Microsoft is adding avatar support to Xbox 360 as part of a radical dashboard overhaul with wide ranging effects across the Xbox LIVE network. Your customisable online alter-ego will soon be incorporated into compatible Xbox 360 games such as UNO RUSH and, who knows, maybe even sports titles a la Nintendo Miis.

The new avatar feature is part of the so-called “new Xbox 360 experience” designed to seamlessly link together whichever form of digital entertainment you enjoy most on the Microsoft console – films, TV shows (more on that in a sec) and of course games.

Microsoft has also announced a partnership with Netflix to give Stateside Xbox 360 users access to more than 15,000 films and TV shows. With Netflix it is also possible to ‘movie share’ – voice-chatting with your pals across Xbox LIVE while watching the same film simultaneously. Nice idea, guys, but doesn’t everyone hate it when people talk through the show?

Last but not least, Microsoft will soon introduce a new quiz game called “100 Vs 1” after Sony’s Buzz! series, allowing gamers to compete with friends and family across Xbox LIVE. If only they’d got here first with this idea. Still, looks like fun.