microsoft. Enjoy the new Xbox Live.

Mike


So Looks like everyone got in if you signed up, until 5 minutes ago. :)

now I'm all excited for maybe nothing. UGH

[Vulcan2422]

The avatars only get so fat. I was surprised by that, but I'm sure some parent would throw a shit fit if they saw their kid's avatar being morbidly obese.


You'd be surprised how many games I actually make my self Morbidly Obese just like my Real self! lol.

But your right though of course. Damn parents.

[Redrazorback]

Author of article where you sign up update:

USA TODAY Staff
Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 5m ago
Hi, thanks for hanging with us. We're right at our 250. Just waiting for a Web designer to change the Sign In function. Thanks so much for participating. We'll get your data to Microsoft. Enjoy the new Xbox Live.

Mike


So Looks like everyone got in if you signed up, until 5 minutes ago. :)

Yep, I just saw that. Since I signed up a little over 4 hours ago I think I should make the cut. Excellent!

[level1online]

woo hoo! only a few days away. looking forward to playing my games with the new 16:10 support.

I currently have a 22" monitor with 1680x1050 native resolution.

[Aku]

Author of article where you sign up update:

USA TODAY Staff
Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 5m ago
Hi, thanks for hanging with us. We're right at our 250. Just waiting for a Web designer to change the Sign In function. Thanks so much for participating. We'll get your data to Microsoft. Enjoy the new Xbox Live.

Mike


So Looks like everyone got in if you signed up, until 5 minutes ago. :)

Woo hoo, looks like I'm in then.:bouncy:

[espy605]

I think the Halo 3 response given was a load of BS. Let's see...what's the main draw of the install feature? OH YEAH! TO PLAY YOUR GAMES IN PEACE! Their stupid game, along with every other MGS-published game I have runs louder than all non-MGS titles I have.

I think they can set the fan speed and MGS titles purposely crank up the fan to keep the system cooler.

[Blackout]

I am really looking forward to this. I'm pretty excited. :bouncy:

[KingBroly]

Can you put old gamerpics on your Avatar's T-shirt?

[KaneRobot]

Cheapy, if you're reading - have you tried the "party" thing yet? You're the only person on my list with it so I haven't been able to see its value yet.

Can you put old gamerpics on your Avatar's T-shirt?

Nope. I hope they let you sometime down the road though.

Someone mentioned the 16x10 support above...yeah it's nice to have the screen in proper aspect ratio, but it makes the overlay text/boxes on the dashboard look like ass. There's definitely some distortion/fuzziness going on with the text. It's not a dealbreaker but it's disappointing.

[Jesse_Dylan]

I think they can set the fan speed and MGS titles purposely crank up the fan to keep the system cooler.

It's possible, but MGS games also tend to push the system a little more.

Fable 2 is an MGS game I think, right? At least for me, there is no fan speed increase. In fact, I have yet to experience it. I think Oblivion gave it to me a few times back in the day, but who could tell with the optical drive roaring away.

I think the fan speeds up when the system gets warm. It's possible they could set it, via instructions in the game code, to come on more readily, but the bottom line is that it's triggered by heat.

So if you're having a lot of fan trouble, I'd check to make sure the exhaust vents are not obstructed on the system and that it's in a well-ventilated location. I also might consider one of those aftermarket fans, which are often quieter than the on-board fan; make sure to get one that has its own power, though, and not one that draws from the 360. That can cause big problems. (Although the ones that draw power from one of the 360's USB ports might be okay.)

If you install once of these external fans and have your box in a well-ventilated area, and the fan still cranks up all the time, I may stand corrected and it may just default to that for that particular game. :) Or, your aftermarket fan might suck, and you still might have it in a poorly ventilated area.

These are tricky systems to work with. (My optical drive won't even OPEN unless there's already a disc in there. Weird, huh?)

[Malik112099]

I want to try the live party but only one other person on my friends list has nxe so far

[benjamouth]

Can you put old gamerpics on your Avatar's T-shirt?

I suspect if you want T-shirts, you'll be paying for them.

[glockant]

There will be an Avatar Store opening in Spring '09..

[D4rkewolfe]

I may not be aware yet, but I do remember that there were some games that were free to play multiplayer (those that were also made for Live for Windows). You could play them with a Silver Membership but it was only going to be until they were ready to launch the new Live for Windows service.

My question, just out of curiosity as I don't have either of those games, is does the NXE make it so those games are now no longer available to play online for Silver members...or is this something that was already fixed and I just missed.

[ananag112]

damn. I didn't sign up because I thought I was too late. Oh well...

[Cantaloup]

Question who have legit NXE, is the download queue still only six items?

I read on GAF that it's been upped to 30.

[Lord_Kefka]

Has anyone else had odd issues since they started this beta? I didn't make the cut (or even obtain it otherwise) and I've been having odd issues with things like my Gamerscore. I've added 30 points in the last week and it doesn't show to my account. I only post this here since I thought the timing was so coincidental. Anyone else having issues?

[YodaEXE]

Has anyone else had odd issues since they started this beta? I didn't make the cut (or even obtain it otherwise) and I've been having odd issues with things like my Gamerscore. I've added 30 points in the last week and it doesn't show to my account. I only post this here since I thought the timing was so coincidental. Anyone else having issues?
I haven't had any troubles.

[Malik112099]

I may not be aware yet, but I do remember that there were some games that were free to play multiplayer (those that were also made for Live for Windows). You could play them with a Silver Membership but it was only going to be until they were ready to launch the new Live for Windows service.

My question, just out of curiosity as I don't have either of those games, is does the NXE make it so those games are now no longer available to play online for Silver members...or is this something that was already fixed and I just missed.


im confused about what you are asking....but if you have a silver account you CANNOT play online multiplayer.

[LegendK7ll3r]

Has anyone else had odd issues since they started this beta? I didn't make the cut (or even obtain it otherwise) and I've been having odd issues with things like my Gamerscore. I've added 30 points in the last week and it doesn't show to my account. I only post this here since I thought the timing was so coincidental. Anyone else having issues?

I've only had trouble with it posting to Xbox.com and sometimes to my Gamercard (not my actual GamerTag, but I mean from MyGamerCard.net and those types of cards). It works fine on my 360, but seems like it now gets delayed a few hours, to sometimes even a day, before it gets posted.

[62t]

im confused about what you are asking....but if you have a silver account you CANNOT play online multiplayer.

Actually for games that are also on Windows (i.e. Lost Planet, Universe at War) can be play online as a silver member. I havent check recently so it might have change.

[espy605]

It's possible they could set it, via instructions in the game code, to come on more readily, but the bottom line is that it's triggered by heat.


It's fact. Fan speed is easily adjustable in software from the developer end, but whether or not the developer chooses to do so or just rely on the system's auto-regulating is up to them. A game like Gears of War 2, as soon as it boots up, immediately cranks the fan way above normal levels, before any actual 3D rendering is done. When it did this, I thought the "play from hard drive feature" wasn't working, it was so loud.

[KaneRobot]

I'm noticing that everyone with access seems to be using either the "$ chain" shirt (Cheapy, glockant) or the "metal" shirt (me, malik). We're going to need an infusion of new shirts once the update goes out to everyone.

[Chase]

I suspect if you want T-shirts, you'll be paying for them.


Hopefully it's not $15 per shirt like how some items are priced in LittleBigPlanet.

And I'm saving the points I got for free from that MSN Auto thing for Avatar attire. :oops:

[ratzombie]

Hopefully it's not $15 per shirt like how some items are priced in LittleBigPlanet.

And I'm saving the points I got for free from that MSN Auto thing for Avatar attire. :oops:
NEEEEEEEEERDDDDD!!!!

I want a Mega Man shirt. 8-)

[Chase]

I would buy a Wood Man shirt. :oops:

Or like, a hat in the shape of that ending Dragon boss. :shock:

[thrustbucket]

Hopefully it's not $15 per shirt like how some items are priced in LittleBigPlanet.

And I'm saving the points I got for free from that MSN Auto thing for Avatar attire. :oops:

What MSN auto thing?

[Chase]

A while ago, MSN offered points (200 points, or something) to create or rate car designs, or something similar. With a couple Gmail accounts, I... err... I hear people used the Gmail account trick (placing a period in a Gmail e-mail address) to score a lot of points.

Last week, the last stream of points flowed in. Just a bunch of 50 point codes.

[ratzombie]

Weak... I didn't get any of those.

[LinkinPrime]

Author of article where you sign up update:

USA TODAY Staff
Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 5m ago
Hi, thanks for hanging with us. We're right at our 250. Just waiting for a Web designer to change the Sign In function. Thanks so much for participating. We'll get your data to Microsoft. Enjoy the new Xbox Live.

Mike


So Looks like everyone got in if you signed up, until 5 minutes ago. :)

If that turns out to be true, guess I'm in.

[screwkick]

Still waiting on USA Today...

[M1C13]

Man I keep missing out on these sign ups. I guess I can just wait 7 more days.

[thrustbucket]

Still waiting on USA Today...

From everything that was said in the comments of the article, you'll get no notification. The only way to see if you got in early is to keep turning on your Xbox (when it does the check).

[sj41]

Cheapy convinced me to grab a big hard drive with his CAGcast talk this week. I'm waiting for one of two Target's near me to drop the price down to $89 for the 120 GB. They each have one, so if they sell out, I think I'll turn to eBay for a 60 GB.

[Rig]

So, what's the deal with the Target clearanced drives? I thought I read some were $80 and some were $130?

The local Target had one left in stock, and I'm pretty sure it was $130. I passed, hoping I could grab it if/when it dropped again, like I thought others stores had done.

[moojuice]

Depends on your Target. AFAIK, they drop it a certain % whenever they want, or bi-weekly...one of those. My Target had one for 12x.xx. It was the last one, so I decided to jump on it since I'm pretty sure there's a hoarder in my area. Check the Target Clearance thread in the deals forum, it's the current topic of that topic at the time of my post.

[KingBroly]

My Target had...5 at $89.98. That's currently the lowest price for clearance hard drives. I'm guessing to make way for the 60gb HDD's...and probably something bigger next Spring.

[YodaEXE]

My Target had...5 at $89.98. That's currently the lowest price for clearance hard drives. I'm guessing to make way for the 60gb HDD's...and probably something bigger next Spring.
Damn! Go buy one for me! :D

[slickkill77]

I posted this in another thread and it has worked out for me so far.

I got a 60Gb Hdd for $65 off of ebay - $16.50 live cashback - the 20gb hdd - the transfer cable = I got the 60Gb hdd for free (basically)

$65 (60GB Hdd)
-$30(+) (Selling transfer kit)
-$20 (+)(Selling 20GB Hdd)
-$16.50 (cashback)
----------------------
Money in the bank for me. It was worth it to get that 60GB hdd after all

[blitz6speed]

I installed the NXE last night and installed 17 or so games on my 120 gig drive. It blows away the old dash into pieces usability wise. I dont care for a lot of the new features, but everythings fast and loading games off of the hard drive is the best thing to happen to the 360 ever, literally. I can finally finish Bioshock without getting a DRE. Awesome.

[Kevlar281]

USA TODAY Staff
Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 10m ago
Everybody who I talked to personally and everyone who responded to techgear@usatoday.com before we put up the notice last night that we had our limit will be included. I am not personally processing the information so I also am awaiting updates. We're getting this done as fast as we can. I will post again when I have an update. Again, I apologize.


Just got back from working out and saw Mike had posted this. Looks like were all in. Now we just have to play the waiting game.

[HotShotX]

Just got back from working out and saw Mike had posted this. Looks like were all in. Now we just have to play the waiting game.

That's good to hear. Hopefully it all gets processed soon. I think I'm mostly surprised that it took so long to fill all 250 spots.

~HotShotX

[thrustbucket]

Hopefully the reason it's taking so long is that the live team is busy trying to fix matchmaking on gears 2.

[HotShotX]

Hopefully the reason it's taking so long is that the live team is busy trying to fix matchmaking on gears 2.

If they're working on Gears 2, I hope they're removing that damn "Invite everyone on your Friends List" option, because I'm sick of getting 5 invites a day for a game I don't have.

~HotShotX

[SynGamer]

If they're working on Gears 2, I hope they're removing that damn "Invite everyone on your Friends List" option, because I'm sick of getting 5 invites a day for a game I don't have.

~HotShotX
I've removed everyone that's sent me an invite :)

[HotShotX]

I've removed everyone that's sent me an invite :)

That's pretty much the next step. Whoever thought that this option would not be used for spam was an idiot.

~HotShotX

[Jesse_Dylan]

Ha! That's hilarious. I can see someone thinking that would be a really great feature. I can also see that becoming utterly annoying.

[Azumangaman]

The feature SHOULD be changed to "Invite Everyone PLAYING Gears Of War 2".

[ratzombie]

So THAT is why I keep getting invites for Gears 2. :wall:

[Nelo Ice]

so that explains why ive been getting invites for gears 2

[HotShotX]

Some of the comments in the USA Today article are claiming the update will hit at 11pm EST.

~HotShotX

[cochesecochese]

So THAT is why I keep getting invites for Gears 2. :wall:

You too? I must have sent about 50 replies of 'Sorry, I don't even have Gears 2' before I gave up

[Azumangaman]

Some of the comments in the USA Today article are claiming the update will hit at 11pm EST.

~HotShotX
11pm EST on Wednesday? That kind of sucks if so, I won't get to try it until Thursday night.

[zewone]

Some of the comments in the USA Today article are claiming the update will hit at 11pm EST.

~HotShotX

Where are they getting this info?

[strongpimphand]

just got off work, ready for this update...

....and i don't see shit. damn!

honestly, i wouldn't be surprised if they give a "sneak preview" to people who signed up the night before the launch!

[HotShotX]

Where are they getting this info?

Sorry, I'm only passing on comments from the article without any research into their claims.

Damn Kotaku rubbing off on me.

~HotShotX

[dastly75]

They're probably thinking of the new Games for Windows thing that's supposed to launch tomorrow.

[SynGamer]

They're probably thinking of the new Games for Windows thing that's supposed to launch tomorrow.
A new Game For Windows update was released today i believe. I just installed it. Looks much better, more PC-ish.

[slickkill77]

Ten bucks says you guys wont get it until Monday...knowing Microsoft and the way they handle big launches...

[Bretters]

USA TODAY Staff Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 55m ago
One more update: Some of you could get the update tonight. I'm not sure of timing. Will try to get you better intel in the morning. Again, thanks for bearing with us. This was tougher than we thought it would be.

[SynGamer]

USA TODAY Staff Mike Snider (http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=4a1f0f07742ddf04) wrote: 55m ago
One more update: Some of you could get the update tonight. I'm not sure of timing. Will try to get you better intel in the morning. Again, thanks for bearing with us. This was tougher than we thought it would be.
Already posted ;)

[Malik112099]

halo 2 had that " invite all friends" option too. Hated that shit.

[thrustbucket]

Already posted ;)

Where?

[SynGamer]

Where?
My bad. Someone sent me a msg on AIM (CAG member) and i thought it had been posted. Either way, nothing for me...not expecting to get in though.

[strongpimphand]

that board is full of crap

i'm going to sleep, and when i wake up, i hope it's there. if not, i only have a week to wait like everyone else....

[DestroVega]

As long as I have it by Friday night I'd be cool with that... anytime after the weekend and it is what it is but it's not really a bonus for me at that point.

[thrustbucket]

Just got an email from USA Today:

Hello Fellow Gamer!

You've been selected to test drive the new Xbox LIVE. Please reply to this email with the following information and we'll have the Xbox LIVE team push the update to your system. Thanks for your patience and your participation.

Your Xbox Live gamer tag:

Your Xbox console ID:

Your Xbox 360 serial number:

MUST HAVE CONNECTION TO XBOX LIVE AND AT LEAST 128MB OF AVAILABLE MEMORY

Need help finding your console ID and serial number?

1) Go to the system blade on your Xbox 360 dashboard

2) Go to console Settings

3) Go to system info

4) There you will find a unique console ID and serial number.

Best regards,

Sean

Director, Product Management
USATODAY.com

[Bretters]

Just got the email too

[ratzombie]

Yeah same here, but I already sent them that information in the first email.

[LinkinPrime]

Nothing here. Oh well...its only 6 days away.

[zewone]

I didn't get that email.

This promotion is fucked.

[KingofOldSchool]

What's the point having us send in the info again? What was the point of doing it the first time then?

[Nex Antonius]

I got the email. Now to play the waiting game...again.

[DestroVega]

What's the point having us send in the info again? What was the point of doing it the first time then?

cause the whole thing was a big cluster-fuck... they also said the whole time they wouldn't contact anyone and they'd just get in...

they also said if you sent in info from the time that guy posted you would get in... I don't have the email you guys have so I guess that wasn't true either...

to quote Grandma's Boy... "shiittt'ssss weak"

[HotShotX]

What's the point having us send in the info again? What was the point of doing it the first time then?

Perhaps the email was sent to those who fucked up the initial registration, or entered an invalid serial in the rush to sign up, and USA Today is nice enough to still hold their spot while they get the correct info.

~HotShotX

[ratzombie]

Nah, I double checked my info before I sent it.

I think USA Today just didn't have a clue on the response this would get and thus don't know how to handle it properly.

[thrustbucket]

Perhaps the email was sent to those who fucked up the initial registration, or entered an invalid serial in the rush to sign up, and USA Today is nice enough to still hold their spot while they get the correct info.

~HotShotX

That's what I think happened. The whole thing must have become a logistical nightmare. Rather than take the time and work to sort through the ones they didn't have the right information on, they just sent out emails to everyone they chose to ask them to retype their info.

Edit: I certainly don't expect an ETA on when it will be pushed though. My guess is later tonight.

[DestroVega]

Perhaps the email was sent to those who fucked up the initial registration, or entered an invalid serial in the rush to sign up, and USA Today is nice enough to still hold their spot while they get the correct info.

~HotShotX

seems people are thinking that over on the talkback over there.

[greyzieoriental]

Perhaps the email was sent to those who fucked up the initial registration, or entered an invalid serial in the rush to sign up, and USA Today is nice enough to still hold their spot while they get the correct info.

~HotShotX

if that's the case let's see if i get the email, so far i haven't

[thrustbucket]

The author of the article also supposedly said that everyone that applied before 11pm (est?) got in.

They haven't sent emails to some people that claimed they emailed right after the article went up though, so there is really no guarantees here.

[Bretters]

My info was definitely correct the first time.

I would guess they've never done something like this and weren't prepared to sort through all the email apps. - replied email confirmations sent to one place to make it more stream-lined.

[LinkinPrime]

Oh snap...and my email is now here!

[Redrazorback]

Yeah, I got the email a little while ago and promptly replied. I think most people got the email regardless if their info was correct or not.

[KingofOldSchool]

And still no email for me, yet I registered at like 5:30pm on Tuesday.

Go figure, life fucks me over again.

[zewone]

This is so stupid.

[bigdaddybruce44]

Less than a week away now, and I am wrapped up in Resistance 2, so this can wait.

[LegendK7ll3r]

I signed my brother up the same time as Nex did, and no e-mail (we literally sent the e-mails about 15 seconds apart).

[thrustbucket]

USA TODAY Staff
Mike Snider wrote:1m ago
I've gotten emails from many of you and I haven't had time ot answer them all personally. I'm sorry. I know you guys are frustrated. I am frustrated, too. I am not personally handling the information flow to Microsoft. I am awaiting an update on what is happening myself. I promise you as soon as I know something, I will post something. Again, I apologize. This is not happening as smoothly as we had hoped.

[zewone]

I'm looking at my sent email folder.

I sent it at 1:50 PM PST. So, I was one of the first here. Pretty aggravating.

[KingofOldSchool]

Maybe they are going in reverse? Like sending the emails in reverse order so like the people who signed up first are getting the email last?

[DestroVega]

I feel bad for this Mike dude... seems things got out of hand.

[thrustbucket]

I feel bad for this Mike dude... seems things got out of hand.

Well he now has a taste of the rabid fanatical gaming community when they feel they are entitled to something. Poor guy.

[thrustbucket]

I'm looking at my sent email folder.

I sent it at 1:50 PM PST. So, I was one of the first here. Pretty aggravating.

Don't worry too much Zewone, it seems people are still getting the email as of 5 min ago.

[zewone]

I'm hoping that it's slow, but just in case, can someone post the email address you're supposed to respond to?

[DestroVega]

techgear@usatoday.com

the funny thing is...they are now reasking for information, which is going to make actually GETTING the NXE that much slower

[LinkinPrime]

techgear@usatoday.com

the funny thing is...they are now reasking for information, which is going to make actually GETTING the NXE that much slower


That was the email where to send the info at first...the email I got today came from newsletters@e.usatoday.com

[Stonecoldfreak1]

what's even the point of this anymore? if they don't get this up tonight it will just be pushed to the next night, then the next, then the next, then sure enough the update will be up for everyone.

[thrustbucket]

That was the email where to send the info at first...the email I got today came from newsletters@e.usatoday.com

But the reply to address looks like some randomly generated string of numbers.

[LinkinPrime]

But the reply to address looks like some randomly generated string of numbers.

Good...I thought it was just me.

[Kevlar281]

No email...yet.

[zewone]

So...can you post it?

[thrustbucket]

reply-fe5515727c630d7f7c17-1853151_HTML-797822692-16472-0@reply.e.usatoday.com

The forum software truncates that, but click on it and you'll get the whole thing.

[zewone]

Thanks.

[Rig]

No email for me either. Hope it shows up.

[LinkinPrime]

It's a pre-filled form Zew...I doubt that they'll just take any email.

[zewone]

It's a pre-filled form Zew...I doubt that they'll just take any email.

We'll find out. Also, I may not even need an email.


"I had hoped those of you I contacted personally would not have to be recontacted. However, the way I understand the process is that some of you may be recontacted and some may not. I will stay on it and check the final list when all is done. Signing off for a while - Mike"

[Aku]

Ok, I just got an email from USAToday asking for my information, even though I already emailed it. so I replied with the information again and I just got another email from them that's completely blank. Hopefully I didn't mess up.

[YodaEXE]

Ok, I just got an email from USAToday asking for my information, even though I already emailed it. so I replied with the information again and I just got another email from them that's completely blank. Hopefully I didn't mess up.
A lot of people have been getting blank emails back after sending in their information, so I think you're okay.

[Goodeye]

Yeah and I am one of the original people who sent my info in right after they put it up to join in the test drive preview of the NXE. Was confirmed by the Mike guy himself that my email was of course in their end in enough time so I should be in. One problem....

I don't have the email asking for my info..... My info was all correct so this normally wouldn't bug me.... but alot of people on there have said that their info was completly correct that they emailed yet they have the email asking for the info again and that they were chosen. So apparently 3rd time is not the charm..... Oh well it's only 6 days (soon 5 days) till its out but being home from work cause I am sick it would have been nice to stream netflix..... I gotta say this the whole NXE previews from major and now USA Today have been botched very very badley.

[Malik112099]

Check your email people....

NXE Preview: Third (and final) wave (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/11/13/nxe-preview-third-and-final-wave.aspx)


We did it (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/10/24/the-new-xbox-experience-preview-program.aspx) twice before (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/11/07/nxe-preview-part-deux.aspx) and we’re going to do it again. We’re adding more people to the NXE Preview Program. This time, over 10,000 more Xbox LIVE members are being added in this third and final stage of the New Xbox Experience Preview Program (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/10/24/the-new-xbox-experience-preview-program.aspx). If you are chosen, you will receive an email later tonight (be sure to check your spam folder or add msftconn@microsoft.com to you safe list) followed by the update tomorrow (November 14th) afternoon (PT). As before, we’re only pulling names from those that originally signed up (there is no way to sign up if you missed it, sorry) and this selection process will be at random from those that previously filled out the Connect Program Survey from my original post. Again, this is final wave. All Xbox LIVE members will be getting the New Xbox Experience via Xbox LIVE November 19th.


Posted: Nov 13 2008, 05:13 PM (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/11/13/nxe-preview-third-and-final-wave.aspx) by Major Nelson (http://majornelson.com/members/Major-Nelson.aspx) | with 35 comment(s) (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/11/13/nxe-preview-third-and-final-wave.aspx#comments) | http://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-left-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-right-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-left-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-right-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-left-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-right-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-left-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-right-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-left-on.gifhttp://majornelson.com/Themes/default/images/common/star-right-on.gif Filed under: new Xbox experience (http://majornelson.com/archive/tags/new+Xbox+experience/default.aspx)

[KingBroly]

WHAT!? 9,000!??? How many people signed up exactly...

[SynGamer]

Great news. If i don't get in via this or the USA Today preview, then i'm venturing to guess Nelson has a personal vendetta against me.

[KingBroly]

Great news. If i don't get in via this or the USA Today preview, then i'm venturing to guess Nelson has a personal vendetta against me.

And I will join you! HUZZAH!