Xbox 360 dash update gives XBLIG more visibility

By Fred Dutton Published 18 February, 2012

Microsoft "working to better organise digital game content".

A new Xbox 360 dashboard update that went live in the US yesterday has given the Xbox Live Indie Games channel added prominence.

The service is now visible on the "top level" of the Marketplace section right next to tabs for Xbox Live Arcade and Games on Demand.

The November dashboard overhaul had hidden it behind an additional 'Game Type' button, causing a number of XBLIG developers to publicly voice their discontent at Microsoft's marginalisation of the service.

A statement handed to Eurogamer by Microsoft today, and due to be posted on the AppHub Forums and XNA Community blog in due course, explained that the move reflected that feedback.

"As you've now noticed, the Xbox Live Marketplace was updated to change the way games are surfaced to customers," it read.

"Microsoft is continually working to better organise our digital game content on the platform and your feedback played a part in that.

"Part of this new organisation means that Xbox Live Indie Games now has a tile on the top level of the marketplace right next to Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Games on Demand.

"Inside of the new Xbox Live Indie Games section, you'll notice that there are New Release, Top Download, A-Z, and Genre options, as well as a rotating carousel that shows off Kotaku's Picks, Contest Finalists, and can be used to house other content as desired.

"This update is something we are extremely excited about as it really brings Xbox Live Indie Games to a higher level of visibility in the dashboard. We believe these changes will help even more gamers find and experience the great offerings you've all developed for Xbox Live Indie Games."

So, good news for XBLIG developers. However, there's one caveat. At present, the update has only been applied in North America. A Microsoft spokesperson was unable to confirm if or when the changes will roll-out in Europe.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (58) Latest comment 3 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • uninspiredcup #1 3 months ago

    Console gaming is about hyping whatever the media tell you to buy. Not open creativity, thats the pc. Console gamers still wont be interested.

  • Bazbot_SP2 #2 3 months ago

    a complete overhaul, and removal of the adverts would be a step in the right direction.

    i cant find anything on the new interface, other than new releases and COD dlc, so any changes would be greatly appreciated.

  • uninspiredcup #3 3 months ago

    @FluffyTucker Exactly.

  • MattEdWithCheese #4 3 months ago

    @FluffyTucker Paid Reviews?
    Edited by MattEdWithCheese at 18/02/12 @ 06:54

  • TrevHead #5 3 months ago

    Its a step in the right direction but the dash as a whole is jank for looking though the whole backlog to find the best stuff.

    Thats especially true of XBLIG, good luck to anybody trying to do so.

  • TazerFan #6 3 months ago

    The negative nellies got an early jump on the first 7 posts in this thread. But will sanity prevail?! Stay tuned!

  • CaptainQuint #7 3 months ago

    I wish they'd sort the Friends blade out, sorry - the 'Social Hub', whilst they're at it. Why does every damn thing feel like it takes twenty clicks to get into?

    The friends blade used to show all the relevent info with a simple push of the right stick but no; MS decided it would be better to make people jump through a few needless hoops first. Honestly, now I find myself using the Guide button more than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if sales of avatar gear have gone down since the update.

  • lucky_jim #8 3 months ago

    @FluffyTucker (and @uninspiredcup!)

    Exactly. There were loads of us having a great time on that well- known AAA big budget blockbuster Little Racers Street last night, brought to us by that development behemoth known as Milk$ton£.

    Oh sorry, meant to post "boring troll is boring. Again".
    Edited by lucky_jim at 18/02/12 @ 09:37

  • lolercopter #9 3 months ago

    I didn't notice because, you know, indie games are still, inexplicably, only available in just a few Xbox Live regions.

  • Nielz0r #10 3 months ago

    GET RID OF ALL THE GODDAMN ADVERTS AND MAYBE WE'LL TALK!

  • stemitchell #11 3 months ago

    It's not really and 'update' is it, it's an error correction. Should have been that way in the first place.

  • 43n1m4 #12 3 months ago

    Can't say I've seen anything different ..maybe it's my country, region and so on. Did get the update, though.

  • Daddy-Doom-Bar #13 3 months ago

    @lucky_jim
    This is a good example of how shite the new dash is for finding gems. I'd never heard of the game you mentioned, looked it up on xbox.com and looking at the screens and the fact it's 80msp, I bought it. Looking forward to playing it! So thanks to you I found it. Not thanks to M$. Really should keep an eye on the XBLIG thread here...

  • uninspiredcup #14 3 months ago

    @lucky_jim But i'm right. The reason people are thumbing me down is becuase they know there is truth in what i'm saying.

  • BadBoyBonner #15 3 months ago

    I think it has got rid of the video being too bright - blacks seem much improved on mine - or maybe I am kidding myself 8-/

  • lucky_jim #16 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup
    "Everybody's negging me because I'm speaking some kind of painful truth"... Wow, how astonishingly self-righteous. And bollocks. Yes, of course the big-budget hyped releases are more prominent, but that's not exclusive to consoles, and between the various console download services there's plenty for people who like less mainstream stuff.

    So yeah, you're talking nonsense, and I know you're talking nonsense because I've got hundreds of the sort of games you're talking about, on my 360 and PS3. It's where I spend most of my games money, and it's how I spend most of my gaming time. And each and every one of those games proves you're talking rubbish.

  • lucky_jim #17 3 months ago

    @Daddy-Doom-Bar
    Check the forum for a thread about the game, we were having some superb 12-player races last night that you really should get in on! I'll add the marketplace link to my earlier post in case there are others who don't know about this gem yet.

  • Lukree #18 3 months ago

    I just recently got back to Xbox after 2 years break. At first glance the new UI does look intimidating but it is really quite shit.

    For example, when you check under a game what kind of enhancements and DLC it is having nowadays you really cannot find the relevant content. Giant DLCs, old announcement trailers and pointless avatar hats are having same sort of graphical weight - you cannot easily to spot what content is having more substance.

  • Po1ymorph #19 3 months ago

    Well at least it's a start. Lets hope MS stop dallying and get it out in the EU.

    @uninspiredcup Your being clicked negative, for being a doucehbag you twonk.

  • INSOMANiAC #20 3 months ago

    Here's a novel idea, as were paying a yearly subscription for your service, which you make millions from, how about removing the fucking adverts for deodorants/cars/pissflaps from my fucking console and using those boxes to make the cunting dash more fucking useful you greedy twats

  • uninspiredcup #21 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup I have to say, I made a really excellent, factually based point. You guys should just agree to disagree, that I am 100% right in what I am saying.

  • Architect_z #22 3 months ago

    Post deleted at 10:50:10 18-02-2012

  • cloudskipa #23 3 months ago

    I can't believe MS done this, you have to hand it to them for listening, yet it still wont be enough for some of the Indie devs.

  • TarickStonefire #24 3 months ago

    "As you've now noticed, the Xbox Live Marketplace was updated to change the way games are surfaced to customers,"
    Jesus Christ, corporate people really do relish sounding like fucking pricks, don't they? "Surfaced"?!?

    "Oh yah well we've actioned the recommendations on product surfacing, yah"

    Translation

    "We've fixed the fucked up stupid ass way we hid the Indie channel from people who want to buy games from the Indie channel"

  • TarickStonefire #25 3 months ago

    @lucky_jim "So yeah, you're talking nonsense, and I know you're talking nonsense because I've got hundreds of the sort of games you're talking about, on my 360 and PS3."

    To be fair, Jim, you're a very specific type of gamer, one that is aware of the XBLIG and enjoys the games there.

    You are in a minority. Don't assume your case proves anything. It's just an anecdote.

  • memeroot #26 3 months ago

    Can't even find it in Netherlands

  • Ilsildur #27 3 months ago

    Why Austria do not have this indie-channel? why are small countries so discriminated? I do not understand, that nobody speaks about that. where is the facebook-group, that complain vehemently about that blatant injustice!
    Its also a economical failure of microsoft, because they would earn more money, if the channel run in more countries ... - so please, tell me why?

    ps: sorry for my possible bad-syntax. my english could be better ...

  • Ilsildur #28 3 months ago

    @memeroot same situation in austria. let us change this injustice!

  • Syrette #29 3 months ago

    Post deleted at 22:07:22 18-02-2012

  • LittleRiver #30 3 months ago

    I hate the current dashboard- every thing about it in fact.

    When you "improve" a UI it should more intuitive not horribly cluttered with an absurd number of choices to get where you want to go.

    It is causing lost sales as far as my own experience goes; several times there have been discounted Arcade games that I new nothing about until it was too late- silly MS.

    Why there isn't a choice of format I will never know: give me dashboard version 1 again and I will be satisfied.
    Edited by LittleRiver at 18/02/12 @ 12:05

  • darc #31 3 months ago

    @LittleRiver Agreed. What tragic is ms already had the best UI in the industry in old Xbox dash. I used to praise it daily - usually in the course of poking fun at XMB on ps3, especially the ps store. It would have done just fine for the rest of the 360's lifespan. But a bunch of people who need to justify their jobs had to play with it til they broke it.

    MS is trying way too hard to unify under the new windows 8 look (it's great for windows phones but one size does not fit all) and to milk the xbox advertising bandwidth for all it's worth.

  • darc #32 3 months ago

    Sorry for the typos. Stupid phone...

  • lucky_jim #33 3 months ago

    @TarickStonefire
    I'm aware I'm in a minority by playing console indies (as are PC indie gamers if you think about it). I agree I'm not representative of console gamers more widely, but that's exactly the point: there is more than enough good minority stuff on consoles to scratch that itch, if you have it. To dismiss consoles as being just Gears and Uncharted, as some of the earlier posters did, is ugly in its ignorance to the point of being pitiable.

    Shame the platform holders seem so keen on keeping it secret though!

  • Rex0n #34 3 months ago

    They don't even have XBLIG in my country, same with other popular apps, really starting to reconsider another console in the future...

  • lucky_jim #35 3 months ago

    @Ilsildur
    The problem is that the indie content doesn't go through any kind of ratings board so Microsoft can't make it accessible in some countries, because those countries don't allow them to offer unrated content to users.

    I'm not sure if that's the case in Austria, but if your ratings system is anything like your neighbours' to the north, then it probably is.

    That's the excuse Microsoft usually give, I'm sure it can't apply to all the affected countries though. I suspect it's at least partly that they couldn't be bothered.

    It's quite simple to set up a UK or US Silver account though, which will allow you to at least play the single-player games.

  • RoOhDaMite #36 3 months ago

    The Gamespage really should be the Startpage to begin with.

  • rickygabrielbird #37 3 months ago

    I love the look of the UI but not the 100 steps to get to somewhere. The metro UI on the WP7 is lovely and it is a shame that the simplicity of it has not been carried across with the tiles.

    That said, it all reminds me of why I used to hate Windows and the early Android UI (ICS has addressed this and is great!) as you had 20 ways of getting to the same place which made things look a little cluttered and feel unnecessary.

  • d0x #38 3 months ago

    @uninspiredcup thats not true at all. Ive downloaded the trials on at least 100 indie games and ive probably purchased about 30 of them. If the game is fun ill buy it regardless of what piece of silicon that its running on.

  • Xardan #39 3 months ago

    Even with a positive article on the 360, the comments are still negative. Microsoft cant do nothing right it seems. Nothing changed at Eurogamer then.

    It's no surprise with the articles and titles here. Everyone loves to hate on the same things and companies. They generate the most views and comments. Nothing changes.

  • CaptainQuint #40 3 months ago

    If I weren't paying nearly £40 a year I'd probably agree with you.

  • Ilsildur #41 3 months ago

    @lucky_jim thank you for trying to explain the situation! - but if I set up a uk-account now, nothing happens on the dashboard. may be microsoft closed this gate in the last year - because I know this had worked two years ago ...

  • digitalash #42 3 months ago

    Well done Microsoft, for showing rare humility and taking on board the concerns of your developers and customers! :) It's easy to be cynical about anything, but while this won't fix all of the problems with xbl overnight, only a fool would dismiss it as anything but a substantial positive step.

  • karaokequeen3 #43 3 months ago

    Post deleted at 17:00:04 19-02-2012

  • uninspiredcup #44 3 months ago

    @d0x Trails = pc origin

  • Uncompetative #45 3 months ago

    @karaokequeen3

    I agree. It seems silly that they have put the most expensive products in their Marketplace in such a poorly showcased and inaccessable location.

    bing home social tv video games music apps settings

    Now see the difference with a simple alphabetical reordering:

    bing home games social video

    Here the pop-up 'Blades' menu is relied upon to access Media, such as play Music tracks and to change the Settings. I see no reason why home couldn't be renamed (and just used for ads) with the default tab being games - making either end of the list ergonomically equidistant:

    bing featured games social video

    Having separate block tiles for A-Z titles is stupidly inefficient when LB / RB can be used to navigate through an alphabet of tabs, each showing box-art cached on the HDD for speed:

    a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

    Pressing (A) on one of these box-art images should make the tabs appear in the most naturally effective order for making a digital sale:

    details demo gallery preview purchase rate related
    Edited by Uncompetative at 19/02/12 @ 12:00

  • DwarfyP #46 3 months ago

    "Marketplace section right next to tabs for Xbox Live Arcade and Games on Demand."

    So right next to what it was next to since the new update anyway. Just in a different place?

  • barchetta #47 3 months ago

    Just downloaded the update (in UK) and tbh I don't see any difference. Where is it? I see some indie games in games/game marketplace/picks but I don't see an Indie pane in the game marketplace menu and still need to go to game type/indie games as previous. :/

  • barchetta #48 3 months ago

    Ah - I see an Indie Games appears in the scrolling pane area. That it?

  • TrevHead #49 3 months ago

    @Xardan
    Fixing XBLIG is a drop in the ocean considering the dashboard as a whole looks like it was made for a smartphone. Ppl wont be happy until they change the whole dash into a UI that is pratical for users who dont use kinect to navigate it.

    It isnt as if MS is new to UIs design, they have been making them for windows for donkies years. It boggles my mind that they could come up with something so bad.
    Edited by TrevHead at 18/02/12 @ 20:40

  • DreamT #50 3 months ago

    Glad they made this change, but they need to roll it out to other regions. I have two accounts (one US) and this change makes the games marketplace far better.

    And are people serious about the ads? Lol, 95% of it is for VIDEO GAMES, you know, perhaps they think that, that stuff might be of interest to Xbox users. Perhaps high visibility of current/future releases might be a good thing? Just a thought, but I know people like to complain incessantly about stuff.

    I like the new dashboard a lot more than the last now that they've fixed the games marketplace. Now roll it out everywhere Microsoft!

  • Okamiwolf #51 3 months ago

    "Microsoft is continually working to better organise our digital game content on the platform and your feedback played a part in that."

    "Microsoft is continually working to further clutter up the easy to use dashboards we used to have and your feedback will be totally ignored next November when we release yet another pointless dashboard revision that makes it even more impossible to find what you're looking for".

    Fixed.

  • Spong #52 3 months ago

    @barchetta
    There's no such update in the UK yet. Where this adjustment to the XBLIG placement is concerned, there's no update outside of the US.

  • CYPRIOTCleANER #53 3 months ago

    This dash is fucking joke with wall to wall advertising.

  • Toothball #54 3 months ago

    Well I'm settled in to the new Dash. I don't have a problem getting around it, I know where to find Indie games if I want them and I don't notice the ads any more. I even like using it with Kinect.

    This repositioning of Indie games seems like a decent enough move, but I still think that what they need is some method of highlighting the good ones rather that just a move to a different space on the Dash.

  • rudedudejude #55 3 months ago

    Not an update - it's a fix to a fuck up you made Microsoft.

  • Ryze #56 3 months ago

    Game Type!

    :D

  • Skith666 #57 3 months ago

    I don't want to get into any trouble for posting links or anything but I happen to be running a petition to ask Microsoft to change the Dashboard layout to give XBLIA games more exposure and I'd appreciate the support of anyone on here.

    The petition is here: http://www.change.org/petitions/microsoft-give-the-indie-genre-of-games-its-own-channel-on-xbox-live#

    Any admins on here - please forgive me if I have overstepped any bounds in posting this.

    thanks in advance to anyone who signs this.

  • Eraser #58 3 months ago

    How about bringing XBLIG to Europe?