Image by Dekuwa via Flickr
This Monday, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson announced that everyone who had signed up for the New Xbox Experience preview program would be receiving early invites. After being snubbed in the first two rounds of official selection, this was clearly the answer to my fervent prayers to the Geek Gods. (Of course, given that this "preview" came a scant two days before the official launch, I am reminded that it always pays to be especially specific when beseeching supernatural forces.)
While this highly-touted interface upgrade has been a topic of much discussion amongst gamers for some time, I, as a late adopter who's still trying to find his way around the classic blades system, am interested for a totally different reason. Don't get me wrong, the new layout is a joy to behold, with its fluid animation and intuitive navigation, but for me it's all about the new Xbox 360 Avatars.
Yes, I am well aware that this firmware upgrade affords us features like the ability to stream Netflix to our consoles and the option to install games to our hard drives to decrease load times, but I am, for whatever reason, much more interested in virtual paper dolls.
I will admit it; few things bring me greater joy than customizing an on-screen avatar. I am what you could mockingly term a "dress-up gamer." My first 45 minutes of playtime in Oblivion, for example, were spent tweaking the appearance of my Dark Elf, even though it had no impact on his actual stats. Likewise, my house in Animal Crossing: Wild World is positively stuffed with dressers and wardrobes that are themselves filled with hats, masks, shirts, and umbrellas. When you find yourself asking what kind of fool such purely superficial fare was included for, know that I am the fool in question.
So how does the Avatar system rank against my current console doppelganger of choice, Nintendo's Mii? Let me break it down.
Ease of creation:
Both systems give users roughly the same levels of overall body height and girth from which to choose, an easy task on either system, so it comes down to the all-important face construction. Despite their simple appearance, Miis can be deceptively hard to create, even for gamers like me who look like animated characters to begin with. Facial features must be expanded, compacted, raised, and lowered. Xbox 360 Avatars, on the other hand, take a strictly Mr. Potato Head approach. Simply choose your hair, eyes, nose, etc., and they are applied to your virtual model in preset locations. There is, however, a dizzying array of features available, so it's pretty easy to get lost in the creation process on your 360 as well. Still, though longtime Mii artisans may lament the loss of some creative control, cranking out an Xbox 360 Avatar is fairly effortless.
Winner: Avatar
Clothing Options:
Whether it's due to technical limitations or simply that unique brand of complacency that sets in when you're at the top of the financial heap, Nintendo has done nothing to supplement the meager clothing customizations for their Miis since the Wii's initial release. This means that even now, some two years after launch, your little guy is still stomping around the Mii Plaza in single-color shirt and pants. On the other hand, the Avatar system has come out of the gate with a solid selection of fashionable accoutrements from which to choose. Shoes, shirts, watches, rings, and silly hats abound. This one is really no contest.