Xbox.com to go under the knife for "massive facelift" tomorrow

The Xbox.com team has been brewing up all sorts of changes for a brand new site redesign, and they're ready for it to go live tomorrow morning.

If you're like me and you log onto Xbox.com every morning at 5:00 AM Eastern Time, this will affect you. For most everyone else, the change will be quietly pushed through while you're asleep. The site will go down for "a short period of time" starting at 5 AM, and when it goes back up, here's what you'll see:

Okay, so the home screen is still going to look pretty much the same. But dig in a little deeper and you'll notice more social features going on. For example, you'll be able to play online Web games with other gamers.

Also, integration with your individual Xbox Live account has been enhanced, providing a more intuitive interface to see online messages, friend requests, and game invites.

It'll also be easier to find Xbox Live Marketplace games with a new search infrastructure.

Then there's the brand new "Friend Center" which gives you a better snapshot at what all your friends are doing. Additionally, if you're one of those overprotective parents, there's a new view for you that shows exactly what everyone under your parental Xbox Live account is doing.

And finally, do you ever find yourself spending a fortune on your Avatar wardrobe only to realize after the fact you just don't look good in neon orange? The new Xbox.com will alleviate that problem by letting you preview new Avatar customizations before you commit to buy anything.

Anyway, sidetracking aside, the new Xbox.com will go live tomorrow. It's also going to be perfectly compatible with the Windows Phone 7 built-in browser. Isn't that convenient?

[ Source:Major Nelson ]

Oct 19, 2010

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