NXE Avatar changes coming? ...maybe

[LuFeng]

Microsoft Surveys NXE Avatar Changes, Including Wearable Achievements

By Michael McWhertor





The addition of the Rare-designed Avatars in the New Xbox Experience hasn't amounted to much beyond an increasingly expanding virtual wardrobe. But Microsoft may have grander plans for the little guys.

While there are a handful of games that already support Avatars in-game—Scene It? Box Office Smash, Uno, etc.—as far as games are concerned, they're just scenery. That may change, as Microsoft is surveying gamers on what they'd like to see added to the Xbox 360's Avatars.

One of the more interesting possibilities include "special avatar gear" that can be earned in a fashion similar to Achievements. Microsoft has hinted at this possibility before, but it's at the top of the list of changes being surveyed. Also noteworthy are Avatars that are auto generated to look like their owners, presumably via the Xbox Live Vision Camera, and a set of "family" Avatars, including kids or pets.
The full list of survey questions regarding Avatar changes looks like this.



I might poo-poo or shrug at the majority of those potential changes—no, I don't want to buy Avatar accessories, thank you—but the option of game-specific visual changes certainly sounds neat, as does the "virtual social setting" where Avatars can hang. Clearly someone's a little jealous of the runaway success of PlayStation Home, the ideal platform on which to virtually chill.
Now if I can just get my Twitter feed to affect the mood of my Xbox Avatar and then have that show up on my Facebook page, well, I'll be all set.
Thanks, Heape!

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some of the changes would be awesome! i hope to see some soon but maybe im reaching there. i know some people could care less....so what are you guys/gals thoughts on this?

[Negative Creep]

It sounds like a good concept to me... I just hope they do it up right, if in fact they decide to run with this idea.

[strictlystyles]

any addition is a good edition for any system as far as im concerned but kudos to them for actually polling some folks.

[OME6A]

I'm saddened by the lack of "more options for sideburns" question.

[Negative Creep]

I'm saddened by the lack of "more options for sideburns" question.

And I am sure that somewhere in Florida, Dwayne Johnson is also saddened.

[.writer]

And I am sure that somewhere in Florida, Dwayne Johnson is also saddened.

[zero2000]

I have taken a fair share of "surveys" talking about different features, and if I agree with them or not. From MS, Sony, Steam, Nintendo, you name it. Yet...not one of these "features" that are in these surveys seem to come true.



-_-

[YesConsiderably]

The ability to unlock additional wardrobe items, in a similar way to how unlocking certain achievements gives you acces to new gamerpictures, would be neat. So say you complete Assassins Creed, you then unlock the cloak for your avatar to wear.

Integrating the Avatars into games a little better would be nice too. Kingdom for Keflings did a decent job of that. Though the kinds of games that would work in are kind of limited in appeal.