360 Dashboard 2.0 mock-up, is Microsoft listening?

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 1st 2008 at 4:45PM }

Over at Platform Nation there is a very interesting article about what could be done to improve the Xbox 360 dashboard, thus creating Dashboard 2.0. You can see a mock-up of the Marketplace blade above, including eye-popping images for XBLA games. Even better, the games have user ratings and the prices are listed right on the front page, no need to click through to see how much a game costs. There are a number of other improvements, including the ability to hotkey areas you use often (XBLA, Marketplace, etc). The article goes into detail about where the current dashboard has problems and what can be done to address them (right down to cleaning up completely unused space). It's really a good read and we suggest you check it out. We can only hope that someone at Microsoft is paying attention.

[Thanks Alex Fischer and Gemini Ace. Via Joystiq]

Tags: dash, dashboard, dashboard-2, marketplace, platform-nation, xblm, xbox-live-marketplace

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jon @ Jul 1st 2008 5:04PM

really is a better design then what we have currently with more space for the USER when purchasing themes they might actually get to see the themes that they buy.

just really need to ease up on the advertising also on the xbox live tab, i understand the marketplace for a place for ads to sell stuff.

Rick @ Jul 1st 2008 4:52PM

Looks a lot cleaner and more straightforward. This would definitely be a better way of navigating.

WTangoFoxtrot @ Jul 1st 2008 6:02PM

I doubt MS would do it, it doesnt leave them with enough room to place their adverts and stuff.

Chase @ Jul 1st 2008 4:54PM

That is a nice, functional design, and sure beats the present single blade design. And the ability to sort Arcade content would eliminate the need for Microsoft's half-assed "delisting."

Tony @ Jul 1st 2008 4:56PM

This is honestly pretty brilliant. It takes some of the better aspects of the Wii's system (user voting) and adds in some of the better aspects of PSN.

I really feel that many of MS's current issues stem from the organization of the blades. They worked early on, but there's so many things in the system now that it just doesn't work well. MS itself admitted this with the whole XBLA delisting thing.

I'd love to see this and I'd love to see some sort of Web site counterpart. It'd be great if we could browse these things, order them, queue them up for download next time we turn on the 360, allon our computers using a point and click system we're so familiar with thanks to other stores like iTunes or Amazon.

aaron @ Jul 1st 2008 5:09PM

I would also like to see xbox.com have some sort of webpage we can go to where we can purchase and schedule downloads. We already have the basic page already setup for the movies. Would not take much to apply it to all other content on the xbox.

As for this design. Overall it has alot of great points and hopefully ms takes note and does some of them. The search, ratings/reviews of all content, reduction of wasted space, etc.

I do like the more graphical look to the marketplace. That would be a huge improvement over the current system.

Josh @ Jul 1st 2008 5:25PM

I agree there. We should be able to buy from the computer as well as the console. The way Bungie did the user content in Halo 3 should be used as an example, just get rid of the freaking 10 queue limit.

Boff @ Jul 3rd 2008 6:30AM

I have to agree. Setting things to download from the PC (a la Bungie.net) would be a brilliant move.

Also, I thought the limit was 6 items in the queue?

Arnon @ Jul 1st 2008 4:59PM

O_O Whoa... I would so want that for my new dashboard.. It looks clean, easy navigation, etc. If this is the actual MS response to HOME than this is just fine. This would actually do better than Avatars '>.>

Arnon @ Jul 1st 2008 5:04PM

And yes, I know it's a fake XD..

Velorium @ Jul 1st 2008 5:07PM

The only issue with this would be that they're limited to how big the firmware can be (I forget if it's 4mb, 8mb or 16mb. I'll go with the latter.) otherwise if they can't pull it off for the 360, the 720.

aaron @ Jul 1st 2008 5:11PM

i think we may know something related to this at e3... if the rumors are true the hard drive issue could be going away (and would give more creedence to a major redesign)... but we will know more when ms makes their announcements at e3.

Velorium @ Jul 1st 2008 5:26PM

True, but there's a flash chip inside the xbox that holds the firmware, not the hard drive, so the space restriction for the interface would still remain an issue

aaron @ Jul 1st 2008 5:34PM

my point is more along the lines of a major renovation would do away with the ram version of the os. well more like take some things off the ram portion. just have the base os and the background xbox guide portion be on the ram and move everything else to the hard drive. since really the only thing we need running all the time is the xbox guide and core os.

a hard drive is more than fast enough to run what it would be needed to but they couldnt do it because of the arcade unit.

but all of this is predicated on the removal of the arcade unit which we will know one way or the other in a few weeks.

stukorn @ Jul 1st 2008 5:11PM

simply wonderful,m lets hope they do take note now and not wairt till the 720

Neon Jebus @ Jul 1st 2008 5:18PM

While I appreciate the level of detail Mike has used to offer his idea, I can't help but think it feels a little too busy. If the blades were left alone but his ideas for information display were used I think he would be money. And I'm a BIG fan of the reversal of advertising he mentions. There's way too much currently.

I'm not too sure about the search function. A good idea in theory but I wonder if such an option would be used all that much?

As for the dashboard access in the upper left area, it pretty much kills the sweeping animation from blade to blade. I'm sure the idea is that the information sweeps out from the area selected (perhaps like minimized items in the OS X dock).

Mike offers some interesting ideas on information display and flow from area to area. I would think that his tabbed display could be a natural extension to the 'twist' method Microsoft currently uses.

Neon Jebus @ Jul 1st 2008 5:20PM

sorry mik not mike.

jbrumleve @ Jul 1st 2008 5:19PM

I seriously question this design actually. Its nice visually, but from a usability standpoint, there are WAYYYY too many things to select and too many directions (up, down, left, right) that your cursor can wind up at. To me, this is a very very frustrating looking design from the usability standpoint, not from an aesthetic standpoint. This dashboard design looks like it was designed for mouse point and click, NOT moving a selection box with your controller. I'm a bit worried that I'd have to break out an instruction manual and look up the controls on how to navigate the dashboard with that design. Its just too much to look at, and works for the web, but not for the dashboard due to the controller limitations. Just my opinion as a fellow graphic designer. Great LOOKING work though! A++

jbrumleve @ Jul 1st 2008 5:25PM

Also I forgot to add that opting for a widescreen format and scaling it down for users that use a 4:3 aspect ratio is a no-no. I play on a 17" monitor and I wouldn't be able to even ready the movie titles sitting 5 feet away from my screen. I realize this is a work in progress, but I actually prefer the clunky unorganized dashboard that MS already has to this more "aggravating" alternative.

Birdshake @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:05AM

Wow. That looks great.
Come on Microsoft!

tomoguisuru @ Jul 1st 2008 5:41PM

You know what kills me? Is the fact that they have dedicated more to Advertisements than to user space and we still have to pay to use Live. Can anyone say double dipping?

Tel Prydain @ Jul 1st 2008 5:49PM

Hmmmmm, I don't know. For new users that look would be information overload.
It's pretty - but it would make a better website, then dashboard.

Trogdor @ Jul 1st 2008 5:59PM

Yes. I like this, hopefully MS has people of similar mind working on the next dashboard (if we get one).

And it's funny, I never really paid attention to the ads, but now that he mentioned it I don't appreciate having 1/3 of my screen occupied by an advertisement.

T-BoNe254 @ Jul 1st 2008 6:00PM

I don't approve. Megan Fox would be removed as my theme background...

lol.

It's not bad but i have no problem with the current set up.

webster1990 @ Jul 1st 2008 8:18PM

If you read the full article it shows that themes would still be intact as they are and would be even more visible if anything.

Ethan @ Jul 1st 2008 6:32PM

Sorry to rain on the parade, it's really nice, but what do users with 4:3 ratio screens do with that menu? It wouldn't be able to fit. Not that I'm in that category.

ZEBRA NINER @ Jul 1st 2008 6:39PM

His ideas about listing and ratings are FANTASTIC. I would totally love to be able to rate games and sort that way.

Jason @ Jul 1st 2008 7:30PM

I messed with XNA game design and there are some issues with screen size that would cause some problems here... You can't run right up to the bottom/top/left/right sides of the screen... think of the screen needing a "bleed" if you want to call it that of a bunch of pixels... there were plenty of articles describing that... its due to the fact that not all monitors (widescreen vs. widescreen no widescreen vs 4/3) and they all can't display the same amount of the edge of the screen...

That is why there is a bunch of "unused" space on the 360's current dash board.

Gemini Ace @ Jul 1st 2008 9:01PM

Woot! =D

Hak @ Jul 1st 2008 10:27PM

@jbrumleve

You sir, have not looked at the image properly.... each blade is being replaced by a button on the controller like a shortcut key on a keyboard while the action 'A' and back 'B' button remains the same, best thing ever since I don't have to go right,right then left,left on thumstick or d-pad. The only thing left is to implement a translucent background so that the wallpaper from themes will fit in against the menu system, plus new feature hold 'select' 3 secs to eject tray and hold 'start' 3 secs to close tray/play disc.

webster1990 @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:44AM

The other image in the article that picture comes from shows one of the other blades and how the themes would work.
There is never a theme on the Marketplace blade in the first place.

Chappy @ Jul 1st 2008 10:40PM

Yuck. No thank you. That might work for a mouse-based interface, but it's a horrible idea for an interface driven by up/down/left right. No thanks.

ryan @ Jul 1st 2008 11:04PM

The Marketplace tab has to include a movie store too.

I'm glad to see tabbed browsing by criteria. An even deeper selection criteria menu would be greatly appreciated with the size of the library ever-increasing.

The left panel could be minimized while in the store to free up more browsing space. If they'd economize the adspace too.

I thought PSN Store was poorly laid out until I got a 360 and was surprised by how confusing the Marketplace works. While I'm on the subject why are they called Microsoft Points if they work exactly like dollars? Shouldn't you be able to earn points?

KrAzy Che3To @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:23AM

Wow! That's NICE!

DJcube @ Jul 1st 2008 11:57PM

I'm not really sure about that one. It looks a tad too...flat.

Still...their article is made worse by the bull****. Why do they need to lie with the amount of user space when it's pretty clear that their version has less user space than the original version? Surely if they count the background in their version, then they should count the background in the current dashboard.