14 DAY TRIAL // On November 19, the Xbox 360 is going to get the biggest face lift ever seen in its history. The Xbox Live Experience, as Microsoft dubs it, will include a huge list of changes, all of them aimed squarely at making the gaming console a joy to use. There will be Avatars, which are pretty much like the Mii feature on the Nintendo Wii, Xbox Live Parties, a re-designed interface and Markeplace, Neflix support and more family friendly channels. Primetime will not be part of the November 19 launch and will come sometime in spring 2009.
Talking to Gamasutra, Aaron Greenberg, the group product manager for the Xbox 360, said that “As dramatic as going from the original Xbox was to when we launched Xbox 360, this is just as much of a dramatic jump with the New Xbox Experience”. In other words, the software changes Microsoft is introducing mean that the Xbox 360 might be called the Xbox 360 2.0 starting with November 19.
The overall aim is simple, to “transform us from being a game console to an entertainment system”. The reason is there for everyone to see. Gaming consoles have already attracted those potential buyers who were only interested in playing games. In order to sell devices for the next five years, companies like Sony and Microsoft must find ways to attract those who are interested in a bit of gaming but also in other activities, some of them more social, like playing quiz games or communicating with other people.
In order to make sure that people know there's a new Xbox 360 out there, Microsoft is planning to heavily advertise the chance. As Greenberg says, “We will be launching the largest marketing campaign in the history of Xbox. We will be spending more money in marketing in advertising this holiday than we ever have in the history of our business”. It's worth sticking around to see how the Xbox 360 fares in sales against the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.