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On July 24th, 2009 in Uncategorized

It seems that those who were given the chance to test out the forthcoming Xbox Live dashboard update will be today greeted with a notice.

A notice offering you none other than the update’s beta version. Now, the full update‘s not expected to go live until next month, so the offerings are subject to change, but below is a list, courtesy of Engadget, detailing some of the new features:

  • Netflix now has way, way more options. You can actually browse content via the app, which is great. As a commenter points out, HD content is now denoted with a tag.
  • There isn’t any avatar prop content available just yet — hopefully we’ll get to pick out an awesome gun to carry around soon though.
  • No Games on Demand content from the current gen console is available, but apparently the games will start rolling out in early August (sigh).
  • As we noted in previous posts, the preview doesn’t boast any of the Last.fm, Facebook, or Twitter additions yet.
  • We know they’re still working the kinks out, but there seems to be noticeable slowdown when shifting between pages, something we’ve never noticed before in the NXE.

So far they seem to be satisfied with the update although we will all have to hold judgement on the New-New Xbox Experience until it’s actually released to the masses.

On May 8th, 2009 in Uncategorized

Last April, EA announced the launch for Ultima Online: Stygian, an expansion pack for the famed Ultima Online series. Today, EA has announced that it is opening its doors to beta testing. Beta testers for Stygian Abyss, the upcoming expansion to one of the longest-running MMORPGs in history, will have the chance to experience the playable Gargoyle race before anyone else.

The closed beta, set to begin later this month, has a limited number of available spots for eligible applicants. Closed beta testers must be current Ultima Online subscribers and will be selected based on computer system specs, previous testing experience, community involvement and other criteria.

To apply for the closed beta, please visit http://www.uoherald.com/beta.

(Source) Press