Tip 5 - Customizing your Xbox 360
I realize it's been forever since I've done an Xbox 360 Tip so I'm
sorry for neglecting the topic. One of the great features that is on
place on the Xbox 360 is that it is very easy to make your 360 feel
like your own. You have the option of customizing your 360 on the
outside as well as on the inside.
When Microsoft designed the Xbox 360 they wanted people to be able to make the box their own without the high price of modding a system. They looked at the cell phone fad of having custom faceplates and brought that to the 360. The faceplates on the 360 are actually very easy to take off and replace. There where a few stylish models that came out at launch but over time not many have been released. Gradually big games started making limited run face plates and giving them out for pre-orders or for swag for the press. The BioShock limited edition faceplates are now selling for over $100 on eBay.
The UI on the original Xbox was very hard core and a bit rough. Most people never probably never when into those screens unless you had an issue with your live connection. With the Xbox 360 Microsoft knew that people would be spending a lot of time in the UI. It was named the Dashboard and was originally split into four blades but how is five distinct blades.
To make the Dashboard more pleasant Microsoft introduced the idea of themes to the dashboard. Microsoft made a few default themes available when you purchased the 360 but they also allowed developers and the community to create themes that could be acquired via the Marketplace. These themes could range from your favorite football team to your favorite game or movie. To apply a theme you just need to go access the Xbox Guide my pressing the jewel button on the remote, then select Personal Settings and then Themes. From there you can select a new theme. My current theme is from Fable 2 and it covers four of the five blades. You can not apply a theme to the Marketplace blade.
When Microsoft designed the Xbox 360 they wanted people to be able to make the box their own without the high price of modding a system. They looked at the cell phone fad of having custom faceplates and brought that to the 360. The faceplates on the 360 are actually very easy to take off and replace. There where a few stylish models that came out at launch but over time not many have been released. Gradually big games started making limited run face plates and giving them out for pre-orders or for swag for the press. The BioShock limited edition faceplates are now selling for over $100 on eBay.
The UI on the original Xbox was very hard core and a bit rough. Most people never probably never when into those screens unless you had an issue with your live connection. With the Xbox 360 Microsoft knew that people would be spending a lot of time in the UI. It was named the Dashboard and was originally split into four blades but how is five distinct blades.
To make the Dashboard more pleasant Microsoft introduced the idea of themes to the dashboard. Microsoft made a few default themes available when you purchased the 360 but they also allowed developers and the community to create themes that could be acquired via the Marketplace. These themes could range from your favorite football team to your favorite game or movie. To apply a theme you just need to go access the Xbox Guide my pressing the jewel button on the remote, then select Personal Settings and then Themes. From there you can select a new theme. My current theme is from Fable 2 and it covers four of the five blades. You can not apply a theme to the Marketplace blade.
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