THE BUZZ: While Microsoft seemingly jumped the gun earlier on launching sign-ups for beta testing the new Xbox 360 dashboard—the information page went up and then was quickly pulled down—it didn’t stay down for long.

Indeed, it is now official: Sign-ups for trying out the upcoming Xbox 360 major dashboard revision are now being accepted by Microsoft.

What will you be able to get your hands on in this beta test (or the “Xbox LIVE Public Preview Program” as it’s officially known)? Here’s the rundown as posted by Major Nelson:

• New design with integrated Kinect voice and gesture controls
• Beacons
• Facebook Sharing
• Cloud Storage for Game Saves and Xbox LIVE Profile

The information page for the preview program also makes note that participating in this beta test won’t affect your ability to do things such as party chat with those who themselves aren’t in the preview program.

If you’d like to sign up, hit the link below. Unlike previous Xbox dashboard preview programs, you don’t need to enter information such as your Xbox 360′s serial number or whatnot just yet—you’ll only need that information if you’re invited to participate.

EGM’s TAKE: I’m a sucker for beta tests such as these, as I have a long history of interest in (and borderline obsession with) user interface design. The current dashboard was a huge change to the overall look and feel of the Xbox 360, and this new update—while not as monumental—is still going to be quite different. So, I’m curious to see the good—and bad—of what Microsoft has put together.

Source: Xbox 360 Dashboard Preview Program Sign-up Page