November 22nd 2011 6:00 am PT

Xbox 360 Dashboard update coming December 6th

While many of you have been involved in the Xbox LIVE Preview Program and have been busy getting an early look at the next Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE features, I wanted to let you know that the official release for the update for all Xbox LIVE members will be Tuesday, December 6th.  In this update, free to all console owners,  you will see:

  • New personal and social features including Cloud Storage for Game Saves and LIVE Profile
  • Beacons and Facebook Sharing
  • Enhanced Family Settings
  • Integrated voice and gesture controls across the dashboard and in apps
  • Bing voice search (Available this year in the US, UK and CA)

In addition to all these great dashboard features, starting on December 6th and continuing on an ongoing basis through the holiday months, a wealth of new content will be coming to Xbox 360. New, customized applications for television, movies, internet videos, sports and music will begin rolling out from world-leading providers in more than 20 countries.

Preview, Xbox 360, Xbox Live By Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson

permalink: http://majornelson.com/2011/11/22/xbox-360-dashboard-update-coming-december-6th/

Newer Comments →
  • http://twitter.com/shavedape_ Lee

    nice

  • http://twitter.com/shavedape_ Lee

    nice

  • Anonymous

    Awesome!

  • Anonymous

    Awesome!

  • http://twitter.com/vtde360 vtde

    I must say this update has been one of the nicest yet, I am really enjoying the new dashboard and I hope everyone else does too.

  • http://twitter.com/vtde360 vtde

    I must say this update has been one of the nicest yet, I am really enjoying the new dashboard and I hope everyone else does too.

  • Anonymous

    I’m in the Preview Program and I really like the new interface. Can’t wait for everyone to have access to Beacons for that feature to really get some use.

    • Anonymous

      Beacons will be a great way for me to schedule games with my brother, who’s in the Navy, which would probably be difficult otherwise.

  • Erik Erik

    Now it would be nice if MS could adapt their Gold member charges to the actual content they are delivering. Right now I am paying as much as a US Gold member but do not have the possibility to use Netflix, Hulu .. just facebook and Twitter which frankly speaking should be for free anyway (as they are both free apps on the web or on WP7). If MS isn’t able to offer more content outside the US/CA/UK then they should lower the Gold member cost in all other countries.

    Anyway happy to be using the new Dashboard already – when it is released officially will we beta testers see an upgrade or anything?

    • http://twitter.com/tsrblke tsrblke

      Preview program members always get an update to whatever the release version is on the day it launches.  Which is good, because there are usually a few last minute bug fixes.

    • Victor Cortes

      I hope these new applications include Netflix for Mexico. It’s already available for Wii and PS3.

      Cloud profiles sound nice.

    • http://www.facebook.com/ManveerBhullar1 Manveer Bhullar

      Im canadian and all i have acess to is facebook twitter, and netflix (which you have to pay for). We dont have Hulu either, or EPSN.

  • Sam Marsh

    now, only if Time Warner will get its act together so I can actually use ESPN on the xbox.

  • http://twitter.com/maurriquelme Mauricio Riquelme

    “New, customized applications for television, movies, internet videos, sports and music will begin rolling out from world-leading providers in more than 20 countries”.

    That is, including Chile?

  • booman61

    Hey Larry, do you have any info regarding Gamertags on dead accounts? There is a specific Gamertag I would love to have, but the account is completely inactive and I don’t know how to contact the owner.

  • http://mf72.eu/ Marco

    I love the new look, but I’m increasingly annoyed that a lot of features are not available in my country (NL), e.g. Bing search, XBox Live family accounts, Zune music, etc. Maybe I should just get a US account…

  • http://twitter.com/LucidFears Mr.Fears Xbox Vet!

    I’m sorry but does anyone know where to find the “Major’s Minute” videos on the new dashboard? 

    • http://twitter.com/rlamarrejr Robert Lamarre Jr

      inside xbox in the shows

  • http://twitter.com/Skunn3r TheOfficialSkunner

    were not testing no apps in the preview program then ?

    • http://twitter.com/rlamarrejr Robert Lamarre Jr

      did u sign up then that should answer your question

      • Anonymous

        Maybe you should read the question before posting worthless responses…the preview program has only had one APP added (UFC channel). Bing, Cloud and Beacons are features, not APPs…so he is asking if the other apps will be tested prior to 12/6 (YouTube, HBO GO, COMCAST, etc).

        • Anonymous

          Maybe you and TheOfficialSkunner should have read your NDA.  You especially.  You have no business disclosing private preview program details publicaly.

          • Anonymous

            I never said I was in the program, so NDA does not apply to me. All my info is from other sources. Plenty of details abound across the web…and I doubt I would have violated the NDA anyhow, for repeating public info.

  • http://twitter.com/Skunn3r TheOfficialSkunner

    go to video – click on inside xbox – go over to shows , and majors minute is there

    • http://twitter.com/LucidFears Mr.Fears Xbox Vet!

      Nice, thanks! Thought I had checked all over the dash, guess not. Thanks again!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephan-Tenspel/578534292 Stephan Tenspel

    Hey Major, can you please see in which countries this will be available?  Thanks

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=651807724 Warren Crosby

      The update should be available in all countrys live is available

  • Anonymous

    I have 5 360′s in my house. They were intended to be media extenders, but since I only have one Gold account, it is difficult to use them that way. Will I finally be able to have my house working properly? Can I move from one room to the next logging in to my account as I go?

    Can anyone comment on how this changes licensing of DLC (can I buy something on one Xbox, and have it on another?) 
    What happens to the 121 day License Transfer policy?

    I have the naive belief that all these issues disappear with the new dashboard, but am looking for a more official response!

    • http://www.facebook.com/cameron.crowe Cameron Crowe

      you won’t be able to do any of this stuff, i don’t think, until the next xbox when we have proper Cloud support through the console.  Once the cloud is integrated into xbox, you’ll be able to move seamlessly from one to the next as if they were all the same console.  until then…you bought 5 xbox’s for no reason.  because nothing you want to do is possible.

      • Anonymous

        Why not? As long as those 360′s are all connected to Xbox Live, there’s no reason why you cant go from one 360 to another to resume your save. And as long as you have a USB storage device to transfer content and a Xbox Live connection there’s no reason why you cant play DLC on another console either.

      • aStrangeDisease

        You are able to play your content on any console as long as you’re signed in. I don’t have five, but I do have two and we use them both.

    • aStrangeDisease

      I don’t think you need Gold to use the media extender. You can create a free online profile to connect to your home network.

      • Anonymous

        What you need Gold for is any codec updates. (At least I did in the past.) So, yes, I could browse my network and find my content, but it wouldn’t play without a multimedia update. I had to either make a free live account with a 30-day trial to connect to Live and download it, or recover gamertag, which takes upwards of 40 minutes.

    • Anonymous

      It will work, but not exactly as you might hope. I am in a similar situation, and here is how it will work…first of all, the cloud limits you to saving only profile and saves, no content (XBLA games, movies, music, etc), so if you put your profile on the cloud, you WILL be bale to sign in to any one of your consoles without recovering your profile or moving a storage device from one to another. To use content (other than a game save), you would need to sign in and re-download on whichever 360 you were planning on using it. So to be able to watch a movie on all 5 360s, you would need to sign in and download it on each box first.

      Licensing is unchanged…anyone can access content on the 1st box its downloaded to, and you have to be signed into Live with the purchasing profile in order to watch it on another 360.

      One note…don’t know if it’s a glitch or a change, but with the new update I have been unable to watch Zune purchased content while offline. Hoping it’s a preview issue and not a change in policy.

      • Anonymous

        Thanks for the reply ScuzzyBunny!

        The most important thing to me is the portability of my gamertag. Previously, I had to keep it on a memory card, and shuffle it between the Xbox in my home theater, and up in my office, where I do most of my gaming. Unfortunately, I do lots of Kinect workout stuff in the theater, which means I have to remember where the memory card is.

        • Anonymous

          Contrast this to the PS3, which I have a similar number of. All content works across all of them, and I can log in to each with my ID hassle-free. I love my 360, but this is the one place where the PS3 has (had?) it licked.  

  • Anonymous

    It’s a nice update, but as usual, we here in Belgium get nothing at all. Beacons and cloud, that’s it. No voice controls, no iptv, nothing…

  • http://twitter.com/rlamarrejr Robert Lamarre Jr

    will we be able to test the youtube app before the dashboard gets released on Dec 6th

  • Anthony Clark

    360 as a cable box and/or dvr ?

  • http://twitter.com/Megaman117 Eddy

    Does anyone know if the update will include youtube?

  • Anonymous

    Can’t wait. Tried to get into the preview but was full. 2 more weeks!!!!!

  • Graham Brooks

    Death to Cable!!!! Yay

  • Graham Brooks

    Death to Cable!!!! Yay

  • http://twitter.com/Navarin Bennijin Turbo

    I hope you’re still working on the dash, a lot of it is really nice but some of the preview is a mess. Particularly the Games Marketplace and Game Library. Pretty much everything related to gaming has taken a backseat really, which is odd for a videogame console.

    I still think Blades did both Marketplace and Friends List best.

  • aStrangeDisease

    Sweet! Voice controls and cloud saves FTW.

  • Dark Sun

    pity guys in south africa can’t use all the cool stuff :(

    • http://www.facebook.com/blikzim Bertus Meyer

      yes, im in mossel bay

  • http://twitter.com/fmsantos39 Marcos Santos

    Youtube will be available for Portugal?

  • Anonymous

    I hate my lower bandwidth, but love using ESPN…made the switch from TW to ATT.

  • http://www.facebook.com/simonjohnrope Simon John Rope

    Does this have LoveFilm for UK users?

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RL4W6IDNLLY4AIRBU6ZRRQTMTE Steve

      Yes, I beleive LoveFilm will be available in the UK after this update :-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/luc.fournier2 Luc Fournier

    langler je conprent riin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/luc.fournier2 Luc Fournier

    langler je conprent riin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://twitter.com/bananaboy5000 Ralph Adams

    will we be able to use a mic (headset or the thing you sing into for whatever game)  instead of kinnect for voice controls?

    • Anonymous

      most unlikely as those voice controls were specifically made for the Kinect itself

  • http://www.facebook.com/tovarnet Marco Tovar

    Vaya ya era hora, dos semanas y la podremos disfrutar, ya me habia cansado de estar checando todos los dias, jajajjaja…. saludos

  • Timothy Robertson

    how long will the update take?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1061342280 Albin Broman

    skype ?

  • http://twitter.com/Stupifica7ion Brendan Pitcher

    I’m pretty sure I remember there being a mention about YouTube videos?

  • Anonymous

    December 6th?  So now the fall update is a winter update?  Somebody dropped the ball on this one. But I guess it is better late than never. I can’t wait to see it and experience it (hopefully it is much faster, and less retina burning bright)!

    • Anonymous

      hmm, December 6th is still fall … Winter starts Dec 22nd… Still a fall update

  • http://twitter.com/Gears_Faithful Daniel Irving

    I am in the preview, I like the new dashboard, but on thing I dont get…TV commercials show youtube etc, yet it still is not on there….false advertising much?

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-King/849570067 Jason King

      You expected everything to be on there all at once? Lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001460066064 Taylor Ryan Gilmore

    Thanks Major

  • http://www.majornelson.com Major Nelson

    I think you guys are really going to like Cloud Storage. The team did a really nice job with it…it ‘just works’ ;)

    • http://twitter.com/R4MP4GE Domenico

      Does it have autosync with game saves that i have on my HDD? I need my xbox offline too, and i didn’t use cloude storage if it doesnt work in this way…

      • http://twitter.com/HerXtheSlayer Mario

        From what I can tell it saves on your box and does auto-sync later.

        • http://www.majornelson.com Major Nelson

          I’ve got a video coming up when the dashboard releases that will answer many of the questions!

        • http://www.majornelson.com Major Nelson

          I’ve got a video coming up when the dashboard releases that will answer many of the questions!

          • http://twitter.com/mark_vaughn Mark Vaughn

            How do you get your profile to the Cloud?

          • http://www.facebook.com/simonjohnrope Simon John Rope

            It’s built in, it’s kinda like a built in memory card – except it uses the internetz

          • http://twitter.com/mark_vaughn Mark Vaughn

            The question wasn’t “What is the Cloud?”. The question was how can a profile be transferred to the Cloud. My Profile is still stored locally on USB and my Cloud is empty.

          • http://www.facebook.com/dmcvea Darnell Brushaud McVea

            I haven’t tried it, but I imagine it’s similar to transferring to another memory location. Drag and drop. But you have to activate Cloud storage before using it

    • http://twitter.com/WootBeToGod Blake Sims

      I see what you did thar!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joseph-Thornton/1442413451 Joseph Thornton

      It does work, but only if you already have INTERNAL hard drive space of 512MB.  It does not “just work” if you currently use Flash storage (external memory).  Translation, it does not work on arcade models. So use the cloud if you already have plenty of hard drive space?

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joseph-Thornton/1442413451 Joseph Thornton

      It does work, but only if you already have INTERNAL hard drive space of 512MB.  It does not “just work” if you currently use Flash storage (external memory).  Translation, it does not work on arcade models. So use the cloud if you already have plenty of hard drive space?

    • Anonymous

      Ok Major Nelson I have a question. With the new cloud am I save getting the 4GB x-box? I really don’t have a need for the 250GB one and I was worried that the 4GB was too small. I don’t store anything on my x-box but Demos and saving games. 

      Another question when this launches does this mean all i have to do is log on into any x-box and my game saves will be there? Thanks

  • Anonymous

    Been looking forward to CS for a very long time… since before they announced it.  Honestly I think at this point we (anyone who owns an 360) are testing out the features they want to but in the NextBox.

  • http://twitter.com/Tonezorz Anthony Mazel

    Being told my feature suggestion, and problem with the current implementation was “By design” is so far my only disappointment with the new dashboard. That and the clunky friends list. But really, why can’t “xbox, open tray” be an acceptable Kinect command on ANY of the dashboard’s “Panes”? Why does it have to bee on the home tab with Open Tray visible on screen for it, or any kinect commands to work? Seems like it must be a hardware limitation, as I can’t understand how they limit the functionality of a savvy user. Especially one who has invested in the new tech to be able to BE more functional, not feel hindered.

  • http://twitter.com/PuppetDoctor Puppet Doctor

    Goodbye old dashboard you will be missed.

    Thank you for the update of when the new dashboard will be released. Not really looking forward it to though since I like the current one but I do like the new format for the Xbox site.

  • http://twitter.com/drooln Nathan Yap

    Totally looking forward to the beacons!!!

  • http://twitter.com/drooln Nathan Yap

    Totally looking forward to the beacons!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001306811568 Lucas Tres

    Voice commands will have support for other languages… so, who languages? (i’m brazillian, i speak portuguese)

  • http://www.facebook.com/xthedidact TheDidact Lives

    so there’s no skype… =(

  • Anonymous

    +1 for Amazon Video on the Xbox!

  • http://openid-provider.appspot.com/Faethor7 Kevin Patterson

    Will it have Youtube at launch?

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