Curious what the New Xbox Experience looked like before it went final? Take a look.
Shacknews dug up a nice little curiosity for you going into the weekend: a set of prototype designs for what eventually became the New Xbox Experience dashboard, posted by Gridplane, the design firm that helped Microsoft concept out the interface early on. Here's some of what they have to say, as well as all the shots.
The time was spent exploring many ways that a new menu system could allow users to browse and navigate game libraries, music, movies and TV shows. Oh, and play games too. In addition to the menu systems, we dreamt up an immersive 3D environment for users to explore the latest games, events and online activity within the XBOX Live community.
Gallery
I think it's certainly more visually appealing in an abstract sort of way, but it also looks simultaneously less functional than the production NXE, and also a little too much like the old blades in some cases.
Whoa, way too much white. When I'm gaming at 2:00A.M. in my half-awake daze the last thing I want is my 50" plasma to blind me with a big-ass white screen of light.
Like you said, it looks good but not functional. I'm pretty much used to the NXE now and don't think I could go back...nor would I want to. I think the NXE is actually really good.
It looks cool, but it doesn't look functional in the slightest. And I think the only reason it even looks cool is just because I always love what I can't have.
I prefer this over the current NXE, but they would have to put all that advertising in this proto-type and it would probably end up looking much worst.
Visually, I like this style much more. I would have been fine if they decided to go with this one, but that's just because I'm a "visuals over functionality" type of guy.
Am I the only one that thinks Microsoft should have stuck with the mysterious (and almost creepy) original XBOX main menu? That 3d menu was freaking sweet, complete with unnerving alien talk in the background. I miss that.
That just confuses me. I just imagine the NXE as it is now, with the option to start your game buried somewhere in the system settings.
This sketch up seems to resemble the original 360 layout more than the NXE does. I'm happy it didn't go this way. That interface just looks too jumbled and ugly. Although I do like the graphics. Looks less like a "piece of candy" than the current NXE does. But put in some non-solid objects and colors, and everything looks better, isn't that right Vista?
This looks like it would have been integrated into the Zune-style platform much more than the current NXE, with the "Social" label, font, background, and arrangements. Interesting.
I'm really glad that wasn't the final product, it just seems so plain. While I don't really like the layout of what the NXE is now, I would prefer it over that. Simplicity did not work this time around.
Shacknews dug up a nice little curiosity for you going into the weekend: a set of prototype designs for what eventually became the New Xbox Experience dashboard, posted by Gridplane, the design firm that helped Microsoft concept out the interface early on. Here's some of what they have to say, as well as all the shots.
The time was spent exploring many ways that a new menu system could allow users to browse and navigate game libraries, music, movies and TV shows. Oh, and play games too. In addition to the menu systems, we dreamt up an immersive 3D environment for users to explore the latest games, events and online activity within the XBOX Live community.
Gallery
I think it's certainly more visually appealing in an abstract sort of way, but it also looks simultaneously less functional than the production NXE, and also a little too much like the old blades in some cases.
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