New Premium Themes for NXE

A few weeks ago I posted a Developer Diary about the new Premium Themes coming to Xbox LIVE with the New Xbox Experience. Well, now that NXE is here, I wanted to share some of the Premium Themes available for download. There are a ton of great ones up, from the Fable II Albion Theme to Castle Crashers and more. Check out the list below for many of the Premium Themes that you can download today, and go browse Xbox LIVE Marketplace to see all of the great content we are offering and quickly add them to your download queue.

Gears of War 2 - Bare Your Teeth (went live 11/7)
Gears of War 2 - Hope Runs Deep (went live 11/7)
Gears of War 2 - Last Day (went live 11/7)
Halo 3
Halo Wars
Fable II Albion
Castle Crashers
The Last Remnant
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
Forza 2
Call of Duty: World at War
Sonic Unleashed
Guitar Hero World Tour
Rock Band 2
Tomb Raider: Underworld

Also, NXE Ships with a couple of new (free) themes. You can get details from the Top 10 list I posted earlier this week. Don't forget, all of the Themes you've already downloaded will work in the New Xbox Experience, so you don't need to worry that your Kameo Themes from 2005 disappearing.

Guitar Hero World Tour : The Raconteurs

Demo: Crash Time 2 (Europe only)

Content: Crash Time 2 - Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Australia, Asia, North America or New Zealand
Dash Text: [PEGI: 7+] Play the demo and experience pure action with Detective Chief Inspectors Semir and Ben. Wheels are burning up the Autobahn!

NXE Launch day update

As you can imagine, it's been an incredible day so far for the New Xbox Experience. It's great to see so much enthusiasm…it sounds like you are having fun exploring NXE. With an update of this magnitude, reaching more than 14 million people around the globe, we are aware some of you may be experiencing a few hiccups along the way. The LIVE team is closely monitoring the LIVE service and Xbox.com and are aware of a few issues including what's happening with Marketplace. The team is actively working on the issues, so thanks for bearing with us.

Nxe / Netflix Update

We hope your’re enjoying the New Xbox Experience. As expected, Netflix on Xbox 360 is a huge success, with the LIVE community flocking to this portion of the New Xbox Experience. Some of you may have had a few challenges earlier today but I wanted to let you know they've been resolved.

 

Top 10 things to do when you get the New Xbox Experience

The New Xbox Experience is in the process of being deployed to all Xbox LIVE members, but it will take a few hours for everyone to get the prompt to update to NXE….be patient! In the meantime I thought I would give my Top 10 list of things to do with NXE when you get it later today:

1) Create (or Customize) your Avatar – You can spend as much (or as little) time as you want in the Avatar Editor to personalize your little guy/girl

Bonus: When you are done with #1, be sure to take a Gamer Picture of your Avatar. In the Avatar editor, choose Gamer Picture. You can use the controls to move your avatar around, zoom in and out or even change the background color (press Y)

2) Explore the all new dashboard. (hint: use the trigger and bumpers to quickly scroll up and down or left and right)

3) PAR-TAY! Check out Xbox LIVE Parties and chat with up to seven of your friends. Go to the Friends channel…choose a friend who is online and press Y to get the party started. You can also hit the Xbox 360 Guide button > Party >Start a Party. Once you do that, send off invites to your party (since one does not make a very good party…does it?)

4) Themes. While any themes you work will NXE, check out some of the new themes via My Xbox and select your profile (second slot) and then change theme. Xbox 360, Spectrum, Day and Night are new themes that available as part of your NXE upgrade…check them out.

5) Marketplace on Xbox.com. This new feature lets you search, browse, and purchase games and videos while you are away from your console. You can also perform account management functions like changing your billing information, viewing your purchase history, and downloading items you already own.

6) Netflix – Xbox LIVE Gold Member and you have Netflix? If you are in the US you can stream thousands of videos (some in HD) directly from Netflix to your Xbox 360. Not a member? Sign up for a free trial at Xbox.com/netflix

7) Install to / Play from Hard Drive. With the game in the tray, return to your dashboard. (pressing the guide button then Y works as always) then go to My Xbox. From here press Y, which will bring up a new menu which will allow, among other things the ability to install a game to your hard drive.
Hint: You can still use the Xbox 360 guide while installing a game to keep in touch with your friends or start a Party.

Bonus: Before you do #7, be sure to set up what happens when you turn on your Xbox 360.  My Xbox->System Settings>Console settings. Then choose Start up to to choose Disc, Xbox Dashboard or Windows Media Center. Once you are done there…check the option right below it: Autostart. This tell your Xbox 360 what to do when you insert a game. The choices are enable or disable. I have mine set to disable so I can easily use install to hard drive.

8) Delete Zero Gamerscore games. You can remove any games from your games played list that you have earned no achievements or gamerscore. Press the Xbox 360– guide button, navigate left to the games section and choose Achievements. From here choose the game with zero gamerscore you want to remove and press X (Delete Game History.)

9) Press the Xbox 360 button on your controller to see the all new Guide. The team has added more functionality than the old guide, while making it more responsive. It’s a quick way to check your messages, see who is online or start a party. 

10) Take a look at Community Games in the Games Marketplace. For the first time in the history of console gaming, thousands of games developed by the creative community will be available to the public.

For those that have the new Xbox Experience, what are your favorite new feature(s)?

Arcade: A Kingdom for Keflings

Content: A Kingdom for Keflings
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (EVERYONE) MILD CARTOON VIOLENCE] Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 2-4, HD (High Definition). Unlock the full version of A Kingdom for Keflings for even more homes, buildings, and workshops to build! Join up to three of your friends via Xbox LIVE to cooperatively construct the kingdom of your dreams. The full version of A Kingdom for Keflings includes achievements to earn, more Keflings to attract and many more opportunities to fill your kingdom full of love! This game requires the Xbox 360 hard drive or the 512MB Memory Unit for storage. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

LIVE Activity for week of November 10th

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Gears of War 2
2 Call of Duty 4
3 Halo 3
4 CoD: World at War
5 Left 4 Dead  Demo
6 Fable II
7 GTA IV
8 Fallout 3
9 Madden NFL 09
10 Gears of War

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)
1  Worms
2  Portal: Still Alive
3  Castle Crashers
4 Vigilante 8: Arcade
5  Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
6  UNO®
7 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader
8 Duke Nukem 3D
9 Pinball FX
10  Marble Blast Ultra

The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 2
2 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3 Fable
4 Counter-Strike
5 Call of Duty 3
6 Battlefield 2: MC
7 Call of Duty 2
8 Street Fighter Anniv.
9 Rainbow Six 3
10 Splinter Cell Chaos


These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased that week.