Xboxist

Your NXE Questions Answered

Lots of my friends and fellow gamers have questions about the New Xbox Experience which is scheduled to be released on November 19th. The NXE has received a lot of love and a lot of hate from both sides of the gaming spectrum, such as casual gamers embracing the avatar features to hard core fanboys screaming at Microsoft to stop copying the Wii. No matter what your feelings are on the update, it's here and it's staying, for better or for worse. So, in an effort to help gamers get accustomed to this new dashboard, Xboxist has previewed the NXE and we've attempted to answer most of the questions gamers will have about this new experience.

What does the Xbox Guide look like now?

The guide is much smaller and is centered in the screen, rather than opening from the side like the old blades. In fact, the only remains of the blades to be found are when you move your thumb stick back and forth through the guide. The also fits in with the over all new, polished look of the new dashboard.

What happens to all the themes we purchased? Are they useable?

All of the themes you purchased are completely useable, though they don't function the same as they used to. The themes are used to determine the background of the new Xbox 360 dashboard, but they don't color the guide at all. In fact, themes are pretty much wallpapers now. You can add certain camera effects like water, grunge, etc. but this only affects the background.

Is it really easier to navigate than the old dashboard?

Hardcore fanboys are going to have to get used to the new navigation system, but while using it, I found that yes, it is easier to use. It loads quickly and the information is presented in an easier to read manner. It's also less clunky than the old dashboard which used blades, so people who prefer minimalist displays will be right at home.

What happens to my gamer pic? Is it replaced by the avatar system?

The simple answer is yes, but the more complex answer is no. Your gamer pic will still represent you in any online matches, and you'll still see it in the Xbox guide and in the upper right hand corner of the dashboard. So it doesn't completely dissappear, but the new avatar feature is much more prominant and takes the role of the old gamer pic uses. That little picture you love so much is essentially taking a back seat, but it's not forgotten.. at least... not yet.

That's it for the Xboxist NXE preview. If you have any other questions you'd like to see answered, leave them in the comments and we'll do our best to get them answered before the official release date!