Xbox 360 system software

Xbox 360 System Software (sometimes referred to incorrectly as firmware), is updateable software and operating system for the Xbox 360. It resides on a 16 MB file system and has access to a maximum of 32 MB of the system's memory. While the System Software updates may sometimes provide updates to the system's firmware, it is unlikely that this occurs with many, or any updates. The updates can be downloaded from the Xbox Live service directly to the Xbox 360 and subsequently installed. Microsoft has also provided the ability to download system software updates from their respective official Xbox website to their PCs and then storage media, from which the update can be installed to the system. Updates can also be installed from game discs that require the updates to be able to play the game. All updates are mandatory if the user signs into Xbox Live. The latest version of the software is version 2.0.6717.0 released on 2008-08-06, however, the console is not yet (up to the mid August 2008 at least) being shipped with this version pre-installed, meaning an update is required.

Announced at E3 2008, a new version of the Xbox 360 software will be released. It is a graphical and multiplayer enhancement, and is set to be released on November 19, 2008. Netflix support is also going to be available in the update (US users only).

Versions

Version	Date Released	Description
TBD	November 19, 2008	"New Xbox Experience (NXE)" Completely redesigned user interface (Resembling Windows Media Center). New sound effects have also been placed in the update. Party system for up to eight players. Fully customisable Avatars. Xbox Live Primetime (For Example: 1 vs. 100). Option to install games to hard drive in order to decrease load times and to make the hardware quieter. (Game discs are still required to be put in the Xbox 360, to verify that you own the game; the disc drive will stop spinning once game has booted up). Quick Launch for launching games on your console 16:10 over VGA and HDMI (when using DVI), support for 1440x900 and 1680x1050 resolutions Access Xbox Live Marketplace on the web via Xbox.com Redesigned Live Guide (All features of the current dashboard can be done via the new Guide. Also uses the blades interface) Ability to preview your own themes before setting them. Information from Xbox.com regarding the game in your disc tray. Being able to Watch Movies from Netflix on your Xbox 360 with up to 8 friends. (You must be a Gold Xbox Live member, and a Netflix Subscriber)
2.0.6717.0	2008-08-06	Mandatory update that prepared for subsequent growth of the service.
2.0.6690.0	2008-04-18	Mandatory update that prepared for subsequent growth of the Xbox 360 console and/or Xbox Live.
2.0.6683	2007-12-04	Support for DivX and Xvid video playback and AC3 audio. Xbox Live Arcade trial games are no longer written to Gamercard. Original Xbox games played now appear in the user's played games list. Parental Timer. Xbox Guide opens significantly faster. Inside Xbox news feed. Game gameplay fades out when console is turned off. Social Networking features. Redesigned user interface. Improved performance. The ability to view your friends' friends list (Friends of Friends). You can now put your name, city of residence and a biography under your gamertag. The marketplace has been redesigned and is now more organized. The user's downloaded videos are now organized by TV show and season.
2.0.5787	2007-09-20	Prepared the system for communication with the Xbox 360 Big Button Controller (bundled with Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action).
	2007-08-07	Prepared the system for communication with the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Les Paul wireless guitar controller.
2.0.5759	2007-05-09	Added: A separate, fifth blade for the Marketplace. A more consistent interface for the Marketplace. Windows Live Messenger integration with the Dashboard. Switchable aspect ratio during video playback (Auto to Letterbox, Zoom, Stretch, Native). Support for "Reference Levels" to video. 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. The ability to see the percentage of downloaded Video Marketplace content and where the ‘chapters’ exist for the said file. Support for MPEG-4 videos. 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. 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. More specific “Achievement Unlocked” message, detailing the achievement unlocked and how many points it is worth. 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. Two new languages, Russian and Polish. Option to boot straight into Media Center Extender mode (as well as changing the MC logo to the Vista version). Option to automatically download all free Xbox Live Arcade games.
2.0.4552	2007-01-09	Fixed a Privilege escalation vulnerability in the Hypervisor that allowed non-signed code (such as Linux) to run on the Xbox 360, with direct hardware access.
2.0.4548	2006-11-30	Improved performance on wired headsets when used with a wireless controller. Video output issues on VGA connections fixed.
2.0.4532	2006-10-31	Added: Support for 1080p video output. Support for Zune. Support for the external HD DVD drive attachment. Streaming of WMV files from a computer through the use of Windows Media Connect, connected USB device, CD or a DVD. Windows Media Player 11 as a supported streaming program. Audio and video streaming for Macintosh systems using Connect360. Option for automatic downloading of trial versions of newly released titles in Xbox Live Arcade. Cosmetic changes to the Dashboard.
2.0.2857	2006-06-06	Added: 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. Other: Xbox Live Marketplace was reorganized.
	2006-03-02	Prepared console for subsequent system and title updates.
	2006-01-30	Improvements to the Xbox Guide. Option to retain your saved games when you delete a profile. Increased accuracy of "last time played." Network configuration improvements for Xbox Live members in the Netherlands. More detailed messaging for unreadable disk or region errors.

See also

• Wii System Software
• PlayStation 3 system software
• PlayStation Portable System Software