That there’s my new avatar on Xbox Live, which doesn’t really look like me, unless you count it as a much more cute and attractive version of me (and that’s not just me being humble — looking around my friends list, they’ve basically designed the avatar system with so few options that it’s kind of tough to make an un-cute and un-attractive avatar, so everyone ends up looking much better than they actually do in real life). In the NXE, which is the brand new firmware on the Xbox 360 — the little system that runs on the console when you’re not actually playing the games — that little avatar of mine runs around playing Uno, checking out the games my friends are in, and picking games for me to play next. It’s interesting — an obvious ripoff of Nintendo’s Mii system, although Microsoft has even upped it a notch by extending the metaphor not just in games, but in the system itself. Nintendo’s Miis never left their little Mii parade to join the rest of the UI, but Microsoft’s avatars are everywhere on the Xbox 360.

I would like more options, not necessarily in the way the avatar looks, but in terms of clothing. I hear they’re on the way — Microsoft says they’re aiming to double the amount of clothing available by next year, but I want special stuff — a Gears of War 2 t-shirt for beating that game, or a Master Chief helmet for finishing Halo 3 on Legendary. I want accessories — a Zune for my avatar to listen to (even though, sure, I’d want an iPod, but this is Microsoft we’re talking about), or an Xbox headset to wear when I’m in a game or chatting. I’d even love to see Microsoft get really crazy — a Kazooie pet to sit on my shoulder when I beat Banjo Kazooie 3, or a Zombie version of me from Left 4 Dead. Of course, this is only the beginning, but I hope they take this places it was never meant to go.

As for the rest of the UI, it’s a UI — it moves faster than the old one, which is definitely welcome, and I also like that rather than having to go back to the dashboard from the games, you can simply pull up the UI and read messages or dive into another game right away. I haven’t tried the Netflix features yet, but I plan to: I quit my subscription to Blockbuster just yesterday, because even the hint of streaming HD movies from my Xbox as part of a subscription has me drooling.

So yeah, I’m digging the update — there wasn’t really anything to miss about the old one, and it’s basically like getting a new console for free. Can’t argue with that. Can I get a different pose for my avatar’s picture, though? Who stands like that?