Skip to main content

New Xbox 360 dashboard will launch December 6

xbox-360-fall-2011-dashboardMicrosoft will debut its new dashboard interface for the Xbox 360 next month, featuring a host of tweaks intended to develop more congruity between its console, PC, and smartphone environments.

The new dashboard will officially launch December 6, but it’s currently in beta — meaning some Xbox 360 owners are already using an early version of it.

Recommended Videos

Among the upcoming changes will be some improvements to the Kinect voice-recognition interface, the ability to stream live television, and more exclusive sports and music content.

Many expected the new dashboard to launch on November 15, the 10-year anniversary of the first Xbox arriving on shelves. Whether the new dashboard will bring users closer to Microsoft’s promise of making the console a complete home-entertainment device remains to be seen — but we’ll know more in the first week of December.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to try this weekend (September 27-29)
Sombra's new look in Overwatch 2.

First-party games are finally getting the big, consistent presence on Xbox Game Pass that we've been hoping for. In September alone, Age of Mythology: Retold and Ara: History Untold have made their way into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, while Overwatch 2 started to give a ton of benefits to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. This is bound to only continue ramping up in the coming months as games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 release and more back catalog Activision games come to the service. Simply put, there's going to be a lot to enjoy on Xbox Game Pass. That's why I recommend you check out two of these first-party games, as well as an underrated indie strategy game sequel. this weekend
Overwatch 2

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers should connect their account to Battle.net because a lot of perks for subscribers came to the free-to-play hero shooter Overwatch 2 earlier this month. Cardboard Reinhardt, Turtleship D.Va, Cyberdragon Hanzo, Street Runner Genji, Bee Mercy, and Cleric Lifeweaver skins, as well as 30 Mythic Prisms, can be permanently redeemed before November 11. A rotating collection of other cosmetics and a 10% XP boost are available indefinitely to Xbox Game Pass subscribers. You can access these perks across any platforms that Overwatch 2 is on, including PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
Ara: History Untold

Read more
Revisit the days of translucent gaming gear with these new Xbox controllers
A white and transparent Xbox wireless controller on a black background.

Following up on its Sky Cipher special edition Xbox Wireless Controller, Microsoft has announced a full series of transparent controllers now available for preorder.

The Cipher Series Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 comes in six different color options. The white Ghost Cipher is the most transparent-looking, but there are also Velocity Cipher, Astral Cipher, Surf Cipher, Candy Cipher, and Pulse Cipher, which are Xbox green, purple, blue, pink, and red, respectively. You can mix and match D-pad, button, joystick, and trigger colors, and get your own in the Design Lab. A base model will cost $150, and be wary of any add-ons that might up the price more than you'd like.

Read more
3 new Xbox Game Pass games to check out this weekend (September 20-22)
Key art for Frostpunk 2.

As the fall season approaches, the number of high-profile Xbox Game Pass additions is rising. That said, the service also does a great job of appealing to players who are fans of more specific, niche genres. September 2024 has been particularly kind to Xbox Game Pass subscribers who are fans of simulation or strategy games that require a deeper level of engagement and dedication. These are the kinds of games I'm recommending to you this week, especially because one of them launches right into Microsoft's video game subscription service today.
Frostpunk 2

Later today, Frostpunk 2 will get its wide release on PC and be available to Game Pass subscribers. It is a more ambitious sequel to an enthralling yet stressful city-builder in which players try to survive in a harsh, snowy apocalypse. Frostpunk 2 increases the scale of things as players try to maintain the restored civilization they built from scratch in the first game. It exacerbates the already stressful nature of real-time city-builders but in a way that works perfectly in its postapocalyptic world. Frostpunk 2 is only available on PC, and you can play it there with a PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game

Read more