Xbox Music launches on 360 today - but it's missing on the local Dahsboard. Will we be getting it at all?

The next Xbox Live dashboard update is coming soon. Here's what you'll find new.

If you were playing your Xbox 360 last night you would have noticed that there was a mandatory update that  you had to install. Microsoft had officially said it was simply to reintroduce the boot to disk option on the dashboard but then why was it so big? Well it seems at least one of the extra bits included was …

The not so much anticipated Twitter and Facebook update is finally arriving for everyone on the 17th of November but in the end it’s become a bit of a damp squid. When it was first announced people had visions of seamless interaction between 2 of your 3 favourite websites but the reality has left us a bit short. I did …

By now you are all very obviously aware that the NXE dashboard update has been released and is impressing a lot of 360 owners the world over. Lazygamer reported earlier today that there are some issues in the form of an error coming up when you try and view certain pages. It also now seems as though that isn't the only problem. Before the release of NXE, Microsoft promised that the old themes from the original dashboard (OXE?) would work seamlessly and also look great, but the truth is that they just don't. Although I found an article about this on OXM's website, it was one of the first things that I realised when I booted up into the new dashboard. Not only are the background images not suited to the new layout that has windows running through the centre of the screen, but the images seem to also be stretched wider and have a definite loss in quality as a result (see header image). Although I don't feel as though it is a major issue, I am not the type of gamer that spends a lot of Microsoft Points on themes and gamer pictures, so I can understand if those who do are not very impressed with the translation over to the NXE. I'm sure that more little issues are going to be popping up here and there, there are rumours flying around that the NXE is causing RROD's, but until we are sure that it is not just one or two random cases, we won't be saying anything about it just yet.

Just a reminder to anyone who may have actually forgotten, today is the day that the New Xbox Dashboard Experience arrives. When you get home and switch on your Xbox 360, you will be asked to update. Once the update is downloaded and complete, you can start creating your avatar and messing around with the new layout. I am really looking forward to the new party chat that will allow 8 players to hook up and chat as well as move into game lobbies. All in all the new dashboard might not be as impressive as what Sony has planned for Home but I am really excited at the idea of never having to look at another dashboard blade go "whoosh" across my screen ever again.

Back to one of Lazy’s favourite topics. Personally I don’t mind if installs are optional but mandatory installs completely defy the object of consoles. Luckily as it stands Microsoft doesn’t seem to have any plans of allowing mandatory installs. The latest comments go some way to prove that. Last Updated: September 11, 2008