At this years Tokyo Games Show, John Schappert got on stage touting the “New Xbox Experience,” or NXE for short, as “the first time in history, we will completely reinvent a device through the magic of software.” With NXE launching early last week, has Microsoft delivered on their promise of reinventing the Xbox 360’s user interface, or have they simply tried to fix something that isn’t broken? At first glance the update seems like a drastic departure from the original Blade system, but underneath the shiny exterior much of the interface remains unchanged or tweaked simply for better functionality.

After watching the unnecessary start up video upon installation of NXE, you are prompted to make your Avatar, which is one of the most interesting new features added in the update. While some may clamor that this is an almost underhanded way of ripping off the Nintendo Mii, I think that it couldn’t be further from the concept that Nintendo had in mind when they conceived the Mii. You can use your avatar as a playable character in certain games, much akin to Wii Sports, but the similarities end there.  The differences between a Mii and Avatar come down to the core design philosophies of each of them. With A Mii the philosophy was taking simple design and making it fully customizable, while the focus of the Avatar seems to be to create a more realistic analogue to yourself to become your online persona on Xbox Live. It remains to be seen whether the Avatar will become more customizable in the future making it more akin the Mii, but one thing remains certain, it is probably going to cost you quite a few space bucks if you want some badass adidas shoes or to make your hat green.

With the blade system being replaced by a better looking, but functionally the same system, the NXE really isn’t what I would call reinventing the wheel. While it is now much easier to find game content with an update to the marketplace, as well as being able to access certain hard to find options, it is really the new additions to the console’s base functionality that really makes the NXE a “reinvention of a device through software.” The NXE offers the ability to install games to the hard-drive, eliminating one of the worst features of the 360, the wind tunnel analog that they call the optical drive. While PS3 owners have spent their time complaining about long install times on certain games like Devil May Cry 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4, I am simply happy that Microsoft has given me the option to install, which unlike the PS3 actually makes playing the game a more enjoyable experience. Also with the NXE comes the ability for Netflix subscribers to stream HD content to their TV’s, but that is a big subject that will be covered by Mike later on the site.

While it seems that every part of the UI has been tweaked for functionality I feel that it goes a long way to show how Microsoft has taken a departure from the hardcore audience that helped build it them from the start. The worst part about the update is that the people that it is aimed at, the casual players, who have the possibility of owning a core unit won’t have the opportunity to install it or play with it if they haven’t sent in for a larger memory card or gone out to purchase one of the ridiculously priced add on hard drives for the 360. While certain functionality for the core like a continual party system chat, and a better guide menu, the NXE isn’t that new, just the same old dashboard with a new coat of paint and a couple new, but ultimately pointless gizmos thrown in.

-Eric Wall

Tags: Avatars, Dashboard, Game Industry, Microsoft, NXE, Xbox 360

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