In anticipation of the upcoming ‘Summer 2009’ update for the Xbox 360 Dashboard, Microsoft has released new screenshots that detail more of the upcoming changes. Though currently undated, Microsoft states that the upgrade is almost ready to be launched.
In the screenshots, published on Gamersyte.com, it is revealed that the ‘games on demand’ feature will soon also include Xbox 360 games. The games shown to be available for download currently only include first party games, such as Kameo – Elements of Power, Perfect Dark Zero, Mass Effect as well as Viva Pinata and it’s sequel, Viva Pinata – Trouble in Paradise.
The screenshot of the new XBL update shows recent-generation games being available for download.
Other features that can be seen in the screenshots include the ability to give arcade games a rating. Each game will then show an average rating, running between zero and five stars, as an aggregate of all ratings.
Furthermore, the summer update will apparently also include the long awaited option to be able to receive Avatar clothing through awards. These awards are most likely to be affiliated with the achievement system or will be automatically unlocked based on which games the user has played. Users will also have the ability to purchase new items for their avatar. The screenshots show a female avatar wearing steampunk-inspired clothing at the price of 160 MS points for the shirt. Also, a panel for accessories seems to be available in the avatar design screen.
Some other additions include a counter which shows how long the user has been a XBL Gold member, and the option to sort the friendslist by activity, gamertag or online status. No new information is available on when the Netflix service or XBL Community Games service will become available in more regions in the world, as those are currently restricted to primarily North America and the United Kingdom. During the latest E3, Microsoft had stated that the Netflix service was to become available in more countries in the near future.
Update: Website Engadget.com has just released a full list of features to be included in the update. The list can be found here. A release date however, is still not mentioned.