Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm hit Xbox 360 today
We've already had some time with the new Xbox Live Dashboard update, and now the new firmware, which will bring Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm to the console, is available for download today.
In addition to these services, Microsoft will be rolling out Zune Video, which promises instant-on 1080p video streaming as well as 5.1 surround sound.
We should note that Twitter, Last.fm, and Facebook will require an Xbox Live Gold membership ($50/year) and both Twitter and Facebook services require all users to be at least 18 years of age.
If you aren't a member of Xbox Live Gold, a free preview weekend will begin November 20, at 12 p.m. ET and run until November 23, at 12 p.m. ET.
For a sneak peek at these new Xbox 360 features, check out our video playlist above or click over to the slideshow.
Before covering games and gear for CNET Reviews, Jeff Bakalar dabbled in film and video production. An avid writer, reader, and gamer, Jeff is also an obsessive New Jersey Devils hockey fan. Catch him live every day as the co-host of CNET's infamous podcast, The 404. 
*** are posting?
Look at the video the person starts playing a song then they move all through the menus of the dashboard.
According to GameSpy you can access last.fm while in game.
http://xbox360.gamespy.com/articles/104/1044699p1.html
They even have built in "Gamer Stations".
Overall it all comes accross a little half arsed, though that may simply be as some of the features are not enabled on the beta, such as FB posting your achievements etc. Without them, and without the ability to use the programs in any form on the dashboard or in game, they sink into the background very quickly.
I think you should be able to open your XBOX men or whatever in game and be able to access your facebook easily from there without having to go to the dash, too.
I already paid for my internet, my electricity, and my 360.
Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm are free on the internet.
I can understand paying once to download the applications to the 360, but why must we continue to pay to use them? For people who already have Gold, this is fine, but it's not gonna entice too many people to join who don't play multiplayer.
I agree that licensing fees after you buy the software can be a problem. However, there are some maintenance costs associated with running Live!. The real value is in the design though. The navigation is clean and organized both visually and from a feature standpoint such as friends and voice chat. All games have achievements, which is a nice meta game for those who want to play. Lastly, the platform can be developed for by third parties and they can have those applications pushed out to subscribers.
The alternative is something we see with Netflix for PS3 where users have to order physical media and insert that media every time they want to use the service.
i used facebook and HATE IT, thanks to the hundreds of spam e-mails i've received using it...
i don't like twitter because i don't want to tell everyone every second of the day what the F i'm doing, nor do i wanna know where the H they've been...just call, use a voice...this world is full of texting morons and probably includes 99% of the c/net staff...
last.fm sucks also, full of nobodies...would rather hit a blogspot and download a file using rapidshare or mega-upload or even use my torrent portal...
Besides, the xbox's primary audience (15-26 yr olds) use facebook already.
Only thing i find odd about this update is you have to be 18 to use it. Unless you can create accounts on these select websites from the xbox console, it would seem the job of the individual websites to police underage content/users, not xbox live.
I'm sure its a moot point tho, since many underage xbox live users probably don't advertise themselves being underage.
But, the XMB on PS3 is way easier to navigate and more user friendly. The online video store for PS3 is way better, more organized to say the least. PS3 has a browser, even if it's weak it gives you options, plus if you have a PSP you can browse on it's browser, or the PS3 browser via remote play. The disc drive in the 360 is really noisy, and I have no idea why they upgraded to HDMI, yet kept it at 1.2 protocol, essentially nullyfying all the sound aspects of HDMI. 360 online is pretty sweet, though I never here anyone on a mic on MW2.
Not trying to sound like a fanboy I can honestly say since I have both-The PS3 has the superior hardware, and XBOX has done a great job marketing and using software and a great online experience. The PS3 has a ton more value in the blu-ray, free wireless connectivity. The whole 360 has more exclusives is false, none of their exclusives except for Halo are anything spectacular, and many of the best games are cross platform.
I guess it's better to have both, but to have read all of the 360 fanboys talk up the console, they're really about equal-360-online-ps3-hardware, power,blu-ray.
And about last fm-weak that it has no live videos M$ trying to suck money again. Twitter, Facebook, neat, ZUNE, could still be organized better, every foreign movie has English dub.
- by dhjellen November 18, 2009 2:34 AM PST
- All the bashing kindof surprises me. There is no reason to spend additional money. If you do not own an xbox, there should not be a problem because nothing is happening to you. If you own an xbox, but do not want to pay the annual fee for Live, then there should not be a problem because these people are not losing anything and there is no detriment in maintaining the free membership. If you own an Xbox and have Live, then you get extra stuff for free.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(29 Comments)No one has to pay anything more on 11/17/09 than they did on 11/16/09, but for a large group of people they are getting more stuff automatically without having to pay any additional money for it. That is a pretty cool deal.
cost of Xbox: not changed
Gold membership: not changed
presence of browser: not changed
presence of facebook: ADDED
presence of Twitter: ADDED
Presence of Last.fm: ADDED
Access to Zune: ADDED
All I see is positive. It is essentially a new set of features that are being offered for free to Xbox's preferred customer set (gold members). Why does this additional feature set upset some people?