XBOX Live Updates
Sit back and relax
You’re gonna need some time to download all the features and updates for the new Xbox Dashboard and features.
Zune (Movies)
Zune is to Microsoft what iTunes is to Apple.. well close enough anyway. Once the name of Microsoft’s ipod / itouch killer, its now the force behind everything Microsoft does with video and music on demand. The Zune interface has had a major tweak on the Xbox 360. Firstly the layout looks slicker and has been improved greatly around the purchasing end of things.
For a first in New Zealand the number of available video titles is … wait for it.. over 440.. Yes we finally have content. The titles come from Paramount, MGM , Universal, Warner Bros and even Troma Films (home of the Toxic Avenger).
Some titles are a bit old, however there is a great mix with Star Treks, Bourne Supremacy, plenty of Harry Potters and a raft of flicks my wife will be pleased to see (just dont mention this to her) to name a few.
One feature i like the most is Preview Mode.. It allows you to sit back as it rolls through the section’s videos and plays the previews full screen.
Video Kinect
The tool you will use to connect to your friends on the Xbox 360. Now.. You dont need a Kinect for this to work, you can run this with an Xbox Vision camera. What you will need to do is download it on the first run (its about 50mb). The Video Kinect feature is also embedded as an option when you pull up your friends profile, giving you a one click option to connect. Being that I had neither a Kinect, Vision camera or friends (online at the time!!) there wasn’t any real test of the software.
However you can run up the software, connect with friends who have Kinects or Vision Cameras and even chat with friends on Live Messenger.
The interesting thing here is that the interface starts to mimic a little of what Microsoft is doing with the Windows 7 Phone platform. This app can be found on the My Community Menu.
