New Xbox dash arrives tomorrow

4.4

A major update to the Xbox dashboard rolls out globally tomorrow.

This launch date was revealed a couple of weeks ago, and Microsoft has stuck steadfastly to the schedule.

As you’ve most likely heard, the upgrade brings a whole new “metro-style” tiled interface to the console, as seen in Windows Phone, and the upcoming Windows 8 – the idea being to unify the UI experience across all platforms.

It looks far more user friendly than the current menu system, which we’ve always found a little convoluted (particularly when we initially encountered it).

Universal Kinect support throughout the dash is also being brought on board, so you won’t just be able to use the motion controller within the device’s hub, but across the whole menu system. Bing powered voice search is also being introduced, a smart idea.

The other main thrust of the update is entertainment, with new TV services coming to the Xbox including Lovefilm, 4oD (Channel 4 on-demand) and the Beeb’s iPlayer (finally). With Bing voice search, you’ll be able to easily sift through this hefty dollop of new content, or that’s the theory.

Other additions include beacons, which flag up games you want to play to your friends (across social networks as well as Xbox Live), and limited cloud storage of half a gigabyte for your saves and other important bits and pieces. Much handier than having to carry a memory card or USB stick to a friend’s.

All in all, it’s an impressive package, particularly for those with Kinect. Let’s hope there are no issues with the roll out and freezing consoles.
Below are the new partnerships Microsoft’s secured, too, with some launching tomorrow, followed by a bunch more later in the month and early 2012.

Dec. 6:
• EPIX. United States
• ESPN on Xbox LIVE (ESPN). United States
• Hulu. Japan
• Hulu Plus. United States
• LOVEFiLM. United Kingdom
• Netflix. Canada, United States
• Premium Play by (MediaSet). Italy
• Sky Go (SkyDE). Austria, Germany
• Telefónica España – Movistar Imagenio. Spain
• TODAY (MSNBC). United States

Later in December:
• 4 on Demand (C4). United Kingdom
• ABC iView (Australian Broadcasting Corp.). Australia
• AlloCiné. France (AlloCiné), Germany (Filmstarts), Spain (Sensacine), United Kingdom (Screenrush)
• Astral Media’s Disney XD (Astral Media). Canada
• blinkbox (Blinkbox). United Kingdom
• Crackle (Sony Pictures). Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States
• Dailymotion. Available in 32 countries globally
• Demand 5 (Five). United Kingdom
• DIGI+ (CANAL+). Spain
• GolTV (Mediapro). Spain
• iHeartRadio (Clear Channel). United States
• Mediathek/ZDF (ZDF). Germany
• MSN. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom
• MSNBC.com. United States
• MUZU.TV. Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
• ninemsn. Australia
• Real Sports (Maple Leaf Sports). Canada
• Rogers On Demand Online (Rogers Media). Canada
• SBS ON DEMAND. Australia
• TMZ (Warner Bros.). Canada, United States
• TVE (RTVE.es). Spain
• UFC on Xbox LIVE (UFC). Canada, United States
• Verizon FiOS TV. United States
• VEVO. Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States
• Vudu (Wal-Mart). United States
• YouTube. Available in 24 countries globally

Early 2012:
• Antena 3 (Antena 3 de Televisión). Spain
• BBC (BBC). United Kingdom
• CinemaNow (Best Buy). United States
• HBO GO (HBO). United States
• MLB.TV (MLB Advanced Media). Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States
• Telenovelas/Sports (Televisa). Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom
• Xfinity On Demand (Comcast). United States