Xbox 360's Dashboard Gets an Overhaul

The first major system update for the Xbox 360 will be available from Microsoft next Friday. Among the new features included in the update are background downloading, direct booting to the dashboard and improved media functions. There’s also a significant update to the Xbox Live Marketplace, the content download system. Active Download would probably the most sought after feature by gamers as it will allow you to download games in the background as you play retail games, or use any other “Xbox experience” during a download. The download manager will pause downloads automatically during multiplayer experiences. Another great feature that 360 owners will appreciate is the option to boot up straight into the Xbox Dashboard instead of jumping to whatever CD, DVD or game happens to be in the console’s tray when you start it up. [/TAGS]