At this point, you know the big additions of Microsoft's November 4 Xbox 360 dashboard update: ESPN3, Netflix in-app search (!), a better Zune Marketplace, and Kinect hands-free control support. The publisher has done a great job of pounding these factoids into our grey matter at events. But are you aware of the little tweaks and improvements the publisher is bringing to the service on November 4? Probably not.
Take, for example, this itsy-bitsy addition which should make your half-drunken Rock Band parties run much more smoothly: with the update, you'll be able to sign out other controller's profiles within the Xbox 360 Guide's sign-in UI, eliminating the need to turn off your console or screw with menus inside the game.
You didn't know about that, right? I didn't, at least. And there's a whole mess more coming that I had zero clue about. Thankfully, Microsoft has chosen to illuminate me (and you!) by releasing a detailed list of what is to come. It's provided in full (via 1UP) just below for your reading pleasure:
== TEASER ==
- Improved Voice Quality -- the audio codec is being updated to improve Xbox LIVE Party chat audio quality. So grab your friends and jump into a multiplayer game, catch a big sports event, watch a movie or do all three.
- Improved Experience For Changing Your Gamertag -- choosing a new Gamertag? If the Gamertag you're looking for is already taken, your Avatar will spin a wheel and we will provide five other Gamertag suggestions at a time for you to choose from.
- Streamlined In-Dashboard Virtual Keyboard -- we've taken the existing QWERTY keyboard in-dash and made it easier to use for scenarios that involve repeated text entry, for example when signing up for Live within the dashboard.
- Improved Xbox Live Marketplace UI and Browse Experience -- the Games Marketplace has been re-organized to provide streamlined access to the games and content you want, reducing the number of steps it takes to get to a download.
- Avatar Changes -- we've made your avatars slightly more proportional so you can better play Kinect games
- Easier To Get On A Wireless Network -- trying to connect to a wireless network? With the next update, you'll see a list of all the wireless networks within range when you go into network settings. From there, you'll be able to select a new network or further configure the network you're connected to.
- Ability To Sign-Out Other Controllers In The Sign-In UI -- we're adding the ability to sign-out profiles on other controllers in the sign-in UI within the Guide. This is especially useful when playing games like Rock Band.
- New Browse Experience For 100 Percent Completed Games -- you spent a lot of time and effort earning those Achievements, so instead of only being able to view your first dozen completed games, we're giving you a new and better way to browse all of them.
Other than the UI profile management business, I'm most excited about the keyboard update. A world where I don't have to spend five minutes clumsily typing in numbers with a controller is a good one indeed, even if that's probably not what's going happen. But, hey, what are you excited about?