Windows 8 Xbox LIVE UI is identical to the new Xbox dashboard [pic]

By Tom Warren, on 13th Sep 11 11:20 pm with 24 Comments

Xbox LIVE on Windows 8

Microsoft’s new Xbox LIVE integration in Windows 8 is identical to the company’s Xbox dashboard.

Larry Hryb (Major Nelson) revealed the interface in a blog post on Tuesday. Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE support in Windows 8 includes features like Achievements, Multiplayer, Avatars and Community and brand new ones like roaming storage and profiles. Microsoft revealed in June that the company plans to integrate Xbox LIVE support in Windows 8 but it’s not present in the developer preview build handed out to attendees on Tuesday.

“Xbox LIVE brings your games, music, movies, and TV shows to your favorite Microsoft and Windows devices,” said Hryb. He also confirmed that the company will show developers how to build Xbox LIVE games for Windows 8. “At BUILD we are showing that it is easy for developers to create games for Windows 8 that take advantage of the power of Xbox LIVE,” said Hryb. The company’s new Xbox dashboard interface that mirrors the Windows Phone and Windows 8 Metro style interface, will be made available in beta form in October.

Separately, Microsoft also demonstrated a demo app of how Xbox LIVE games may be presented in Metro on Tuesday. The game reviewer app allows Xbox owners to rate and review games within the Metro experience.

Xbox Game Reviewer

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonathan-Marston/542557737 Jonathan Marston

    Cool, but they should make the spacing between tiles consistent between the two…and add the shadows from Xbox LIVE to the standard Windows 8 metro UI.

    As it stands, the Xbox LIVE interpretation of metro looks very polished, while the Start screen in Window 8 looks kinda like a rough draft…

    • Anonymous

      They most likely will if they want to keep the consistency with all of their Main interfaces..

    • http://www.twitter.com/wixostrix WixosTrix

      They are only at a developer preview stage with Windows 8.  The Xbox dasboard update is due out in less than two months, it should be more polished.

    • Anonymous

      maybe thats because its not finished?… even in windows phone, you found alot of changes in animations and graphics. and it wasn’t as big as windows, because windows its the big thing.

    • Anonymous

      I disagree. With that large space it helps you keep your place, lets you know there is another page and allows the previous games to completely run off the screen.

    • Anonymous

      I disagree. With that large space it helps you keep your place, lets you know there is another page and allows the previous games to completely run off the screen.

  • http://twitter.com/arnehelseth Arne Helseth

    All I want to know is whether or not Silverlight will finally be available (for ISVs) on the Xbox. One would assume so, but afaik all past reference to the 360 and SL has been redacted by Microsoft.

    Kinect can easily replace touch and I’ve got a few apps I would love to get running on the Xbox (as well as WP and W8).

  • rsgx

    Awesome!

    Integration is just getting better and better.

    • bambalalam

      fool
       

  • The Black Mamba

    I can already see the best integrated experience between phone, destkop operation system, game console and web services and well tablets….after I watched what Microsoft showed at  Build, Apple and the so-called innovative google must be really scared by what coming next for them

      And these ultrabooks look delicious like the mango I am running on my windows phone 7 now.

  • Joe

    Photoshoped. Someone just copied the Xbox dashboard and put a tab frame around it. It’s unlikely that Xbox on pc will be the music hub on Windows 8.

    • http://twitter.com/arnehelseth Arne Helseth

      Not really, there has been rmors about Zune (music/video) being integrated in the Xbox brand for a few moths already.

    • Chris

      Why does everyone say “photoshoped” when they see something THEY THINK is fake or something they don’t like.

  • Anonymous

    Where’s the LiveTV gone in the above screenshot? The LiveTV/DVR was present in the Xbox Live UI screenshots in June. I really want this to support TV Tuners, as I would like this be my main Media Consumption Hub (Integration of all the MS Services – WMPlayer/Zune/Windows Media Center/MarketPlace).

  • Anonymous

    It just occured to me; that with the new low power chipsets and x-box now incorporating ‘live’ tv, all one needs to do is add a Kinnect and BOOM! Win8 PC is the new TV!

  • http://w1ngnut.myopenid.com/ w1ngnut

    Man, this is HUUUUGE!

  • Anonymous

    is that music and videos i see??? be still my beating heart. I’m guessing zune is getting eaten by xbox live?? or will the music hub be redundant with xbox live? ….so many questions.

    • Chris

      Maybe they are gonna replace Media player and media center with this. Makes sense too. Have  SINGLE program to handle ALL media. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/yasser.syed Yasser Syed

    Does this mean PC will become capable of playing Xbox titles somehow???

    Some one throw some Light on this…

    • GP007

      No, you won’t be able to put your 360 game disc in your pc and play the game.   What they mean by Xbox LIVE on Windows is that the APIs that game devs use to add Xbox Live services/features, like Achievements and chat and so on, will be built into windows so now a game dev doesn’t need to use or speak to a 3rd party app like steam for example, to get those features,  Windows will do it itself.

      A gamer will then NOT NEED to load a 3rd program in the background, like Steam, when they’re playing a game to get those features, it’ll just be there and you’ll be able to use those options.

  • Joewuest

    who cares, its microshaft. nobody with half a brain would buy and xbox 360 or a copy of windows 8.

    • http://twitter.com/Adiliyo Adil

      there must be a lot of half brained people making the xbox the number one selling console… :|

    • Chris Hill

      Troll Bait ^ Please Ignore

  • NativeFloridian

    I’m a little confused at which direction they are going with this announcement.  Of course, XBOX LIVE offers many services in relation to games (free demos, online multiplayer).  But just as importantly, MS has been shifting emphasis towards the non-gamer aspects of XBOX LIVE (Zune, Netflix, HULU, ESPN3, Live TV) most of which require a gold membership ($60).  There is also supposed to be a new ‘apps’ menu, presumably with apps to be accessed through the xbox and displayed on the television screen.

    However, I assume MS has plans to offer Zune, Netflix, HULU, and ESPN3 through the primary Metro interface as individual apps.  So, it seems like XBOX LIVE on Windows (which is supposed to be identical) will probably duplicate a lot of the non-gaming offerings unnecessarily.

    So, I remain confused.  Is the new XBOX LIVE for windows only for gamers or is it the new media hub as well?  Are apps available on XBOX LIVE also available for download for Windows?  For non-gamers is there any advantage to get an XBOX LIVE gold membership?  Will all new Games for Windows be sold through the XBOX interface or the Windows Store?

    If I were MS, I would try to make being a gold member have some significant added value.  Locking in a percentage of PC users into a subscription fee would be appealing from a financial perspective.