Xbox's new avatars now available to all

Xbox One's long-in-development new avatar system is now available to everyone, as part of the console's October update.

This avatar system is a fresh start for your digital companion - who'll pop up around the dashboard, and the dashboards of your friends - with a new range of clothing, props and accessories.

You'll be saying farewell to your Xbox 360 avatar awards and anything collected to date, then - although you can still choose to use the old avatar system if you like (or, indeed, no avatar at all).

Xbox owners with access to beta versions of the dashboard have had access to the new avatar system for some time, although the launch version has a bunch of new wardrobe options and emotes to play around with.

I used to play around a lot with the old avatars, and the selection of default clothing options for the new avatar system is just as expansive as before. There's a more diverse range of clothing options and everything can be recoloured.

The new avatar store is also open for business, and right now includes a bunch of Gears of War designs. You can pay £4.19 for a Marcus Fenix or Kait Diaz armour suit, or £3.29 for a Juvie mask. There are lots of generic military themed items, mostly hats and caps which range from 79p to £2.49. You can buy a Halloween-themed pumpkin head mask for £2.49, for example, or licensed caps with car brands on for £1.69 each. The most expensive thing I could find was a £4.99 suit of armour. But there are freebies too - game logo shirts, and pirate rings and hooks.