All About the Super Button

One of the things we wanted to do with Xbox 360® is provide a consistent way for people to do things, no matter what they are doing on the console. On the original Xbox and on other consoles, your experience with tasks like saving games and writing messages depended on how game developers wrote those features into their games. But now, with the Xbox Guide, you're assured the same experience in all your games.

You can even use your controller to power down your
console. You'll never have to leave the couch again.

The Xbox Guide
The Xbox Guide (called "the HUD" during development) is the screen element that slides over your game or the Xbox Dashboard. It usually comes up when you press the Xbox Guide button on your controller, but it can also come up when you select something in the Xbox Dashboard or in a game.

The Xbox Guide can contain any number of things depending on what you're up to: save locations, Xbox LIVE® Marketplace content, friends, etc. More often, you'll see the main Xbox Guide screen, which is divided up into five main areas: Gamercard, community, private chat, personal settings, and music.

Your Gamercard
At the top of the Xbox Guide sits your Gamercard. When you select your Gamercard, the Xbox Guide is expanded to show your gamer profile. In your gamer profile, you have access to the following items.

• View games: Take a look at the games you've played so far, with achievement points.
• Edit gamer profile: Change your gamer picture or your profile name. If you're on Xbox LIVE, you can also change your Gamertag, motto, Xbox LIVE Gamer Zone, and privacy settings.
• View rep: If you have Xbox LIVE, you can view the details behind your rep.
• Game defaults: Select the settings you want to pass on to your games. This includes Y-axis inversion and southpaw (known here as movement) settings.
• Account management: If you're on Xbox LIVE, access your membership info and update your account.
• Enable auto sign-in: Make it so that your profile automatically signs in when you start your console.
• Join Xbox LIVE: If you don't have Xbox LIVE, join up!

You may or may not see all of these at the same time. Some buttons are visible only if you have Xbox LIVE.

Community
Just under the Gamercard is the community area. There are three lists that you can manage in this area.

• Messages: View and send text and voice messages; chat and game invites; and friend requests.
• Friends: View and manage friends. See what they're up to and send messages.
• Players: View a list of recent players. Remember that guy you liked playing with last night? Check this list and send feedback!

Chat and IM
The Private Chat button gives you easy access to one-on-one chats with anyone on Xbox LIVE. You can have four private chat channels going at once plus a game channel. Use the list to switch between channels. You can also page someone who's stepped away from your channel. When you do so, a little notification will pop up on their screen, reminding them that you want to chat. You can also send messages via Windows Live Messenger.

Personal Settings
Personal Settings is a grab bag of settings and functions.

• Online status: Control how you appear to other people online. By default, you're shown as online, but you can change it to busy, away, or even offline.
• Voice: Set headset volume, mute your microphone, or set voice chat to play through speakers or your headset.
• Vibration: Turn the vibration on your controller on or off.
• Notifications: Control how notifications appear on your screen.
• Themes: Change the theme on the Xbox Dashboard and Guide.
• Active Downloads: View your active downloads.
• Family Timer: Check the Family Timer settings. You can find out more about the Family Timer here.
• Shut down: Shut down the console.

Music
At the bottom of the Xbox Guide is the mini music player. Use this to select and play music from your Xbox 360 Hard Drive, a computer connected through Windows Media Connect, or a portable music player or other USB device. Use the controls to pause, skip, or shuffle the music. You can even adjust the music volume by selecting the little speaker button.

Turn Me On
One more thing. That Xbox Guide button that you use to pull up the Xbox Guide? It also turns your console on and off. You heard me; you can use your controller to power down your console. You'll never have to leave the couch again.

Here's how it works. When the console is off, hold down the Xbox Guide button on your controller for a few seconds. The console will power right up. Repeat to turn it off. You'll get a little confirmation dialog, and away you go. You can turn off just your wireless controller in this way, too.

The Xbox Guide button is good for something else, too. Notifications (those little pop up messages you get when you sign in, get an achievement, etc.) are what's called "context sensitive." That means if you press the Xbox Guide button when the notification is on the screen, the Xbox Guide will open with whatever screen is appropriate to that notification.

Got an achievement? Hit the Xbox Guide button and go right to your list of achievements. Did someone invite you to chat? Press the button to go straight to the chat invite. Wicked, huh?

So there you have it, my little guide to the Xbox Guide. Have fun!

Article by Elle

Related Links:

• More SuperMarch
• More Elle