No automatic XBLA downloads for the NXE

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 29th 2008 at 5:10PM }

During our extensive video tour of the New Xbox Experience, we managed to miss that an old feature has actually been removed. Specifically, we're talking about the ability to download all Xbox Live Arcade games automatically. We're not sure how many people actually use the feature, but for those that like to at least try every XBLA game (or those that started a weekly video series about XBLA), it was pretty handy. When MTV's Stephen Totilo asked Microsoft's John Schappert about the removal of the feature, Schappert replied, "You actually use that?"

While the reason why the feature has gone missing remains a mystery, Totilo was told "it may come back in a future release." We'll just have to wait an see. Get your own hands on the otherwise feature-packed NXE when it debuts next month.

Tags: arcade, live-arcade, new-xbox-experience, nxe, xbla, xbox-live-arcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tony @ Oct 29th 2008 5:24PM

I never used it largely because it made you go to the Games blade to even start downloading anything... At that point I might as well just do it myself.

007craft @ Oct 29th 2008 5:59PM

I agree. The feature was usless before because u needed to enter the games blade for it to kick in. This means if you left your xbox off for 2 weeks, come back, not a single game would of been downloaded or queed up, forcing you to go find it regardless.

If they bring it back, they better make it so it works without having to go anywhere.

Also they need mroe then 6 queed up slots. If I go on vacation for a month, I dont want to come home and search for the 10-13 XBLA games I missed, I want them all queed up, ready to dl.

However with the XBLA in brief done by x3f, I find myself not even bothering to dl the demos anymore, as I watch the video first, if it looks interesting, THEN download the demo. Cuts down on the useless demos i dl and saves me time.

Now I just wish richard would do a short video review of every retail game like he does for the xbla games. Cause the gamespot video reviews are only for certain games, like the big AAA titles you know your gonna get and couldnt care less about being reviewd. Never the small game which has you slightly interested. Although im sure that would probably be a little more work. But im sure thats nothing a slight pay increase from AOL and free copy of all games wouldnt solve huh?

EdgeOne @ Oct 30th 2008 9:53AM

So that's the deal... I've had the feature on but noticed it wouldn't always start right away, now I know why, thanks.

SirPoonga @ Oct 29th 2008 5:28PM

I used it. I tend to forget new games come out on wednesdays.

Intangible 360 @ Oct 30th 2008 9:11AM

I used it as well but I definitely agree with 007craft in that it should truly auto download, not require me to go to the games blade first.

Procris @ Oct 29th 2008 5:31PM

Never used it myself, it always seemed like a redundant feature. Don't think many people will miss it.

Erik Stroud @ Oct 29th 2008 7:18PM

I wont miss it. I forgot about it till this post.

john paul @ Oct 29th 2008 5:31PM

To everyone who misses this feature there a little known feature in this site called XBLA IN breif.

joeybeast @ Oct 29th 2008 5:39PM

Ditto.

RockerAnimeFreak @ Oct 29th 2008 8:09PM

"I" before "E" accept after "C"! with rare exceptions! brief is not one of them!!! :D

Jason @ Oct 29th 2008 10:29PM

"I before E" is an awful rule. I found this site for you.

http://forum.dict.cc/?pagenum=2488&fo_show=89609

Jonman @ Oct 29th 2008 5:52PM

I used to use it, but then I got bored of playing demos of crappy, crappy games. Crazy Mouse anyone?

AoE @ Oct 29th 2008 8:59PM

um, are you sure you stopped using it? Crazy Mouse came out like 2 weeks ago...

JayBurton @ Oct 29th 2008 6:00PM

I have this feature turned on just because I like to try everything at least once.

I wish they didnt take the "All Games" feature from it. Used to go to random parties/friends houses and turn it on. It would start with A and download until it cant anymore. Filled my friends HD with arcade games... hahahahaha

Nick @ Oct 29th 2008 6:28PM

Life - get one!

/sigh

mastaglach820 @ Oct 29th 2008 6:12PM

I was losing space, and I dont really play the games anyways.

PeacefulOutrage @ Oct 31st 2008 11:44AM

A few things that took up space for me were the Shadowrun and Halo Betas and the XNA Creator's club thingie that we downloaded last spring for the free demos (The Dishwasher was awesome). If you forgot about them that may free a few gigs. I'm mad now that I forgot to delete the XNA thing, it doesn't show up anymore with in NXE preview.

Netflix works great, though.

a ham sandwich @ Oct 29th 2008 6:09PM

my guess is they took it off due to the fact that its a complete waste of bandwidth. understandable i guess. i do have the feature on, but don't usually bother to try half the games it downloads.

Aero @ Oct 29th 2008 6:09PM

I never used this feature.If I didn't know that a game was coming out on Wednesday then chances are I wasn't interested enough in it to try the trial.

Game_playa @ Oct 29th 2008 6:23PM

LOL!!!!
You 360tards get excited over everything!!
Even if it is just XMB on it's side, which would be pretty dumb and hard to navigate through(XMB on it's side I mean)

MowDownJoe @ Oct 29th 2008 6:32PM

With language that that, you both are.

Zac LaCombe @ Oct 29th 2008 6:51PM

It's ok, guys. He's just sad that his PS3's market share is as small as his...Nevermind, let's just not feed the troll any longer.

BegForMercy @ Oct 29th 2008 6:44PM

I never use this feature anyway

myabsolution @ Oct 29th 2008 6:30PM

Ten good features added, one bad feature removed.

win/win ?

TLC510 @ Oct 29th 2008 6:39PM

This seems to have a pretty reasonably explanation to me. "Delisting"
It would be screwing up the real conversion rates if people are downloading every game, but deleting most without even trying them, because they never would have downloaded it if it were not for the 'Automatic Downloads'. BTW please tell me if I'm missing something that would make this wrong.

xenocidic @ Oct 29th 2008 10:24PM

eh, you win. this is why - was going to say so but you beat it to it =)

DanielMexico @ Oct 29th 2008 7:03PM

well I used it

cause i didnt wanted to leave my XBox

turned on while I download 4 gigs demos

but i'm not going to miss it cause i will have a new interface

Boff @ Oct 30th 2008 8:41AM

That's a different feature, this one relates to automatically downloading the new XBLA (arcade) releases on your behalf.

The feature you mean is where it will finish off any downloads whilst in standby.

jorgiex @ Oct 29th 2008 7:11PM

I did use it when if first was implemented but didn't want all the crap games getting onto my system. So I turned it off and won't wish to ever see it again. But, I guess to be fair, it would of been cool to have the feature and people like me could just shut it off and not be bothered by it. So others that liked to play everything could keep it active.

Slacker @ Oct 29th 2008 7:13PM

But with NXE, you'll be able to just click on links in a web browser to have things added to your download queue and then automatically downloaded when you log in. This seems just about as easy to manage for 1-2 arcade games a week (not to mention all the other Marketplace goodness)

bitchain @ Oct 29th 2008 7:56PM

the likely reason for this is that it removes a key metric for xbla downloads, that is, "how many people actually download the game 'actively'" as opposed to 'automatically'. an actively downloaded game that does not go on to conversion is a statistic that could matter to MS and/or the vendor.

waldopepper @ Oct 29th 2008 8:32PM

Well since the Arcade size limit has been utterly smashed by Portal Still Alive I think players will be glad that 500Mb demos won't be downloaded automatically!

CDN Crockett @ Oct 29th 2008 10:13PM

I'll miss it!

Mazrael @ Oct 29th 2008 10:31PM

I switched it on a few weeks back when we seemed to be getting decent stuff.. didn't seem to work so I switched it off.. won't be missed..
but 3 weeks for the Windows Media Center-esque dash.. thats a long wait.. Fable2 won't take much longer.. just gargoyles & keys to find & it's all done (oh, and demon doors!)
maybe the bland Infinitely Undiscovery will keep my attention til Gears 2....

halongw77 @ Oct 29th 2008 11:48PM

I have never used the feature and I'm not exactly sure what it does but why don't they have a feature that allows you download all arcade trials, specific genres or even specific titles and they will automatically download when you turn on your Xbox and are connected to Live. The feature would be useful especially with background downloads after shut-off is turned on.

stinger503 @ Oct 30th 2008 7:38AM

I turned it on when it first started but never used it. I like downloading things manually ever couple days anyway.

ZEBRA NINER @ Oct 30th 2008 10:58AM

I use it, just because I work long days all week and I never remember to download the games. Seemed like a handy thing to have. I liked it.

borandi @ Oct 30th 2008 11:23AM

I've always used this feature. It's an awesome thing to have, and often I forget which games are coming out each week. Then in the middle of another game, I see it has downloaded and might go play that.

I'm annoyed I didnt get to add all the XBLA games to my gamercard before they made that switch last year. Grr. That should be an option too.

Fezmid @ Oct 30th 2008 4:23PM

I use it! I'm sure I'll buy less XBLA games if I have to manually look for them. I don't have a lot of time to look at websites for the new games that are coming out, and even if I do I probably won't remember to go download them. But if I'm playing something else and see the "Game XXX downloaded," I'll try it out. That's how I found Braid and Age of Booty.

Sucks that they took that feature out.