Xbox Live adds Holiday Snow Globe

By Oli Welsh Published 15 December, 2008

Avatar nonsense for "festive" "season".

Microsoft has added an animated snow globe to the Xbox frontend to celebrate what it likes to call the holidays.

It follows the addition of a free "Winter Holiday Theme" for all Xbox Live Gold members (the ones who pay) earlier in the week.

Unlike the theme, the snow globe doesn't require a download - it just shows up automatically in a special new seasonal Spotlight channel called Happy Holidays.

Select it and the 2D snow globe shows up and automatically fills with Avatars of you and your friends. Press A to shake the globe unconvincingly, or X to shuffle the Avatar line-up, while a trebly, insistent rendition of Jingle Bells bothers your ears and non-denominational season's greetings scroll across the top of the screen in a variety of languages.

Details are on Major Nelson, or you could just fire up the Xbox to have a look, but we can't recommend it.

"This will give you a chance to enjoy a little Holiday spirit with your Xbox LIVE friends in very NXE way," said the Major.

"This is like, one of the coolest things ever," said commenter H20 n1gh7sh4d3.

Bah humbug.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (30) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • agparrot #1 3 years ago

    /shudders

  • Dizzy #2 3 years ago

    It seems MS had plenty of things ready with the launch of NXE. I wonder what other ideas they come up with... probably Rare are the guys behind all this.

  • optimusprym8 #3 3 years ago

    Shame a Castle Crashers patch wasn't one of them...

  • kangarootoo #4 3 years ago

    Spotlight indeed.

    The main gripe I have about the new NXE is the sheer mountain of spam advertising MS seem to be forcing into every book and cranny. Every spoke on the NXE wheel is jammed full of little links to stuff I apparently "might be interested in".

    The spotlight spoke contains nothing BUT this pointless spam, and its the default spoke that is displayed whenever I fire the thing up.

    The new NXE navigation system could have really cleared things up, but it just feels untidy and unweily because MS have stuffed it full of rubbish making it harder for me to find the stuff I actually give a shit about.

  • udat #5 3 years ago

    Meh, I can launch the game in the tray with "up, A" now, whereas before i had to go "down, down, down, down, A" or something.

    Plus the old blades (at least the live, games and maybe one other) blades used to sit showing the 360 hourglass equivalent for about 30 seconds after boot, and now there is none of that.

    Plus if you are not signed into Live you go straight to the "My Xbox" section. I find I can start there, launch a game, and then sign in from the guide while it loads. No Spotlight ever.

  • Wendelius #6 3 years ago

    Wow. You guys are grumpy. It's a harmless addition you don't even need to download. Guess it's Scrooge day or something.

    And the NXE doesn't seem to have made things harder to reach for me. I like it. It certainly makes the menu system easier on the eye and no more confusing to navigate (especially with the fallback on the old style guide button menu when required).

    But yeah, shame on MS for releasing that snow globe thing! *shakes head*

    Wendelius

  • SilentScream #7 3 years ago

    "This is like, one of the coolest things ever," said commenter H20 n1gh7sh4d3.

    Someone needs to get out more.

  • mcmonkeyplc #8 3 years ago

    AWESOEME THEMED THEMES!

  • beholdthelantern #9 3 years ago

    A wot? A Snow Globe? FFS! Right, that tears it! Oh, hang on... no, I don't actually care. But I guess someone might find it funny. Good luck to that person.

  • kangarootoo #10 3 years ago

    @Wendelius

    I don't mind the snow globe one bit. I am just using this thread to have a whine about how NXE would have been better without the overuse of ads.


    "Plus the old blades (at least the live, games and maybe one other) blades used to sit showing the 360 hourglass equivalent for about 30 seconds after boot, and now there is none of that."

    Well it didn't always used to do that. It started doing that when they added the XBLM blade, and it was shite for doing so. Now thankfully, as you point out, that aspect of the interface works properly again.

  • GitSomE_UK #11 3 years ago

    Load of steaming bollocks if you ask me.

    Hate the new look, can't find anything any more grumble grumble grumble

  • CapnCloudchaser #12 3 years ago

    That theme was Gold only? o_O

    Guess that trial was good for something >_>

  • Katsumoto #13 3 years ago

    "Awesome! Awesome! Cool =D! Awesome! HAHA, gotta check that out. thats fucking cool."

    !

  • captainrentboy #14 3 years ago

    Wow, why so angry at something so harmless? The free theme made me feel 126% more christmassy too! :)

  • Raz76 #15 3 years ago

    On the bright side it raises the amount of stuff that use your avatar with 100%.

  • floppylobster #16 3 years ago

    Yeah, I find the snowglobe funny. It's the middle of summer here.

    (I'm only here seeing if anyone shares my deep hatred of the new avatars)

  • slackarse #17 3 years ago

    I'm with floppy. I found the snow theme, avatar clothes and snowglobe all a bit "funny" being in the middle of summer here, or at least the beginnings of.

  • Slipstream #18 3 years ago

    A small novelty, Thanks Microsoft. Hope you got some other goodies lined up this week, too!

  • keyboardmonkey #19 3 years ago

    Sony must be pissed, wasn't this one of the things that you could buy in Home to put in your apartment.
    /sarcastic mode off.

    Why, why would i want such a thing, ok it's free, can i get a santa outfit for my avatar as well please.

    I actually like the new look, i think MS has made some improvements, but i will go along with the too much advertising criticism.

  • mazzl #20 3 years ago

    i do like the nxe, but don't need this kind of stuff, but it's still nice.
    that the box turns on and goes in the dash before loading the disk thats in the machine is also better. i use mine also a lot
    as mediacenter.

  • Farzlepot #21 3 years ago

    Hey, all that advertising is what keeps the service free!













    Wait a minute...

  • Toothball #22 3 years ago

    Shake shake!

  • Stu #23 3 years ago

    The snowglobe is one of the most nauseating things I think I've ever seen.

    Merry Holidays!

  • berelain #24 3 years ago

    I dont find the NXE advertising too bad at all. Yes, the Spotlight channel coming up by default can be a nuisance, but its only a tap of up to get away from it. I much prefer it to the old system with ads dotted about all over the place. And some of the links are actually quite useful... and its much easier for me to find stuff.

    As for the snowglobe thingy.. well, its just a silly little freebie. Can't really see anything to gripe about in that. Curse you MS for giving us pointless festive freebies! Curse you!

  • MisterFahrenheit #25 3 years ago

    > Shake shake!

    Boy am I glad to see you, Marina!

  • bad09 #26 3 years ago

    I came across the snow globe on the advertising hell I now have on my 360 and I wept for my machine. OK maybe not, but I did feel sick a little ;)

    Yes,yes I know the games are still there so all is forgotten once the game starts, but it really is sad what MS are doing to the poor old girl in her later years :(

  • corposant #27 3 years ago

    I like my snowglobe. It's about as pointless and worthless as a real one, but far less practical as you can't actually chuck it at anyone - someone like an advertising exec perhaps.

  • Ryze #28 3 years ago

    'Happy Holidays'? Fook off. It's Merry Christmas around these parts.

    I thought they had sorted out their European arm in order to cater better to us. Silly.

  • itsfuzzy #29 3 years ago

    How about a free game!

  • MaxHughes #30 3 years ago

    The snow globe's music is annoying as fuck!! Even though it is Christmas!!