European gaming mag Edge got a sneak peak at the New Xbox Experience before its big E3 reveal. Why? Because, according to Microsoft brass, Europeans are "a key part of us getting the next 20 million on" Xbox Live. Why? Because "the gameplay style in Europe is more casual, more collaborative and social." And what does that have to do with the New Xbox Experience? Microsoft is hoping the interface reboot will help the Xbox "become something that's relevant to everyone."
Xbox's Marc Whitten explains, "The idea is to move toward this channel metaphor, so you can see at a glance the types of things that I can do on my box, to make these things much more relevant about me." While there isn't much news about the working bits of the service, the column – the first in a series on the new interface – details some of the "whys" behind such a radical transformation. In fact, we'll leave you with another quote from Edge: "it's radical enough to make Xbox 360 feel like a whole new console."