Xbox LIVE gets 1080p Zune Video store, Twitter, Facebook and more on November 17th (video)

Remember all those fantastic features that Microsoft promised were in the works for its Xbox 360 back at E3? Get ready folks, because they're all arriving in five days. At an undisclosed time on November 17th, users will be able to login to Xbox LIVE and check out the totally bodacious new portals available to kill time and act social without actually combing your hair. As we'd heard, Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm (US and UK only) modules will all be featured, not to mention on-demand 1080p / 5.1-channel HD video through the Zune Video outlet. In case that's not enough (and be honest, it's never enough), users will also see a new "News and More" section in the "Inside Xbox" channel with streams from MSNBC, The New Yorker and Dilbert. Yeah, Dilbert. Hop on past the break for a few video demonstrations, and then get back to your Modern Warfare 2 binge before your teammates see you slacking off.

Xbox LIVE gets 1080p Zune Video store, Twitter, Facebook and more on November 17th

Xbox LIVE FAQ on new social features

Xbox LIVE Twitter integration

Xbox LIVE Last.fm integration

Xbox LIVE Facebook integration

Show full PR text

Next Week the TV Transforms when Social Networking, Music and Movies Come Alive on Xbox 360

Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune video Launch Nov. 17 on Xbox LIVE

The topic du jour was all about TV, but this morning at NewTeeVee Live – an industry conference that explores the future of television – Xbox LIVE general manager Marc Whitten confirmed the next wave of social entertainment is coming to Xbox LIVE on November 17. Starting next week, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and instant on HD video from Zune will be available on Xbox 360 consoles, transforming Xbox LIVE into the largest social network connected to the TV with exclusive features custom-designed for the living room.

"We're delivering some truly exciting social entertainment experiences to our members," said Whitten. "Xbox LIVE's differentiator has always been our community, and we've already seen a tremendous response to these features in our public preview. It's the community that drives us forward and allows us to pioneer new ways of connecting people through the entertainment they love."

· Facebook*– Update your status to share what movie, game or entertainment you're enjoying, connect with friends and view their Facebook stream, status updates and photos on the big screen – all seamlessly integrated and custom-built for Xbox 360. You can even compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists to see which of your friends are on LIVE.

· Zune – Zune video on Xbox LIVE offers a full fidelity experience with instant on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. No waiting for downloads or buffering, it's there at the press of a button. You can also share the experience with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen – it puts a whole new spin on "movie night."

· Twitter*– Stay in the know by discovering, posting and replying to Tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who's tweeting about your favorite game.

· Last.fm* – Discover more music and explore endless personalized radio stations with Last.fm on Xbox 360. Skip, "ban" or "love" tracks to create your perfect mix-we've even built in "Gamer Stations" with game-related types of music selected specifically for the gaming community (Available in the U.S. and UK)

In addition to these social features, Xbox LIVE will also be debuting "News and More," a new section of the "Inside Xbox" channel, transforming Xbox LIVE into a full-fledged media portal. With a regularly-updated stream of content from MSNBC, The New Yorker and Dilbert, "News and More" brings the latest in current events, arts and entertainment right to your fingertips.

All of these features build on the wild success of Netflix on Xbox LIVE, which quickly established Xbox 360 as the most-used living room device for streaming Netflix content to the home1. Only on Xbox 360 can you find the best in movies, music, games and social networking all in one place, tailor-made for the TV and connected to more than 20 million people around the globe.

"From the launch of Xbox LIVE nearly seven years ago, to milestones like Video Marketplace, Netflix and the New Xbox Experience, we've continued working toward our vision of connected entertainment for everyone," continued Whitten. "I'm proud to say that next week marks another great stride in fulfilling that promise, and we're already imagining what the future has in store."

So what are you waiting for? On November 17, turn on your Xbox 360, log onto Xbox LIVE and enjoy the world of social entertainment at your fingertips. Not an Xbox LIVE Gold member? Starting November 20 (12 pm ET / 9 am PT) until November 23 (12 pm ET / 9 am PT) Xbox LIVE Silver members can enjoy the latest Gold features for FREE – including Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm! There's tons more to experience with Gold as well. Play the latest game titles like "Halo 3: ODST" online multiplayer, participate in "1 vs. 100," host an Xbox LIVE Party or even video chat with friends. All of these Gold-only features will be available all weekend long for anyone to try.
* Xbox LIVE Gold adult account required to access these features. Xbox LIVE Gold memberships are just over $4 (U.S.) per month

** Xbox LIVE members under the age of 18 will not be able to access Facebook and Twitter as part of the Free Gold Weekend

1 Source: One Touch Intelligence (www.onetouchintelligence.com), from October 2009 survey conducted in association with The Praxi Group, Inc.

[RUGRLN Posted Nov 13th 2009 12:59AM]

Who cares about this stuff now...I'm all about MW2 now!!

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 13th 2009 1:22AM]

In case any pirates/theives are wondering the preview version of this software and the version to be released are whats causing your console to be on craigslist.

Why has engadget not covered this huge ban sweep going on? 1M consoles is a big number and its big news. Once banned the console is bricked for life for online.

Its not like it would be advocating piracy by reporting it, if anything it would discourage it, and it'd also warn people not to buy a used xbox online.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 13th 2009 2:42AM]

This is cool news. Nothing stupendous or monumental, but cool. I had wished that the twitter and facebook apps would run on top of games so one could multitask but that's what a laptop or iPhone is for.

The only problem I have is my internet provider is Wild Blue and they have that g'damn FAP and my max speed is about 1 Mbps. ANY Netflix or movies, especially 1080p w/5.1 is out of the question. One movie would put me over the FAP!!! (maybe two, FAP limit is 17 GB 30 day rolling). Sux to live in the sticks. And I pay $80/mo but its all that is out here besides dial up.

I pray that this new wireless service, Digitalpath, gets there tower up soon. Will cut my internet bill from $80 to $40 per month and I should get up to 6 Mbps but I not sold on the quality of the Xbox Live video. Has to be super compressed. I will probably still just Rentflix than Downflix.

[crunc Posted Nov 13th 2009 8:47AM]

I wish they'd upgrade the netflix client so I didn't keep getting hiccups where it stops for a second to adjust the stream. That doesn't happen at all when I'm streaming netflix on our Mac mini, but it happens fairly frequently on the Xbox. Plus it takes far longer to get the stream started on the Xbox then on the mini. Both are pretty annoying.

As for content, I'm pretty happy with netflix streaming. There's more good choices on there then I have time to watch. I suppose it depends on what kind of movies you like to watch. If you're strictly a blockbuster viewer you aren't going to be entirely happy, but if you like (or also like) quality smaller movies, there's plenty to see.

One thing that people may not realize about the netflix streaming feature, though, is that the movies and videos there aren't there forever. They stay on the service for a period of time and then they are removed, with others taking their place.

[Lord HowitHurtz Posted Nov 13th 2009 11:39AM]

i'd prefer it if microsoft made these extra's optional.
i haver no use for twitter, facebook and whatever the hell last fm is and i'd prefer not to use up space on my hard drive for these useless items AND i'm not spending over a buck a gig for a proprietary hard drive.