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Xbox 360 fall update details revealed: 1080p, auto-download, WMV playback and more
Microsoft has finally seen fit to release the details of its Xbox 360 dashboard update. Scheduled for release the morning of October 31st -- yes, that's tomorrow -- the update will add the much-talked about 1080p / HD DVD support, as well as the ability to play WMV files from a connected PC, disc, or USB storage device. Currently, users can only stream video from connected Windows Media Center PCs, but any XP machine running Windows Media Connect or Windows Media Player 11 should be able to do it post-update, as demonstrated during a press conference in Japan with several 720p-encoded videos. This compares to the PlayStation 3's recently-revealed compatibility with MPEG-4 and other video files, but so far neither has announced support for DivX / Xvid and Media Transcode 360 still requires Media Center. Apparently only 84 things needed fixing this time, down from the 125 in the spring update, including the option to automatically download demos of new Xbox Live Arcade titles, Zune media streaming, wireless headset support, XNA Game Studio Express and numerous improvements to video playback and menu handling.[Via AV Watch]
OXM says fall dash update is out ... now
Long ago, before the invention of the internets, people were forced to get all of their videogame information from magazines. These magazines were basically books, which, for the record, are several pieces of paper bound together containing sequential information. These "mag-uh-zeens" are still around, and occasionally they are still useful, too. For example, this month's Official Xbox Magazine declares that the fall dashboard update should be available right now. We've checked, and it isn't, but this should mean it's coming sooner rather than later. Rest assured, we will let you know the moment that it's online.[Thanks, AZ I BORICUA]
Fall dash update by October 31?
Reader Thomas Meyer applies simple logic to Major Nelson's latest podcast and deduces that the Fall Dashboard Update should be out by next Tuesday:Major Nelson says [76:20] that you cannot use the new Xbox 360 Wireless Communicator on a retail Xbox 360 yet and he tried it on his developer kit. Since the Communicator is scheduled for release on October 31st and people should be able to use it on that day, it's logical to assume that the Fall Update must be distributed no later than Oct 31st. Right?Elementary, my dear Thomas. Microsoft would never sell their loyal customers a product that didn't work on launch day. Or would they?
Bungie secret code or bungled codec?
Look everybody! It's a super-secret message from Bungie...disguised as a Dashboard update bug. I don't speak German, so I'll let reader Papa Moll explain: After the spring dashboard update the halo 3 trailer shows an strange artifact. a lot of users out there think it is a new message from bungie but they are all wrong! the same artifact happens on winxp running the bungie video in windows media player. it looks like Microsoft has implemented the actual winxp wmp codecs into the spring update. The guys over at xbox-lan.com asked their contact a microsoft a few days ago if thats correct and got the information that "The WMP Team is on it...." but nothing more. So this is not a Bungie message, its a codec message. And I was sure they were trying to tell me something. This reminds me of the people who see the Virgin Mary on a piece of burnt toast.
360 dashboard update to be ready by morning
The long awaited 360 dashboard update is finally coming, arriving by invite for most Stateside gamers sometime early tomorrow morning.The update will actually begin to go out by 2:00 AM PT, but, according to Major Nelson, it "can take up to four hours for a user to be prompted to receive this update," so the invitation to download the small-in-size (but large-in-scope) update could arrive as late as 6:00 AM PT.Patient gamers can look forward to 125 new features for their cream-colored Xboxes, including the ability to queue multiple Marketplace downloads, keep your place in DVDs, and even fast-forward to just the choicest parts of videos (like the one featuring the titular Tomb Raider above). Plan your evening and/or morning accordingly, folks.See also: A video tour of the Xbox Live Spring update 360 BC update "in the next few weeks" [Thanks to everyone who sent this in; also via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
