Xbox dashboard will tip up on 6 December

SOFTWARE HOUSE Microsoft has announced that the redesigned dashboard for its Xbox games console will arrive on 6 December.

The online dashboard redesign that was announced at this year's E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles comes just in time for Christmas. It will bring better and more intuitive navigation, improved responsiveness and enhanced engagement.

Xbox spokesman Major Nelson said in a blog post, "I wanted to let you know that the official release for the update for all Xbox LIVE members will be Tuesday, December 6th."

The online dashboard also brings cloud storage for game saves and Xbox Live profiles, and deeper Facebook integration to satisfy the social needs of users. A new feature called 'Beacons' will allow gamers to flag games that they want to play with others.

Navigation will integrate the Kinect sensor and traditional controller and Bing voice search is a new addition for users in the US, UK and Canada. The firm briefly opened up registration to trial the dashboard in its Beta form last month.

Nelson added, "New, customized applications for television, movies, internet videos, sports and music will begin rolling out from world-leading providers in more than 20 countries." µ