Ahh, E3. Once again it is that magical time of year when fanboys take to the internet tubes in record numbers and proceed to fling shit and criticize each and every piece of gaming news. It’s a lot of fun, but how about a serious look at things? Arguably the biggest announcements to come out of Microsoft’s press briefing were the completely redesigned dashboard and the inclusion of Avatars. Both have been rumored for quite some time, and assets related to the Avatars actually leaked last month, but it’s always nice to finally get the official word on such subjects. However, like all major announcements, they were by no means universally accepted by the community. Immediately after the conference the forums began to explode, with users either praising or disowning Microsoft for the changes.

I’ll admit, at first glance I felt quite uneasy about the redesigned dashboard. The current dash is often slow to load and has its share of issues, but it’s still by a wide margin the best console UI that I’ve seen. Getting rid of the iconic blades seemed almost blasphemous, and the new design looked like something that I would expect from Apple, not Microsoft. At the briefing it was said that the new dash is much more efficient, but many people would argue that the blades are very efficient as it is, and provide a more pleasing (or at least more recognizable and unique) aesthetic. Still, despite some initial misgivings I was willing to wait and listen to Microsoft’s justification for the redesign, and I’m damn glad that I did.

Getting past all of the articles that were speculative or sensationalistic, I came across a piece on Kotaku that provided some actual facts on the new dash. Microsoft argues that the current incarnation of the dash is not designed to support the thousands of pieces of content that it now does, which makes perfect sense, considering how over time it has begun to lag more and more. It’s not going to be an optional upgrade like some people are hoping it will be, but looking at it logically, why would it be? All dashboard updates are required; this one just happens to be way more cosmetically different than the others.  I’ll admit, after spending some time looking at screenshots and videos of the dashboard in action, it’s really not as bad as I first assumed. It will certainly take some getting used to, but if implemented correctly it can become just as iconic as the blades are.

And on that note, I was also very relieved to learn that the blades are not completely disappearing, but are instead being integrated into the Guide. Instead of consisting of a single blade with a few basic functions like the current Guide, the new version will pop up in the middle of the screen and act like a mini-dashboard, complete with all of the blades that exist in the current dash. Essentially, users will be able to do everything that they can now, but be able to access it without having to exit their game, movie, or whatever else they’re doing. Although it’s only conjecture on my part, it looks like you’ll be able to do pretty much anything you need to from the redesigned Guide, meaning those users who despise the new dash design will largely be able to stay away from it if they so choose. Microsoft also confirmed that existing themes will be integrated into the new design. Although they didn’t elaborate, I would assume that the themes would be used in the new Guide, since it resembles the current dashboard much more than the new design will.

The new Guide seems to resemble a mini-dashboard in functionality. I am pleased.

Now, what about Avatars? If the new dash was not enough of a change for some people, they also get to look forward to a completely new way of interacting with their friends on Live this fall. Naturally, this has taken just as much heat, if not more, than the redesigned dashboard. Some people have brought up very legitimate concerns about the Avatar system, which I hope are clarified by Microsoft sooner rather than later. Will we still have a simple friends list that we can access on our console, or will we always have to push our way through crowds of avatars when looking for a particular friend? Will it significantly change the way gamercards work, and by extension, Live’s integration with Xbox.com and the forums? Microsoft has said that users who do not wish to use an Avatar can still use gamerpictures, but will that create any kind of divide in the way the dash looks or what features are available to those who don’t use Avatars (side note- I’ve seen gamerpicture-like thumbnails of Avatars in images of the new dash, so maybe that explains how they work with gamercards)?

However, the vast majority of complaints that I’ve seen have not had anything to do with how Avatars are implemented or what functionality they will serve. Rather, most people have been bashing them for being too similar to Miis, and thus, too childish for the 360. The forums are packed with threads of people disowning Microsoft for trying to imitate the Wii and targeting a demographic that they don’t want to be associated with. Though many 360 users would love to think differently, the fact is that Microsoft is a business, and their ultimate goal is to turn a profit. The Wii is the biggest seller this generation, and is thus Microsoft’s biggest competition. Are Avatars influenced by Miis? Absolutely. It would be absurd to argue any different. But that doesn’t mean that Avatars will simply be Mii clones. They appear to serve different purposes, and frankly, it looks like Avatars may have greater customization. Customizable as Miis are, they all look similar to me; I don’t pick up that vibe with what I’ve seen so far of Avatars.

That doesn’t stop the haters though. Many users seem convinced that Microsoft is abandoning its primary demographic to target kids and families. Is Microsoft trying to expand its audience? Hell yeah they are, why wouldn’t they? That doesn’t mean they’re going to abandon the mature audience though. Games like Halo and Gears still make up a huge part of the console’s image. Too many people seem to take terms like “family-friendly” or “fun for all ages” as euphemisms for childish. If a game doesn’t have sex, profanity, or violence, it’s below their serious minds and doesn’t have a place on their “mature” 360 (ironically, the online communities for these games are anything but mature). They will claim that the 360 is for adults, and all of the little kids should stick to the Wii, which they have convinced themselves was designed only for five year olds. Funny, because I have a number of friends who own a Wii, all of whom are mature adults. I mostly play shooters, but I also happen to have played the largest number of games of Uno (around 500 wins I think) of anyone on my friends list. Does that make me a little kid? It must, since only kids play the family friendly games.

I’m starting to rant here, so I’ll get to the point: Avatars are certainly designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a kid to like them. Utilizing a cartoon-like Avatar isn’t suddenly going to make someone immature; bashing ideas that you don’t know anything about and stereotyping games and gamers is what makes someone immature. Yeah, Avatars will be a huge change, but give them a chance, and if you don’t like them, you’re free to stick to your gamerpicture.

Overall, I’m pleased with this year’s E3, and look forward to seeing all the new features in action.