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John Schappert, Corporate Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, announced the launch of a new Xbox 360 Dashboard at the E3 2008 Microsoft press conference on July 14, 2008.

Fast Facts

1. Developer: Microsoft
2. Platform: Xbox 360
3. Release date: Q4 2008
4. Rumored release date: September 25, 2008³

Avatars, customizable images of every member of the Xbox community, are a major component of the dashboard upgrade. Users can choose from thousands of options, including hairstyles, accessories and clothing. The offerings will change with the seasons, similar to spring or fall fashion lines. Instead of a list of names on the friends list, players will now see these avatars.

Xbox Live Party is a new option available from the Community channel of the Dashboard. With Live Party, up to eight friends can chat and interact. Launch a photosharing party to stream photos to friends in real time, play games like Uno Rush or watch movies downloaded from Netflix.

Xbox Live Primetime allows thousands of players to participate simultaneously in TV game shows, such as 1 vs. 100, and win real prizes. Primetime offers regularly scheduled programming and dynamic content that is updated regularly.

1. My Xbox 360 - Access games, music, video and photo libraries
2. Spotlight - A quick launch channel, with key services and new content
3. Primetime - Access game shows
4. Games - Launch games from the hard drive or Xbox Live Marketplace
5. Community - Replaces the Friends page for launching games and photosharing
6. Video - Access Netflix movies