My laptop feels like it's going to explode into a million pieces from all the work that's being done on it! Zing!

We all saw it coming, we all heard about it a few months ago, but now it's confirmed and just as awesome as we thought it would be. Microsoft has finally fessed up and admitted that they are going to be introducing a new dashboard system in fall, along with Avatars. Mii-Like characters that players will be able to customize with over a thousand pieces of micro-transactions, oops, we mean clothing. One thing that totally caught us off-guard is that it's being designed by Rare. So that's what those guys have been doing!

The new dashboard system is drastically different and we're still not sure how well it's going to translate for those that are used to the current system. It's not like the current system is great, so we're expecting this update is going to be welcomed across the industry. The avatar system is ripped totally from Nintendo's Miis, but Microsoft is stepping it up with the amount of customization, and the amount of use these things are going to be getting. Rare is stating that your avatar is going to be everywhere. Xbox Live, Websites, and within games. If Microsoft doesn't hold them close to their chest like Nintendo has then we could see them becoming even more popular than Miis.

Quite possibly the best thing being added to Xbox Live in the fall is the ability to make 8 person parties that will transfer seamlessly from application to appliction. That means up to 8 people in a party that will be able to talk, jump from game to game, and even watch movies with one another. Yes, movies! Microsoft announced their partnership with Netflix which will give any Gold subscriber total access to the Netflix catalogue, absolutely free. See! That's why you pay for Xbox Live!

We think the Xbox Live announcements are a huge victory for Microsoft. They continue to work on their online components, while Nintendo and Sony are still trying to figure out what the Internet is. What we're really digging is the new bar Xbox Live is setting for bringing the community together. No longer will you have to be a normal person and invite friends over to watch a movie, now you can just invite them on Xbox Live and listen to them chew Cheetos through their mics. Score!

Click below to see the Netflix portion of the conference.



Kim Fidler
InternetPopular.com