Tech Loop has spent a good deal of time using the new XBOX 360 Dashboard UI and features and we can honestly say that Microsoft has hit a homerun with the its new offerings. This is definitely an A+ offering from the folks out in Redmond at a time when it seems that they are no longer capable of innovation. We also think that Microsoft should put some of the XBOX 360 developers to work on the new Windows 7 OS to help them rise above the Vista flop.

The New UI:
While traveling around the new UI, you will notice that it feels rather "Apple-like" with the shiny nuances and smooth animations. The menus can be easily called upon by hitting up and down on the d-pad to scroll top-level sections such as "My XBOX" and "Friends". Once in the section you need, hit left and right on the d-pad to dig deeper into that section or navigate through a list. The only problem with this feature is that friends are no longer listed in a simple "list", they UI now shows you the user's avatar and having a long list of friends is going to result in a lot of digging. We'll get into the avatar feature a bit later.

The New XBOX Live GUI

Gone is the old "blade style" UI of the last XBOX dashboard that was usable but cumbersome at best – especially when using system features while in game…it took forever for that blade to fly into the screen and load up. The familiar blade that used to fly in has been replaced with a pop-up dialogue that comes up much faster and chews up less screen real-estate – something that is very important when you are on Wave 22 of Horde in Gears of War 2.

Each section of the UI behaves in exactly the same fashion and therefore everything falls into place exactly where you expect it. For many menu items, you can simply press the X button to see what that item holds. For example, many of the new XBOX Live videos fall into a top-level category and hitting X will show you the videos that are archived within that category.

Much to the chagrin of older hardcore gamers, XBOX Live now uses avatars to give your online buddies a more personalized appearance as opposed to just some letters and an icon. This type of identification feature was first introduced on the Nintendo Wii in the form of "Miis".

The New Avatar Creation System

These avatars are very popular with most gamers, but some feel as though it is a bit too childish for the 360. At any rate, we like the new avatars and the personality they bring to the XBOX Live experience. It's nice to be able to choose a friend from your friends list and have them wave to you as if they were saying "HELLO! Come game with me!" The avatars are highly customizable, and easy to lend your likeness to – right down to the chin size and shape, however, they are not so customizable that they lose their cartoony feel. In your friends list, you'll see each one of your friends avatars standing by some XBOX 360 decorations and the box of the game they are currently playing, or if they are not online, you'll see a sleeping avatar (online friends are shown first in the list). As we said before, this is also becomes burden when you are digging all the way to the bottom of your friends list to find a friend that isn't online.

You can also use your avatar's face as a gamer picture.

Netflix:
We've already told you about the new avatars, so let's dive into another absolutely frickin' awesome feature of the new XBOX 360 experience: unlimited streaming Netflix movies.

This feature alone is so ridiculously cool that we think the $199 price tag of the core XBOX System might be worth paying JUST for this feature. Once you've updated your 360, you will be given a 2-week trial account to Netflix, or you can use your existing account. Once you've registered for a Netflix account on your computer, the XBOX asks you to verify your online account by entering a code. After that, you are in on one of the coolest online movie rental systems available today. The one caveat to this feature is that you must browse and add movies to your streaming queue by using your PC online – you can not add or view movies from the console itself. This really is not a huge deal, but some may find it to be a hindrance.

To do so, you simply go to your account at www.netflix.com, select the "Watch Instantly" tab, and find movies to add to your queue. Once you have them added, fire up your XBOX, and the selections you made online will be zapped over to your XBOX for viewing.

The New Netflix UI, with a listing of queued movies.

Before each movie plays, the XBOX determines your connection speed to determine the video resolution your connection can handle and buffers the first little bit of the movie for smooth playback. If you have a kick ass connection, many movies will play IN HIGH-DEF!

In addition to the new Netflix feature, you can still purchase movies normally using your Monopoly Money Microsoft Points in the Video Marketplace section.

Parties:
The new XBOX Live experience also gives you the ability to form "parties" with your friends online. Before this update you could only speak to one friend privately on XBOX Live and the only way to talk to everyone you were gaming with was to join the public chat room of the game – which also means you can hear everyone else in the game and they can hear you.

You can now form a party of friends in the dashboard and chat with all of them privately during a game. This is a feature we have been wanting DESPERATELY, and we're glad to see that Microsoft has delivered. Online gaming with your friends is now even more fun than ever before.

The new update to the dashboard renders the XBOX 360 more than just a gaming system. For many, it will become their new digital entertainment hub because of the inclusion of Netflix. I know my system is seeing a lot more playing time now...at least until I get the Red Ring of Death.

Hit me up in an email at windytech@gmail.com if you'd like to play some Gears 2 or Call of Duty 4 online ;-)

Have you toyed with the new 360 UI and/or features? Do you like them? Do you loathe them? Let us know in the comments below!

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