New Features Come to Xbox Live, Facebook And More
The launch of the New Xbox Experience (NXE) on the Xbox 360 brought Netflix for Xbox Live Gold members. Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference revealed numerous new media experiences. The NXE will now be integrated with Last.fm, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as adding the Zune video service and SkyTV for Europe and Ireland.
Last.fm will allow users to find music similar to the music they already enjoy, as well as scrobble their music to the Last.fm website automatically through the Xbox 360. The launch page for Twitter on Xbox 360 will show the familiar blue Twitter background, along with a visual representation of their friends’ Tweets. Tweeting while playing Xbox 360 games via the blade menu is also available.
Facebook will allow users to link their Xbox 360 profile with their Facebook account, so you can see your Facebook friends represented by their Xbox 360 avatars. You can invite your friends to join Xbox Live through the service, and you can view your own photos, as well as your friends’ photos, and post status updates, just like you would on the Facebook website. The service also supports Facebook Connect in games that support it, such as the upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour, allowing players to post real-time screenshots of their in-game achievements. All three services will be free for Xbox Live Gold members, and will launch this Fall.
The Zune Video service was just recently announced as a tie-in for the new Zune HD this Fall, but the details weren’t known until today. The service will have a full 1080p HD video library. Instant no-delay streaming was advertised, but it’s doubted that most broadband users will not experience some sort of streaming delay. Ten more countries will have access to the service, bringing the total number eighteen available countries.
A new feature called Live Party will allow multiple people to watch the same video, even when they are not in the same room. For users in Europe and Ireland, where Netflix is not available, SkyTV will be available for free for those who already have a SkyTV account. The service will allow access to television, movies, and even live sports games. Both services will be available this Fall for Xbox Live Gold members.
It should be interesting to see how all these services launch this Fall, considering Netflix had a rocky start when it launched last year in North America.
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