Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update due next week, Microsoft tells all

We've been hearing quite a bit about next week's Fall Dashboard Update for the 360, but Microsoft's finally ready to spill all of the beans. Obviously, the biggest update is the "Xbox Originals" downloadable Xbox games, but other improvements include enhanced online profiles, increased social networking, beefed up parental controls, improved menus, and our personal favorite: DivX support. As stated before, Xbox Original games, like Halo 1 and Fable, will be going for 1200 MS points (about $15), which is roughly comparable with your local game store's bargain bin. Also on the fiscal side of things, certain titles on Xbox Live Arcade are getting permanent price drops, akin to "Platinum Hits" of retail titles. As for DivX, Microsoft was a little vague when speaking with Joystiq about it, but it sounds like XviD is in play as well, which is just double fun. It's all hitting as a free download on December 4th, starting at 2AM PST.

[Via Joystiq]

[Bryan T Posted Nov 30th 2007 2:27PM]

I could care less for Divx, horray for finally recognizing that I'm an adult.

[Kurto2021 Posted Nov 30th 2007 3:19PM]

COULDN'T!!!!!!!

If you could care less then that means you do care.

People who say "I could care less" annoy me. Think about it if you could care less then you must care because caring less would mean that you care less then you did.

Couldn't care less means there is no lower point of caring available for you. Whatever said item is it is at the bottom of the care list because it is impossible to care less since you COULDN'T care less

[Bryan T Posted Nov 30th 2007 3:23PM]

I do care though Kurt, just not as much as most people!

What I COULDN'T CARE LESS for is Xbox originals.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 2:33PM]

with divx support i might buy a second box now! can't wait to try it out... Now if only i could stream video from a stand-alone network drive... anyone figure that part out yet, let me know...

my set-up... i have a laptop running xp sp 2 with zune software and wmp11... i have a 250gb hd setup on my linksys storage link router with videos... i mapped a network drive to my extHD so i could set up shared folders from my laptop.... I can see the videos on my xbox but can't play any of them... (i know the vids work because i also tried the files running from my local laptop drive)....

help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 4:34PM]

no one supports divx because the divx people require liscensing that no one wants to pony up money for, especially when they've developed their own competing platforms (mac & microsoft both).

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 7:08PM]

man, i thought this was going to be useful not negative banter....

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 5th 2007 2:21PM]

reset your DRM on the windows box. Google it.. I had the same issue with my 360.
It was driving me crazy. YOu have to stop the WMP10 and Zune services and delete the digital rights management files then it will work.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 2:42PM]

comments above mentioned that it requires winxp to connect to the 360, actually, vista works even better. i pretty much just use my laptop or zune to beam video to 360.

also pay attention to the improvement list, now you can fwd/rwd and chapter control etc easily.

totally awesome!

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 2:46PM]

Looks like you are not an adult yet. Why do you not care about this widely used video format?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 1st 2007 2:04AM]

"...widely used video format?" he said divx, not xvid ;)

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 3:27PM]

Finally! I no longer need Zune, WMP11, or Media Center (read: ANOTHER PC) in order to play video files from WHS. According to the Video Playback FAQ, the Xbox 360 Dashboard Video Player will play AVI files directly from WHS.

Yes, I know I have one other choice, WMV, but I don't have any videos in that format.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 3:54PM]

Are we going to get better background graphics? That rotating wire mesh globe thing is getting so OLD.

[nXt Posted Nov 30th 2007 6:28PM]

are you talking about the xbox originals background picture?
They made it like that for the nostalgic look.

As for backgrounds for the system blade well you can buy themes or put your own picture via networked 360, usb drive or whatever.

and there are a bunch of options for the look/feel currently. press guide, then personal settings then themes then there are more options there

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 3:43PM]

hooray for dvix!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 4:12PM]

how do i playback .mkv files that i've downloaded on my computer? and how come when i burn a Divx movie file it says the file is only 700MB but it ends up consuming a whole DVD-R disc? can anyone help me here?

[toptekjon Posted Nov 30th 2007 4:46PM]

How or what are you using to burn your DVD's?
If you are burning the disc in standard .VOB file format to a DVD then it will expand the video to fill the DVD for "best quality". If you just burn a DATA DVD instead of a VIDEO DVD, that 700mb file will stay exactly that size and in exactly the same format.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 5:11PM]

ummm.. not to sure what... i know this much.. i use nero 7 i think it's called ... and i just follow the steps to make a dvd... i usually have to remove the credits at the end to get it to fit in the highest quality format too which kinda annoys the piss outta me. so if i make a "data dvd" will this work in my 360 or ps3 to watch xvid, divx or mkv file types? thanks. Brad.

[nXt Posted Nov 30th 2007 6:26PM]

Burn the avi to your dvd as a DATA DVD DISC.
the way you're currently burning it and taking up the whole disc it's converting to a dvd video.
don't use nero vision. just use nero express and select DATA DVD DISC and select your avi files.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 4:36PM]

Question - is there a difference between downloading the "Xbox Original" Halo, and sticking the darn old Halo disk into the 360 (which I've got on a shelf somewhere)?

thanks

[dashin Posted Nov 30th 2007 4:52PM]

the only difference would be that there wouldn't be any noise from dvd drive spinning.

I like playing XBLA games for this reason. Nice and quiet gaming experience!

I think this is a major advantage of this new downloaded xbox originals concept.

[enex Posted Nov 30th 2007 5:47PM]

WTF is "Halo 1"? Bungie did not release Halo as "Halo 1." Call it Halo: CE to differentiate it from the rest of the Halo games; it was released as Halo: Combat Evolved.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 6:00PM]

Is that response really necessary?

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 6:00PM]

Does anyone know what format a DVD is encoded in natively (mpeg4??) I have most of my DVD collection ripped as .ISOs (used dvd shrink), and currently stream them to my original modded Xbox ala XBMC. Will this update allow me to stream these DVDs to a 360??

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 6:03PM]

A) DVD is encoded in MPEG-2
B) google.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 8:24PM]

Sony updates the PS3 much more frequently, not that it needs it or anything. 80 GB PS3!!

Go ahead give me a low rating.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 30th 2007 9:12PM]

Now, the 360 will blend.

[RealHTInfo Posted Dec 1st 2007 9:34AM]

Well, this update officially made it essential for the yet-to-be-released media extenders from D-link and Linksys to debut sub $250, if not $200.

Marshall
--------
The Real HT Info Podcast

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 3rd 2007 1:00AM]

do these fall updates kill modified xbox 360s? (aka 360s with flashed firmware)

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 1st 2007 12:19PM]

im not big on originals other than halo but thats bc theres h3, COD4, Bioshock, Rock Band and others to keep me way busy..and of course mario galaxy...but very nice update for 360..much kudos along with parental controls...parents should love this...way to go xbox...

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 1st 2007 4:56PM]

Too bad I won't be getting it because the replacement 360 Microsoft sent (my first one RRODed a month or so ago) RRODed less than 24 hours after it arrived. And on my birthday too. I had JUST FINISHED unwrapping The Orange Box and Halo 3 and Mass Effect and I go to pop a nice shiny new game into the Xbox and it just freaking asplodes...grrrrr...

[Jake Smith Posted Dec 1st 2007 7:48PM]

Go to www.at-360.com for a more complete list of fetures in the update

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 3rd 2007 11:20AM]

How we are going to able to watch divx and xvid. Are we gonna have to burn to a disc and watch or stream from zune or media player? or both? Does anyone know?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 7th 2007 1:22AM]

Why the F won't they add a web browser to the 360? It's connected to the internet, so why do I have to get up and go to my office to get online, instead of just doing it from my couch? At least they could let you get online through Windows media Center...

[jntaylor1701 Posted Dec 4th 2007 6:50AM]

I went over to www.at-360.com and saw this:

"Improved video support for chapter skipping of MP4 videos"

Does this mean it reads meta tag chapters that are encoded into your videos? I hope so and its the apple tags? Handbreak can encode DVDS to H.264 videos with the dvd chapters. Given that it will read video podcasts sounds possiable.

Guss I'll have to try when I get home.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 5th 2007 4:43AM]

THIS UPDATE BROKE MY XBOX360 !!!

MICROSOFT IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND DOES NOT CARE, THIS UPDATE IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE AND HAS ALREADY CAUSED THOUSANDS OF XBOX 360 UNITS TO FAIL. MICROSOFT, VISTA, AND XBOX ARE GARBAGE.

PLEASE GOOGLE XBOX UPDATE BROKE MY XBOX AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF POSTS ABOUT THIS. THEY OFFER TO FIX IT, BUT YOU PAY THE SHIPPING. THIS IS A TOTAL SCAM. JUST LIKE THE VIRUS!?!? THAT BROKE THOUSANDS OF WINDOWS COMPUTERS IN 2000-01.

MICROSOFT PEOPLE ARE THIEVES AND LIARS.

FU MICROSOFT