Microsoft opens Xbox Live dashboard update preview

GAMES CONSOLE MAKER Microsoft briefly offered its Xbox gamers the chance to try out a new dashboard last night.

Registration was not open for very long but Microsoft will soon ask those who were accepted to take part in its preview program, which will introduce them to better navigation, improved responsiveness and improved engagement.

"Now that our work on the dashboard is almost complete, we are announcing an open call for all Xbox LIVE members to register to participate in a preview program to help us test the system," wrote Xbox spokesman Major Nelson in a blog post.

"This is an important program as we continually strive to ensure the reliability of a service that reaches tens of millions globally. We could not do so without the ongoing help of our great community."

When the trials start, which should be this holiday season, early adopters, or those who were checking the blog when the offer was announced, will see a new design for their arm-waving Kinect navigation, cloud storage for game saves and Xbox Live profiles, and what is becoming a given for all releases, deeper Facebook integration. µ