The Xbox 360 game system allows users to download applications that add to the functionality of the dashboard. Most apps require that the user be signed into a valid Xbox Live Gold account in order to use the features advertised for the given app.[2][3] With the exception of a few early apps, Microsoft has added partners to develop apps for the Xbox 360 system since the NXE Dashboard update in 2008.
Version |
Release Date |
Availability |
Description |
2.0.14699.0 |
December 6, 2011 [4] (Due to the delay in the release, this update was released in separate waves) |
Public[5] |
- Design Changes
- System Software Changes
- Cloud Storage for Games Saves and Xbox live Profiles.[6]
- Facebook Sharing.[7]
- Stereoscopic 3D for games & experiences that support it.[8][9]
- Support for dual play.[10]
- Updated Standard and Kinect Dashboard with Full Voice.[11]
- Bing on Xbox.[11]
- YouTube on Xbox 360 with Bing Search support.[11]
- Beacons[11]
- New toast notifications: (Gamertag) plays this
- Xbox Live Changes
- Expanded Kinect Voice Support.[11]
- Netflix UI changed
- Xbox Live Television Changes[12]
|
2.0.13604.0 |
October 11, 2011 [13] |
Public |
- System Software Changes/Other
This is a general system maintenance update and there are no new features that will show up once the system has been updated.
- Update contained a compatibility patch for the new Xbox 360 Speed Wheel.
|
2.0.13599.0 |
July 19, 2011 |
Public |
- System Software Changes/Other
- Mandatory update that prepared for subsequent growth of the service.[14]
- Anti-Piracy 2.5 scheme updated to 2.6
- Reflashes the DVD drive PLDS DG-16D4S new stock firmware 0272 and locks SPI – Hitachi drives less than 78 are not flashed.
|
2.0.13146.0 |
May 19, 2011 to May 31, 2011
(Released in 6 Waves)
|
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Reflashes the DVD drives to support XGD3 Media : PLDS DG-16D4S, PBDS VAD6038 and PLDS DG-16D2S, to a new stock firmware : 0272, 04421C, 02510C. Also patches Samsung MS25 & MS28 – Hitachi drives less than 78 are not flashed.
- Anti-Piracy 2.5 scheme updated.
- Support for the new XGD3 disk format for games, adds 1GB of usable disk space and extra anti-piracy features to new games. Hitachi drives that have firmware less than 78 are compatible without flashing.
- Adds a new 1 hour Auto-Off setting in addition to the 6 hour Auto-Off setting previously available.
- Xbox Live Changes
- Adds PayPal support as a payment option for all Xbox Live users, except : Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Taiwan.[15]
- Other
|
2.0.12625.0 |
January 19, 2011 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
|
2.0.12611.0 |
November 1, 2010 |
Public |
Kinect Dashboard/System Software Changes
- Adds the ability to install game updates to the HDD. (select games only)
- Adds the new anti-piracy 2.5 scheme to newly released games Fable III, Hasbro Family Game Night 3, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Assassins Creed Brotherhood
- Adds a visual refresh to incorporate elements of Microsoft's Metro design style.
- New boot screen animation with redesigned Xbox 360 orb and ribbons.
- Improved Avatars to 2.0 version with human-like proportions.
- Improved HDD load time.
- Xbox Live Changes
- Adds ESPN as an app download via Xbox Live. Certain ISPs do not support the service. ESPN can be limited or blocked entirely.[16]
- Updates Zune adding Zune Music and ZunePass functionality.
- Updates Game Marketplace with a Metro-style redesign and easier navigation.
- New codec for Xbox Live voice chat that improves communication quality.
- Better connection when using a wireless network adapter.
- Improved Netflix integration by enabling to search the entire Netflix catalog from within the console.[17]
- Added Netflix support for Canada.
- Improved "toast" notifications. One example being "Friends using this app" now shows when a friend uses Facebook instead of it referred to as a "game" when you start it.
- Kinect Changes
- Adds a motion menu specialized for Kinect under system settings.
- Adds Kinect Functionality for Zune, Last.fm, Sky Player.
- Adds Video Kinect as an app download via Xbox Live. This app lets players video chat with the Kinect sensor bar.
|
2.0.9199.0 |
April 6, 2010 |
Public |
- System Changes
- Allows up to two USB flash drives or external hard drives to be used for storing profiles, game saves, demos and more up to 16 GB each, 32GB combined.
- Allows content transfer to another attached storage device. Content transfer does not copy installed games.[18]
- Restores to banned consoles the ability to install games to hard drive, which decreases load times and eliminates noise due to disc spin.
|
2.0.8955.0 |
October 23, 2009 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Disables support for 3rd-party memory cards (e.g. Datel Max Memory).[19]
- Detects all consoles with any firmware version of Xtreme or iXtreme until 1.61.
- Disables hard drive installs for banned consoles, can no longer be used as a media center, and user information, such as profiles and game saves, appear corrupted when used on another console.
- Xbox Live Changes
- Enables (previously inactive) WPA2 support for the official Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter.[20]
- Enabled Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune Marketplace on November 17, 2009. Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm are only available to Xbox Live Gold Members.
|
2.0.8507.0 |
September 23, 2009 |
Public |
- System Software/Xbox Live Changes
|
2.0.8498.0 |
August 11, 2009 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Fixes the JTAG hack.
- Update that fixes issues with limited games and with dashboard.[22]
- Adds Display Discovery to allow console to override factory settings for HDTV resolutions and refresh rates. Also discovers the best possible resolution and refresh rates that the HDTV is capable of displaying (Selected HDTVs).
- Adds HDMI Reference Levels
- Fixes a vulnerability used to run arbitrary code.[23]
- Ability to eject tray using a gamepad even when a disc is already inserted. (X Button)
- Improves Xbox Guide performance.
- Reduces hard drive game installation sizes.[24]
- Adds a Clear Cache option to the storage units.
- Xbox Live Changes
- Adds the Avatar Marketplace.
- Adds Games on Demand to the Game Marketplace.
- Community Games rebranded to Indie Games.
- Adds the ability to rate content (Uses a 5-star rating system).
- Introduces Xbox Live Gold Member Veteran Status.
- Improves Netflix.
- Users can now change the instant queue from the console.
- Adds Netflix movie parties.
- Adds a "Prizes" area to Xbox LIVE Primetime.
- Xbox Live Primetime[25] (Summer 2009).[26]
|
2.0.7371.0 |
April 2, 2009 |
Public |
- Other
- Update that fixes issues with limited games.[27]
|
2.0.7363.0 |
February 3, 2009 |
Public |
- System Software/Other
- Mandatory update that fixed HDMI audio issues caused by the New Xbox Experience update.[28]
|
2.0.7357.0 |
November 19, 2008 |
Public
[29]
|
NXE: New Xbox Experience
System Software Changes
- Completely redesigned GUI with a navigation system similar to that of Windows Media Center.
- New pop-up/in-game Live Guide, using a redesigned version of the blades interface.[30]
- New sound effects (menus only, notification sounds remain the same).
- Ability to preview themes before setting them.
- Ability to disable notifications (new messages, chat requests, etc.) or mute the notification sound.
- Support for 1440×900 and 1680×1050 16:10 resolutions (letterboxed) over VGA, HDMI and when using DVI.
- Ability to change to QWERTY keyboard in place of alphabetical keyboard.
Xbox Live Changes
- Xbox Live Party allowing for eight-person chat and image sharing.
- Fully customizable Avatars for use in upcoming games and on Xbox Live.[31] (Some current games also received an update on November 19 to support the new Avatars).[32]
- Access Xbox Live Marketplace on a PC via Xbox.com with the ability to queue downloads to the Xbox 360.[33]
- Ability to watch Netflix movies on an Xbox 360. (User must be in the US, a Gold Xbox Live member, and a Netflix Unlimited subscriber)
- Increases the Active Downloads queue limit from 6 to 40.
Other
- Option to install games to hard drive in order to decrease load times and to make the hardware quieter. The disc must still be present for the game to load.
- Information from Xbox Live regarding the game in the disc tray.
- Quick Launch for launching games on the console.
- Ability to remove games with 0 gamerscore from the profiles played games list.
- Upon starting any Xbox 360 game, users will be notified if any of their friends and/or party are playing the same game.
- Auto Start – Option to set whether you want the disc to run/or stay idle when the disc tray closes with a game or media disc inside, by default it's set to run.
NOTE: Update requires 128 MB of free memory
- Microsoft has stated that the NXE will be released to non Xbox Live members (e.g.: on DVD in OXM) at a later date.[34] It is now also available with certain games on the disc itself.
|
2.0.6717.0 |
August 6, 2008 |
Public |
- System Software Changes/Other
- Mandatory update that prepared for subsequent growth of the service.[35]
|
2.0.6690.0 |
April 18, 2008 |
Public |
- System Software Changes/Other
|
2.0.6683.0 |
December 4, 2007 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Support for MPEG-4 Part 2 video playback and AC3 audio. (With Optional Media Update)
- Original Xbox games played now appear in the user's played games list.
- Parental Timer.
- Xbox Guide opens significantly faster.
- Game gameplay fades out when console is turned off.
- Redesigned user interface.
- Improved performance.[1][38]
- Xbox Live Changes
- Inside Xbox news feed.
- The marketplace has been redesigned and is now more organized.
- The user's downloaded videos are now organized by TV show and season.
- Social Networking features.
- Other
- Players can now put their name, city of residence and a biography under their gamertag.
- Adds the ability to view users' friends' friends list (Friends of Friends).
- Xbox Live Arcade trial games are no longer written to Gamercard.
|
2.0.5787.0 |
September 20, 2007 |
Public |
- Other
|
2.0.5766.0 |
August 7, 2007 |
Public |
- Other
|
2.0.5759.0 |
May 9, 2007 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Switchable aspect ratio during video playback (Auto to Letterbox, Zoom, Stretch, Native).
- The information bar that turns on via the On-Screen Display (OSD) now shows exactly how much time has lapsed in the playback of the video file.
- Windows Media protected content (WM-DRM), which can now be streamed from the PC to the console. If the WM-DRM license is missing or corrupted, then a specific error message is displayed to the user. Bookmarking is also stored for protected content.
- Option to boot straight into Media Center Extender mode (as well as changing the MC logo to the Vista version).
- Low-power background download function. The storage device, one core of the CPU, the fans, and any other components required for downloading remain powered, but rest of the system, such as the GPU and the disc drive, is shut off. System completely powers off once downloads are complete.
- Download blocks to prevent a download from starting if it will not fit onto a storage device, without deducting any points associated with the content item.
- Xbox Live Changes
- Other
- Two new languages, Russian and Polish.
- Title of a game (when inserted into system) appears in the tray icon on the Dashboard menu. When highlighted, achievements and Gamerscore are displayed for that game based on the signed-in user.
- Support for MPEG-4 videos.
- Windows Live Messenger integration with the Dashboard.
- Support for "Reference Levels" to video.
- The ability to see the percentage of downloaded Video Marketplace content and where the ‘chapters’ exist for the said file.
- More specific “Achievement Unlocked” message, detailing the achievement unlocked and how many points it is worth.
|
2.0.4552.0 |
January 9, 2007 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
|
2.0.4548.0 |
November 30, 2006 |
Public |
- Xbox Live Changes
- Improved performance on wired headsets when used with a wireless controller.
- Other
- Video output issues on VGA connections fixed.
|
2.0.4532.0 |
October 31, 2006 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Support for 1080p video output.
- Support for the external HD DVD drive attachment.
- Cosmetic changes to the Dashboard.
- Xbox Live Changes
- Support for Zune.
- Option for automatic downloading of trial versions of newly released titles in Xbox Live Arcade.
- Other
|
2.0.2858.0 |
June 13, 2006 |
Public |
- System Software Changes/Other
- Improved character recognition for users with the localized Chinese language version of the dashboard on their Xbox 360(s).[40]
|
2.0.2857.0 |
June 6, 2006 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Option to resume DVD playback from where it was last stopped.
- Option to boot to either a disc or the dashboard when system is turned on.
- New slideshow options for Photo Viewing, which can save folder layouts between sessions.
- Concurrent downloads, allowing multiple downloads as background tasks.
- Xbox Live Changes
|
2.0.2258.0 |
March 2, 2006 |
Public |
- System Software Changes/Other
- Prepared console for subsequent system and title updates.[41]
|
2.0.2255.0 |
January 30, 2006 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Improvements to the Xbox Guide.
- Option to retain saved games when a profile is deleted.
- More detailed messaging for unreadable disk or region errors.[42]
- Xbox Live Changes
- Network configuration improvements for Xbox Live members in the Netherlands.
- Other
- Increased accuracy of "last time played".
|
2.0.2241.0 |
November 22, 2005 |
Public |
- System Software Changes
- Update available at product launch.
|
2.0.1888.0 |
November 22, 2005 |
Public |
- First version of the Xbox 360 System Software released.
- Original shipped version (The backup of 2.0.1888.0 remains in the backup kernel storage).
|
The Xbox 360 system software includes built in software emulation support for the original Xbox game system. Software emulation is achieved with downloadable emulation profiles, which require a hard drive. The last reported update to the list was in 2007 and support has since been discontinued for adding new titles.