Microsoft Details Other Changes Coming With This Dash Update

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BradNicholson

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Edited By BradNicholson

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. 
 

Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.
Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.

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? 
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BradNicholson

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#1  Edited By BradNicholson

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. 
 

Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.
Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.

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? 
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deactivated-6022efe9ba3cf

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yeah

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Kyreo

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#3  Edited By Kyreo
@hedfone: how insightful.
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birchman

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#4  Edited By birchman

Ah, finally! 
 
I have been waiting to enhance my gamertag changing experience FOREVER! 
 
Though, signing out controllers sounds brilliant.

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sumbog

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#5  Edited By sumbog

Yay for signing out controllers!

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ToxicAntidote

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#6  Edited By ToxicAntidote

Improved voice quality is a big plus.

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natetodamax

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#7  Edited By natetodamax

Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow. 
  Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand?
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Godot

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#8  Edited By Godot

Finally! The ability to sign out controllers. Not quite sure why that wasn't in it to begin with.

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Scottish_Sin

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#9  Edited By Scottish_Sin

I'm in the preview program and I've done some private chatting with other people in the program and its a huge improvement. Everybody sounds a lot clearer and it so much easier to understand what everyone is saying without the need to repeat themselves.
 
To me, that's the biggest improvement along with a slightly faster load time for the dash.

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Tyrax

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#10  Edited By Tyrax

Can someone explain the Games on Demand problem?
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McBradders

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#11  Edited By McBradders

I think the GoD issue is more about the available choice and shitty pricing model.

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nintendoeats

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#12  Edited By nintendoeats
@Tyrax said:
" Can someone explain the Games on Demand problem? "
yeah, I like it. I mean, I don't USE GoD (I want a disc) but I'm not sure how it could be done any better. Except by making stuff cheaper.
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ch13696

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#13  Edited By ch13696

I still have to pay $10 to change my gamertag. Still a ripoff.

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ProfessorEss

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#14  Edited By ProfessorEss
@MythDarK said:

" Improved voice quality is a big plus. "

Yup.
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RenegadeSaint

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#15  Edited By RenegadeSaint
@natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know.
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blacklab

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#16  Edited By blacklab

ESPN3 is very fucky.  Unbelievable that they are now segregating content based on provider.

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bhhawks78

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#18  Edited By bhhawks78
@RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
Um every game is literally 2-3 times more than what you would pay (not counting idiots who pay msrp for some insane reason).
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CaptainScarLeg

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#19  Edited By CaptainScarLeg

Sweet, the new controller sign out stuff sounds good, that stuff can be a pain in the ass on the current dashboard.

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natetodamax

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#20  Edited By natetodamax
@bhhawks78 said:
" @RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
Um every game is literally 2-3 times more than what you would pay (not counting idiots who pay msrp for some insane reason). "
True, the prices are kinda crazy, but that seems like unnecessary bias to me.
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peewi

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#21  Edited By peewi

Any chance of them bringing that improved voice chat to GFWL? 'Cause in my experience the sound quality on the voice chat in GFWL is really bad. Provided the volume on it isn't so low that you can't hear it at all. Bah, who am I kidding? Microsoft doesn't care about GFWL.
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TheDoorman

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#22  Edited By TheDoorman
@bhhawks78:  Some of the games in games on demand you cant find in stores any more like Civ Rev thats why games on demand is a good thing at times.
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#23  Edited By MeatSim

Better voice qaulity does sound nice.

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armyofmeat

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#24  Edited By armyofmeat

I like that they update their UI regularly and am looking forward to this one

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turbo_toaster

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#25  Edited By turbo_toaster

If the audio quality is half-decent after this I might consider renewing my subscription maybe lol

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#26  Edited By haggis

Games on Demand is fine, really. The prices are usually a little high, but not always. It was never going to be price-competitive, just convenient. Even the selection is pretty decent, all things considered.

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mcmets93

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#27  Edited By mcmets93

Im really looking forward to the improved audio quality for the party system. Should be interesting

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fentonalpha

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#28  Edited By fentonalpha

Yeaaaah the image you choose just reminds me of how anticlimactic most of these console improvements really are.  Looking at you sparse Games On Demand market place with ridiculous pricing.

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#29  Edited By bhhawks78
@natetodamax said:
" @bhhawks78 said:
" @RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
Um every game is literally 2-3 times more than what you would pay (not counting idiots who pay msrp for some insane reason). "
True, the prices are kinda crazy, but that seems like unnecessary bias to me. "
Bias?  Biased against overpriced downloads?  Sure!
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Death_Unicorn

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#30  Edited By Death_Unicorn

I think he's referring to the fact that Games on Demand isn't getting the new search UI?

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ZekeTheSquirrel

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#31  Edited By ZekeTheSquirrel

It's certainly easier to join wireless networks in the new dashboard, however I'm disappointed that it still can't save networks. Lately I've been taking my 360 to a friends house for LAN parties and it can get annoying to have to re-enter the wifi password every time (especially when it's 24 characters long...). 
 
I never really noticed any major issues with the old voice codec, however the update certainly sounds nice and clear.

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Doc_Zaius

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#32  Edited By Doc_Zaius

Browsing my S ranks!  woohoo!  I worked hard for those suckers.  they should make a little museum interface for them.
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#33  Edited By soupbones

...I guess there's no need to change the perfection of the GameRoom.

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#34  Edited By metal_mills
@natetodamax said:
" @bhhawks78 said:
" @RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
Um every game is literally 2-3 times more than what you would pay (not counting idiots who pay msrp for some insane reason). "
True, the prices are kinda crazy, but that seems like unnecessary bias to me. "

 It's not bias at all. If it's downloadable and costs way more than in store then it sucks. Simple.
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#35  Edited By DaStuph
@McBradders said:
" I think the GoD issue is more about the available choice and shitty pricing model. "
Agreed. Pricing model is the biggest drawback for me. For that matter who the hell actually buys ANYTHING from Zune Video Marketplace? I love the idea/selection of the Zune Marketplace but christ on a crutch those prices are nuts. Pass...
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#36  Edited By MysteriousBob
@RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
The selection? Well unless the US is different, he must be suggesting that the likes of Fallout 3, GTA IV and Fable 3 all suck, which they don't.
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natetodamax

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#37  Edited By natetodamax
@Metal_Mills said:
" @natetodamax said:
" @bhhawks78 said:
" @RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
Um every game is literally 2-3 times more than what you would pay (not counting idiots who pay msrp for some insane reason). "
True, the prices are kinda crazy, but that seems like unnecessary bias to me. "
 It's not bias at all. If it's downloadable and costs way more than in store then it sucks. Simple. "
Notice how the caption says "Games on Demand will continue to blow", not "The prices for Games on Demand will continue to blow".
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Ronald

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#38  Edited By Ronald
@Skwidman said:
" I'm all about the improved audio codec for voice stuff.  Everybody on Live sounds like a fratboy-pteradactyl, though that's partially due to the junky bundled wired Xbox mics. "
Which is why the first thing I did was buy a wireless mic when I got my 360. The wired headset is just so terrible.
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bhhawks78

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#39  Edited By bhhawks78
@natetodamax said:
" @Metal_Mills said:
" @natetodamax said:
" @bhhawks78 said:
" @RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
Um every game is literally 2-3 times more than what you would pay (not counting idiots who pay msrp for some insane reason). "
True, the prices are kinda crazy, but that seems like unnecessary bias to me. "
 It's not bias at all. If it's downloadable and costs way more than in store then it sucks. Simple. "
Notice how the caption says "Games on Demand will continue to blow", not "The prices for Games on Demand will continue to blow". "
Cry me a fanboy river, the prices are insane, so the service is either god awful or unusable.  "blows" is kind at best.
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DoctorWelch

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#40  Edited By DoctorWelch

These are some nice little things that can really improve the Dashboard. Now microsoft...how about that friend limit increase.

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metal_mills

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#41  Edited By metal_mills
@natetodamax said:
" @Metal_Mills said:
" @natetodamax said:
" @bhhawks78 said:
" @RenegadeSaint said:
" @natetodamax said:
" Sadly, Games on Demand will continue to blow.    Huh? What's bad about Games on Demand? "
Yeah, I don't get this comment either.  I believe it does exactly what it advertises.  Maybe he's commenting on the selection?  I really don't know. "
Um every game is literally 2-3 times more than what you would pay (not counting idiots who pay msrp for some insane reason). "
True, the prices are kinda crazy, but that seems like unnecessary bias to me. "
 It's not bias at all. If it's downloadable and costs way more than in store then it sucks. Simple. "
Notice how the caption says "Games on Demand will continue to blow", not "The prices for Games on Demand will continue to blow". "
If the prices suck then the service sucks. It's like saying Gamestop is great but the prices are crap. It's one and the same.
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wolf_blitzer85

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#42  Edited By wolf_blitzer85

Controller sign out is seriously fucking awesome. I am one of those that plays a ton of rockband and being able to switch around from instrument to instrument in monumental to me.
 
So can you already do this in the beta which I'm but just haven't had a chance to try, or are they still rolling these features out?

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Djeffers03

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#43  Edited By Djeffers03

Kinda strange that they're calling the Kinect dashboard control "Hands-free"....

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Rongaryen

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#45  Edited By Rongaryen
@Djeffers03 said:
" Kinda strange that they're calling the Kinect dashboard control "Hands-free".... "
That's because it's intended to be used with a dance mat.
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#46  Edited By Keavy_Rain

I dont' get the Games on Demand hate. I used it to get Mass Effect about a week before Mass Effect 2 launched because I couldn't find my disc and wanted to replay it. Just used a 1600 MSP card and, about an hour later, the game was ready to play.
 
The pricing seems fair for most titles and I like the convenience of playing my games from the hard drive. Yes, some games can be found for less on disc, but the ones I want and have bought were roughly the same price on-disc, so I don't see the issue.  I highly doubt anyone's buying Perfect Dark Zero or Kameo off of Games on Demand, but I know I've bought quite a few gems off of there and plan to buy more (Dead Rising, Bioshock, Burnout Revenge, Batman Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed II).
 
The only thing that could make Games On Demand better is if it had new games on there. I would have paid for a GoD version of Crackdown 2 or Dead Rising 2 if it had been available.

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Saik0u

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#47  Edited By Saik0u

I wish Games on demand would include halo 2 , that way i could start caring about the series, from the start, without leaving my couch :P

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Jeffsekai

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#48  Edited By Jeffsekai

News!

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OldManLight

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#49  Edited By OldManLight

The fine print says the voice chat is only improved in party chat, it'd be nice if that carries. Over to games. I want to hear every octave of a cracking 12 year olds voice that I can.

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#50  Edited By Krixok

comment