On his blog, Major Nelson reported that there are a couple of minor updates in the queue headed your way for the Xbox Dashboard and Xbox.com.

Looking back to last November's big update to the Dashboard, the option for 'boot to disc' was removed. Gamers who are suffering withdrawals from the shortcut to getting their game on can be at ease since it's returning in a mandatory update.

Today, an update will hit your Xbox to bring back a feature that gives you the option to 'boot to disc.' What that means is gamers can choose to bypass the Dashboard completely when they power on the Xbox so they can get into their game right away with whatever title is in the tray. Once the update is installed, you can switch on the 'boot to disc' option in the system settings, or just keep it launching straight to the Dashboard.

'Boot to disc' is a great option for those who want to jump right in to a game versus those who like to tool around the Dashboard, check what their friends are up to and whatnot before booting up the disc.

If you frequent Xbox.com, tomorrow (January 20th) you may notice a slight difference to the Gamercards. The look is a little more minimalistic, echoing the redesign of both Xbox.com and the Dashboard. Additionally, gamerzones have been removed from the Gamercard as well.

Xbox-Gamercard-Tweak

The updates do seem small enough to be quietly pushed out, so Major Nelson spoke to why they were announced:

"Most people may not notice these small changes but I know many of you appreciate knowing the details when we issue updates."

Being kept in the loop on tweaks and updates to a service that millions of people use is definitely more than welcome, no matter how big or small it may be. The tweak to Gamercards on Xbox.com may be appreciated by some, but more may benefit from being notified about the re-addition of the 'boot to disc' feature.

What do you think of the minor tweaks to your Xbox experience? Do you like the visual update to the Gamercard? Will you choose to 'boot to disc' or do you like hitting the Dashboard before getting into the game? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Major Nelson's Blog