Steve

I just got notified that I'm now part of the Xbox Live Update Preview... I put in for that on Monday, and thought I was perhaps too late when other folks started being added yesterday. It's downloading to my console now as we speak.

-- Steve'll have to give it a thorough testing tomorrow; the movies-on-demand feature particularly tempt.

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=091&active_tab=systemRequirements

According to my former Dark Masters at Mount Doom, I can unplug the controller from my Xbox360 and plug it into my computer. Plug n' Play, too, so the drivers'll just autoinstall and away I go. Now, I wonder if it'll work with that copy of Freespace...

-- Steve was browsing online for joysticks and finding them thin on the ground these days. Maybe this is why.

As reported on Halo.Bungie.Org, here's a 20-minute video walk-through of the New Xbox Experience, the dashboard and OS update coming out over Xbox Live in a couple of weeks. Looks nifty, and it looks like you Netflix-ers are going to make out like bandits on this.

I like the context-sensitive themes, and it looks like navigation will be easier too. And the dashboard-resident party system (just like Halo 2/3's) is going to rock!

-- Steve's not entirely sold on the avatars, though. Too humanocentric... puny humans

I'm early enough downloading Marathon: Durandal from the XBox Live Marketplace that I'm getting a good connection with the server. Indeed, it's almost finished now...

If you're interested in taking a look at where Bungie came from, you should have a look at this game. (At least the demo.) And, I should point out, it has online co-op too.

-- Steve's looking forward to seeing how they've spruced up the old place.