New avatar options and on-demand games coming next week, HD films, Facebook and Twitter coming in Spring.
The latest Xbox LIVE update will be hitting our 360s on the 12th of August, and it'll be bringing with it some neat new coolness.
First up, new clothes for your Avatar... yeah, fun! (not)
There'll be new brands like Adidas (so you can get Avatar mugged for your runners), over-saturated styles like Steampunk (and something else called Recessionista, which sounds like someone saw Zoolander and is taking the piss) and game-based Avatars if you really must look like the Master Chief - like every second other Avatar will post-launch.
More impressive, however, is an on-demand gaming service that isn't tied into the Microsoft Points system. You'll be able to browse games, and purchase them directly with your credit card. The launch list is a little limited, but it does contain some gems:
• Kameo: Elements of Power• Perfect Dark Zero• Prey• Viva Piñata• BioShock• Call of Duty® 2• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion• Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis• Viva Piñata 2: Trouble in Paradise• Mass Effect
Kameo sucked at the 360's launch, and it likely sucks now, but if you've not played Mass Effect you've really got no excuse now (though it really is better on PC). New titles are going to be released weekly, and the service even tracks your purchases so you can delete games at leisure without needing to buy them again if you change your mind later.
Of course, the big news is not what's coming in this patch, but what's coming down later this year. This southern spring will see streaming 1080p video with 5.1 audio come to LIVE, though there's no news what distributors are partnering up with Microsoft just yet. Twitter and Facebook are also on the cards for the next update, and we've been promised more details later this month.
Stay tuned!
Issue: 133 | February, 2012