NXE Tips and Tricks may not know....

[PrototypeMike]

By now, most Xbox 360 owners have probably had the chance to spend time tinkering with the New Xbox Experience update. It’s a radical reimagining of the console’s interface and has added a load of new features, including the oft-debated Avatars. But if you’ve only spent time customising your new character and ripping Gears of War 2 to the hard drive, then you might have missed some of the other less well-know features. Read on for five of our faves.


1) Delete games from your Achievements list

Any long-serving Xbox 360 player will by now have bought or borrowed at least a couple of games that they got bored of within seconds and never went back to. Until now, the fact you fired up My Horse & Me 2 was an unsightly blemish on your permanent gamer record. However, NXE will let you erase titles from your history, just as long as you never earned any achievements. From the Guide button, bring up your achievements, select the game you want rid of, and hit X to send it to the great video game graveyard in the sky.

2) Schedule downloads from your PC

For a very nifty feature, Microsoft kept its arrival fairly quiet. Sign into Xbox.com with your LIVE ID, then hit the LIVE market place. From here you can shop through the complete Games and Video marketplaces, and anything you choose to download will be automatically scheduled for your Xbox 360 next time you turn it on. You can even spend your Microsoft points just as you would from your console, and because it’s in a browser, its far easier to find your way around. It doesn’t get bogged down in the same way as the console version is prone to either.
3) Let it all out

Avatars are supposed to be childish fun, but even so, playing dress up isn’t all that appealing to the 360’s core demographic. The expulsion of bodily gases, however, is right up our street. While you’re in the Avatar customisation screen, click the right analogue stick to make your character burp. Sadly, doing this on any of the main screens does nothing but elicit a poncy little wave. We’re hoping for farting, mooning and vomiting noisily to be added in a future update.

2) Get free memory

NXE requires 128MB of free storage space in order to install, so if you’re on an old Arcade model with the 256MB memory card, then there’s a very good chance you may not be able to fix it. In all honestly, you need to get a hard drive, and pronto, but in the meantime you may be eligible to receive a free 512MB memory card replacement. You may get the option to buy a reduced cost, refurbished 20GB hard drive. You’ll need to enter your Serial Number and Console ID here to see if you’re eligible.

1) Be a head banger

If you’re frustrated with the child-friendly Avatars and the fact you’re forced to spent valuable play time personalising one, you can vent some rage on the blighter. In the Avatar customisation screen, flick the left stick back then forwards to crack the little twerp’s skull on the screen, complete with sound effects. You’ll probably feel much better about the whole affair after a few minutes of this.