Don't like it? Don't use it
Why people is complaining about something Microsoft is not forcing them to use. Is not fix what isn't broke, is give you an alternative.
Microsoft is not going to give you any compensation for the themes and gamerpics because they're completely compatible with both dashboards

I just hope that there's enough customisation options to accurately portray people. I'm mean different height, body shapes, hair & facial hair styles.

From the previews I seen, it seems like some Microsoft branded eugenics dystopia, with everyone being young, thin & good looking.

Personally I'm overweight, have the beginnings of male pattern baldness & a scruffy neck beard. I hope this can be represented in my avatar, since it's been quite a struggle for me to be comfortable with my body image, and now that I am, I don't want to be forced to represent myself through some bullshit ideal of the "perfect" man.

It's similar to how size 0 celebrities cause teenage girls to starve themselves, it could cause younger gamers to become very unhappy with their self-image if it doesn't meet up with their avatar.

I hope Microsoft acts responsibly with this & provides plenty of customisation options, not everyone is or wants to be young, thin & good looking.

The thread lost any sort of gravitas with the use of the phrase 'Epic Fail', this isn't 4chan y'know. As for the avatars, meh. I don't plan to use them so I don't really care that much.

Bulletinmybrain:

Littaly:
Saying that the Xbox updates "degrades you as an adult gamer" is sad, really. I'm not gonna say this applies to you, but why are people so fixed about games being mature and adult, what does that mean anyway? More blood and gore than the latest Saw movie? It's like there is a shame in playing video games when you are above 20 and people need something to prove that it's still OK.

I can understand when criticism like this is pointed towards Nintendo, because nowdays they seem to put more effort in "Mii games" than anything else, but if Microsoft decides that they want to rip off Nintendo on one point people go crazy? It's not like Gears of War 2 is suddenley cancelled because you will be able to have avatars.

The avaters are childish and rip-off from the miis, Home while ripping off avaters theres is not childish looking. By degrading as an adult gamer i'm guessing hes talking about them looking like manchilds and womanchilds instead of you know like an actual person. I guess it fits though being that the 360 is somewhere bewteen sonys hard dick and the ninetedo asshole that puts out shitty 3rd party games and decent 1st party.

P.S Adult gamers want more games with deep plots not avaters, They know what they look like in real life and probably don't care about some 13 year old who will probably hack it and then make a nude avater and start waving his dick around.

thank you. It's not that I imasculated being handed a kids meal toy from mc donalds... It's that I can already see those idiotic kids ruining my 1 hour a day of gametime between work and sleep by demanding I see how cool they think they are. I don't have to use the avatars... but what to stop those "WTF, you're jesus/hitler?" moments

Honestly, I don't give a crap, but I want to know when Microsoft is going to find out that they aren't going to be able corner the Wii's target audience.

apparently a lot of people hear spend way to much time in the dashboard

It's a disappointment that the UK isn't getting the netflix compatability from the go. I'm sure it will be implemented eventually, but it'll probably take ages. Slowly but surely, the UK is being forgotten by Microsoft...

I, for one, welcome the new dashboard.
I am totally used to the current one, but still think it's butt-ugly, it makes the machine look like a fisher-price toy instead of a gaming machine.

The functionality and speed of the dash will be hugely improved from what i've read, and if you don't want an avatar, fine, use your gamerpic instead. It's nothing to cry about.

I wish someone would redesign the PS3/PSP interfaces to actually be readable on something other than an extremely dark background. Oh and lets not forget making all of the options in a given section visible from the start. The Dashboard in either the current or up coming incarnations is so much better than the XMB.

I don't mind the new interface, as long as it easy to navigate and quick to navigate I'm happy. From what I can see all they have done is change the look and added a few new options.

As for the avatars, just see them as a new version of gamer pics. You also don't have to have the look anything like you, its the internet - do you always create character to look like you in 'character creations' games?

It's growing on me. As long as the new dash does everything the old one does, and I can keep my theme and my gamer picture and not use one of those frankly embarrassing avatars, it's fine.

As long as it doesn't create a hassle for me to get to my game, I really couldn't care less.

It's a disappointment that the UK isn't getting the netflix compatability from the go. I'm sure it will be implemented eventually, but it'll probably take ages. Slowly but surely, the UK is being forgotten by Microsoft...

Not really Microsoft's fault in this case. As with the original video store, and the Playstation equivalent, they have to thrash through all the different distribution rights holders, which may be different to the US rights holders, to get the content up there.