Xbox 360's new Zune, Last.fm, Facebook and Twitter features detailed on video

We just got a pretty detailed look at Microsoft's upcoming Dashboard update for the Xbox, which brings with it the Zune Video Marketplace and Last.fm music streaming, along with Facebook and Twitter social functionality. We were most impressed with Facebook, which includes a feature for spotting which of your Facebook friends have Xbox Live -- a great way to grow that friends list and bring a bit of "synergy" to your life. Last.fm was a bit of a downer, since you can't do anything else while listening to the music, but otherwise there weren't many minuses to the presentation other than the lack of a firm release date. Check out Joystiq's full impressions at the read link before, or watch the whole demo on mind-blowing video after the break.

[Cardstatman Posted Oct 7th 2009 2:46PM]

I hope they fix the 100 friend limit issue soon, because I can see facebook providing me with a great way to add a lot of friends.

[Yoda Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:48PM]

Probably not happening... it's restricted to 100 friends because it's keeping backwards compatibility with the original Xbox... they're probably not going break that.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 2:47PM]

Hmm, wonder if the flash games on Facebook are supported in XBlive-Facebook???

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 2:54PM]

@ jcj2391

I agree, but i dont think the xbox could handle it and would prob crash/freeze all the time.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 2:56PM]

maybe because of its processors can't handle it

[MarcusMaximus Posted Oct 7th 2009 2:59PM]

It has 3 3.2GHz processors with Hyperthreading giving it 6 logical cores. I'm fairly sure it has the horsepower to run a simple browser, especially since one of my computers' core 2 duo 1.8GHz doesn't have any problems doing so.

[CapnHowdy Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:12PM]

I've never heard of a PPC processor with Hyperthreading. I believe you are mistaken.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:16PM]

3=3 3

[MarcusMaximus Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:20PM]

@BillG: "Inside, the Xbox 360 uses the triple-core IBM designed Xenon as its CPU, with each core capable of simultaneously processing two threads, and can therefore operate on up to six threads at once." source-wikipedia

Hyperthreading is Intel's term for simultaneous multithreading, which the xbox 360 does. I used that term merely because of its ubiquity, and because the same process is going on in the 360.

[Tonezorz Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:24PM]

I'm sure it could handle it, but Microsoft making a good browser for something? that's the hard part.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:32PM]

@Mark you actually believed in wiki? don't worry i will edit it

[WixosTrix Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:38PM]

@ jcj2391

there is a source: http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/support/xbox360/manuals/xbox360specs.htm

I think Microsoft would know what hardware they are using.

[CapnHowdy Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:39PM]

The term is only ubiquitous because the processor market is Intel saturated. I'd also like to point out some errors in the Wiki article you reference, Xenon is an Intel product and not a term to describe high performance processors. Wikipedia isn't perfect.. but I did come across an article explaining the processor's specs in very nice detail.

It really doesn't mention or explain MS's claims that each core can perform 2 hardware threads.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,1877342,00.asp

It'll definitely be able to run a browser, but if it were IE7 or IE8 it would chug regardless.

[MarcusMaximus Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:42PM]

@jcj2391: As has been said before, wikipedia is perfectly acceptable for such a forum. But since you're being so pushy about it:

"Each of the cores, which I'm going to call a PowerPC Processing Element (PPE) from here on out, has a 64K split L1 cache (32K instructions/32K data) and can handle up two simultaneous threads of execution using simultaneous multithreading (SMT)." -ArsTechnica

"The other interesting thing to note about the Xbox 360 CPU is that each core is capable of processing two threads simultaneously" -howstuffworks

"2 hardware threads per core (6 hardware threads total)" -support.xbox.com

Good enough now?

[MarcusMaximus Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:44PM]

@BillG: Xenon is also the name of this certain PPC processor, made by IBM. Google search "xbox 360 processor" and you'll see several hundred articles saying as much(from such other sources as arstechnica)

[NohOne Posted Oct 7th 2009 4:17PM]

BillG: "Xenon is an Intel product and not a term to describe high performance processors."

That is incorrect. The name used by Intel is Xeon (http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/products/server/processor)
The processor used in the 360 is named the Xenon - notice the extra N.

[NohOne Posted Oct 7th 2009 4:24PM]

Also, BillG, since you refuse to believe Microsoft's claims (you seem to be implying that they are lying - you should talk to the FCC about MS selling a product with false claims) that each core is hyperthreaded, from IBM's own spec sheet at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/power/library/pa-fpfxbox/:

"The instruction unit is multithreaded, with two simultaneous threads. The instruction cache is 32KB. The core implements a two-issue, in-order execution microarchitecture. This means two instructions are issued at a time but execution within the units is in sequential order. Execution is delayed to cover the load use penalty without stalling the pipeline."

[WEEEGEEEE Posted Oct 8th 2009 1:08AM]

@ MARK, processor don't count much these days, even a netbook with 1 Hyper threaded 1.6Ghz core is reasonable enough for browsing the web, flash and anything a computer would do with the internet. And hell i could bet the 360 web browser will be better than the ps3s simply because it has 256 Mb more memory to use for caching, its just the fact i find m$0FTS unwillingness to put a web browser into it tells me that the xbox is nothing more than a TOY and we all still have to buy REAL computers to do serious stuff.

compare that to $ony who had linux support in their ps3's from day 1 (yes they removed it from the slims....) which sends the message that it wants to eat the HTPC market well before any1 has an idea what an HTPC is

[MowDownJoe Posted Oct 7th 2009 2:59PM]

I find it funny that Joystiq showed YOUR OWN VIDEO before you did. Yeah, it was only by 20 minutes, and yeah, you two are like brother and sister, but c'mon! It's your video! Who gave who a swirlie here?

[vansmack Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:14PM]

Pandora please.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:22PM]

all i want is a pandora client come on microshaft wtf is the hold up

[WixosTrix Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:36PM]

I don't want to use Last.fm, I want to use my Zune Pass =(

Well, I don't have an Xbox but when I get one I'll want to do it,

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 3:57PM]

LOL THEY HAVE AN IPHONE AND WORK FOR MICROSOFT

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 4:19PM]

PS3 needs to get their act together and bring Netflix and these new features to the table!

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2009 4:23PM]

oo so my last.fm will finally update with the songs i listen to on my 360?! nice!

[mgrochowalski Posted Oct 7th 2009 9:48PM]

Nope.
Only the songs you listen to from Last.fm.

[smcquade Posted Oct 7th 2009 4:48PM]

lol at the MS pimp, using an iPhone app (ShakeIt Photo)

[flett Posted Oct 7th 2009 6:29PM]

wow, some people there need to shut up.

looks very nice, hopefully microsoft doesnt forget about Canada like they did with the zune hd, eh?

[kibbledbits Posted Oct 7th 2009 9:28PM]

Or they could just implement a standards base browser and you can have access to all this stuff and then some

[shukero Posted Oct 7th 2009 10:54PM]

Ummm.... the video doesnt work :(

[phillipah Posted Oct 8th 2009 12:17PM]

looks like the movie uses smooth HD technology

[ZeroCorpse Posted Oct 8th 2009 7:42PM]

Twitter sucks. Some day, you'll all look back and feel the same way about using Twitter as you do about that period when you thought Vanilla Ice was cool.