Joystiq recently got some new details about the pending Xbox 360 update that will cause some dramatic improvements in its Xbox Dashboard and Xbox Live interfaces. The most requested feature, downloading your own backgrounds, will be one of the biggest changes. It took Sony nearly 6 months to give users this option with the 2.0 firmware update for the PSP, and Microsoft made its consumers wait just about as long.

Aditionally, you'll actually be able to have a download queue of up to 6 downloads (yahoo!). Other more technical changes will also be made, such as the ability to boot straight to the dashboard instead of automatically loading the game in your disc drive, and the addition of USB keyboard functionality. This information comes weeks after E3. Obviously with the big PS3 and Nintendo Wii unveilings at the show, any Xbox announcements would have been overlooked. And now Microsoft is trying to regenerate interest for the Xbox 360 before those two consoles get a chance to launch.

Xbox Live remains the leader in online console gaming, and with over 24 million downloads already processed through the Xbox 360 (much more than their 3-4 million estimate), the 360 may have a chance to stand up against Sony and Nintendo.

See the Joystiq article for full details and several screenshots.

Report Published by: Mark Raby