While the NXE did a lot of good for Xbox Live Marketplace navigation, it still struggles under the weight of the mad amount of content available. This is my best guess as to why the UI gurus over at Microsoft have decided to give Xbox Live Arcade's specific menus a bit of a social face-lift via Destination Arcade, a quicker, more "easy-to-use" browser "app" for the games on the network.
Earlier yesterday, Major Nelson gave the first tease of the new UI over at his blog, and also dished out some details. Destination Arcade is coming to the US on July 14, and will incorporate some of the most obvious upgrades the XBLA browser has needed for some time like, for example, the ability to sort by price and rating, see discounts and deals, and access to a feed that tells you what's going on and coming. It's sorta like Steam, but more colorful. Here's some pictures Nelson shared with his audience:
I don't want to be a negative Nancy before actually using this new browser, but I get the feeling that keeping the UI this game-boxed focused may end up keeping the menus as cluttered as before. Adding layers on this might not help. That said, I'm stoked to see how the price sorting and news feed affect my experience. Here's to hoping Destination Arcade is as promising as it sounds.
UPDATE: Tweaked the headline and text a bit to make it more clear that this is an "app."