Xbox Live Update Preview Signups available

[MaxSteele]

Check out our News section for info on how you can sign up to preview the Xbox Live Fall Update!

[kronovan]

I've got to admit, I don't use any of these:

new Xbox Live Update which will include Facebook, Twitter, and the Zune Video Marketplace

So...in a word...nope.

[CeeKay]

what, you don't want to tweet everytime you teabag someone? 

[IkeVandergraaf]

I dread the XBox Live updates.  I certainly don't want to preview them.

[Knightshade Dragon]

I dread the XBox Live updates.  I certainly don't want to preview them.

I quote a recent preview:

"...part of the "I just Twittered my Yahoo and Googled on your Facebook!"

Yea, no thanks.  That's not functionality, that's the opposite. 

[metallicorphan]

if Last.FM was even mentioned in this update then i would sign up for the preview as that's the only feature here i am vaguely interested in(or at least gonna be sticking my nose in)...but as its not been mentioned anywhere,i gather it must be coming out at a later date

Twitter and Facebook are fine for people who use it i guess,i don't....i will wait until it comes for everyone

[Knightshade Dragon]

if Last.FM was even mentioned in this update then i would sign up for the preview as that's the only feature here i am vaguely interested in(or at least gonna be sticking my nose in)...but as its not been mentioned anywhere,i gather it must be coming out at a later date

Twitter and Facebook are fine for people who use it i guess,i don't....i will wait until it comes for everyone

Honestly, I use Facebook, but I can't imagine using it on a console.

[jersoc]

yeah these features, aside from last.fm, seem ridiculously stupid. surely the time spent could've been used on something useful. who the hell wants to type anything on their xbox? it takes a year just to type a basic sentence.

[Razgon]

yeah these features, aside from last.fm, seem ridiculously stupid. surely the time spent could've been used on something useful. who the hell wants to type anything on their xbox? it takes a year just to type a basic sentence.

Its all part of the Bill Gates Masterplan(tm)

[MaxSteele]

yeah these features, aside from last.fm, seem ridiculously stupid. surely the time spent could've been used on something useful. who the hell wants to type anything on their xbox? it takes a year just to type a basic sentence.

To be fair, you can connect a USB keyboard or use the Messenger keyboard add-on for typing.

I am interested in Facebook on the 360.  I use a 360 app on Facebook to record achievements as I get them on the 360 and post them to Facebook.  However, the app is buggy and not very user-friendly.  I use my gamertag not just as a necessary way to get onto Xbox Live, but as a social element attached to my 360 usage.  Connecting my gamertag with my Facebook profile is a feature I'm looking forward to.

I don't use Twitter, so I have no interest in Twitter on the 360.  Unless there's an automatic functionality with Twitter and my 360 usage, I will not use it.

[Chaz]

I've got to admit, I don't use any of these:

new Xbox Live Update which will include Facebook, Twitter, and the Zune Video Marketplace

So...in a word...nope.

Yeah, this.  I'm a social networking luddite.  Which is funny considering I'm in the new social networking savvy generation.

[Brendan]

It includes Last.fm.

FWIW, the Zune marketplace is what enables the "instant-on" 1080p movie streaming.

[MaxSteele]

It includes Last.fm.

FWIW, the Zune marketplace is what enables the "instant-on" 1080p movie streaming.

While the new update has been said to have Last.FM on it, this preview has no mention of it.

System Update Details

What can you look forward to if you're accepted for the preview? Here are some of the new features you'll be able to experience:

    * Zune: Zune comes to Xbox LIVE with instant-on 1080p HD streaming video on your console, delivering the selection of a video megastore with the convenience of cable.
    * Facebook: Facebook and Xbox LIVE join forces to connect you with your friends as you interact with the largest entertainment and gaming network on TV. Share real-time status updates with friends from around the globe, and check out photo galleries on the big screen from the comfort of your living room.
    * Twitter: Read, reply, and post Tweets to Twitter through Xbox LIVE. See what your friends and family are up to, connect to celebrities, learn about news as it happens, and follow online trends.

Now, it does say "Here are some of the new features you'll be able to experience", but if that's the case, I don't understand why they wouldn't list Last.FM as that's a major addition.

[Brendan]

Well, I can't attest to their future plans, but it's been available to us employees on the internal beta.  You can see the Last.fm logo on the Connect site:  http://connect.microsoft.com/XboxLiveUpdate where you submit your beta application.  I do agree that it's odd that it's not mentioned publicly, but it's certainly been covered by external reviewers who have access to the preview.

[metallicorphan]

well,i'll put my name down if the Last.FM thing is included then...prolly too late now or closed anyway,LOL

EDIT:didn't know this was included..may give this a go

For folks with that old 20GB Xbox 360 hard drive, the newer streaming technology is a major boon. It means you can watch HD movies without having to first download them

[JayDee]

well,i'll put my name down if the Last.FM thing is included then...prolly too late now or closed anyway,LOL

EDIT:didn't know this was included..may give this a go

For folks with that old 20GB Xbox 360 hard drive, the newer streaming technology is a major boon. It means you can watch HD movies without having to first download them

Bandwidth caps will prevent me from using any HD streaming feature for the indefinite future.

[metallicorphan]

after the update you will no longer be able to use unauthorized Xbox 360 memory storage devices!!

http://majornelson.com/archive/2009/10/16/unauthorized-xbox-360-storage-devices.aspx

[Laner]

Can't say I blame them... the memory cards were a vector for softmodding the original Xbox.

[metallicorphan]

xbox360Achievements.org has preview videos and pictures of the update in 4 separate features

Last.FM

prolly the best of the updates,i have just made an account on the Last.FM site,its quite good..so looking forward to this,however not being able to play it while playing games is a 'WTF??' decision



ZuneHD marketplace

looks good,the movies themselves are expensive(i think 540 points for HD)...but note the gamertv tag,could be cool...once the guy chooses his choice of HD film(Watchmen)..it starts up pretty much less than a second later


Twitter

doesn't get a favourable mention,mainly because a lot of what Twitter is about is posting links,and as the 360 hasn't got a web browser,you yourself can't click on other peoples links,he also complains about the posting as it takes ages if you haven't got a chatpad or USB keyboard..i have a chatpad,and i love it..still don't think i will be using this feature though


Facebook

again like Twitter you can't click on links..says its a streamlined version of Facebook,no vids etc


shame about not playing the songs while playing games with Last.FM,but still that is still the only feature i am interested to see on my 360

[MaxSteele]

I can understand the reason for Last.fm not working while playing a game.  It's live streaming over the internet and using up resources in the 360.  It's not like having local mp3s or accessing mp3s from a desktop PC.  There's a whole application the 360 has to load up and other data it's keeping track of.

540 points is $6.75.  If they have a good selection of new rentals, the price would normally be $5.00 from a video store, so they're adding on a $1.75 premium for not having to go to the store and having it instantly stream on your 360.  That's not too outrageous for the convenience.

Definitely agree with Twitter.  While that's not how the site originally saw itself, tweets are mainly about links now, which isn't part of the design of the 360.

I'm ok with no links using Facebook.  I mainly want to connect my XBL gamertag to my Facebook account and send achievement updates and such.  I think it will support this at launch.

[Larraque]

I would LOVE a youtube player on my xbox. I wonder if they're working on that.

[metallicorphan]

the Halo waypoint will be in the preview update also

the sign up thing will close tonight,and the first wave emails/updates will be sent out on Friday

[biggercup]

Signed up last week...

I hope, I am one of lucky one to be in first wave.

I would love to try 1080p (even my TV can only do 1080i) and Last.FM feature.

My wife is interested in using Facebook feature. Hope it's not too good  She is already using my XBOX360 for Netflix and it's eating my gaming time. 

[MaxSteele]

Signed up last week...

I hope, I am one of lucky one to be in first wave.

I would love to try 1080p (even my TV can only do 1080i) and Last.FM feature.

My wife is interested in using Facebook feature. Hope it's not too good  She is already using my XBOX360 for Netflix and it's eating my gaming time. 

My wife would love to use the Facebook feature, but we only pay for one XBLive subscription and that account will be tied to my Facebook account.  I'm 90% sure Silver users will not get to attach their Facebook account to their gamertag, and we're not about to pay for another XBLive account just so my wife can have Facebook on the 360.

[disarm]

when i turned on my xbox tonight, i received the preview update and have been playing around with it a little...seems pretty nice so far.  the last.fm functionality is very well done...makes it easy to access an incredible amount of music very quickly, the audio quality is pretty good, and the band photos while music is playing are a nice touch.  while it would be nice to listen to last.fm while doing other things on the 360, i can understand the performance concerns if it were available in-game.  i've become a big fan of both last.fm and Pandora, so i can definitely see myself making use of this feature when i'm in the mood for some music around the house.

i also dug around in the Zune Marketplace a bit, but it's hard to get an idea of the full functionality without spending any money to purchase content.  i did watch a number of previews that streamed quickly and smoothly in HD with surround sound...very surprised that i could stream an HD movie trailer with 5.1 audio almost instantly.  the lack of surround sound in streaming movies has been the major reason i've stayed away from Netflix and favor renting Bluray or DVD, but MS may well swing me toward their service if i can get quality HD video with 5.1 audio at the touch of a button.  the thought of finally breaking away from stereo-only streaming is pretty exciting.

Facebook intergration...works well, but i really don't see it as something i have much interest in doing on my xbox.  while i do use Facebook a little, i don't participate actively enough to really care about this feature.  i usually have my laptop just a few steps from the couch, so i can just hop online that way if i really want to access Facebook, and doing that doesn't lock me into a single-purpose app on the console that keeps me from accessing other features at the same time.  i guess people that are more addicted to Facebook might find it interesting, but it's just not that useful to me.

overall, it's an interesting set of new features and they all do seem to work well.  the additions may not be of interest to everyone, but i think those who care to use them should be pleased with the implementation.  i'm still more interested in using my xbox to play games more than anything else...maybe that's just me though...

[metallicorphan]

i just got my email saying i will get the update,so in a hour or two when i go on i will have a mess about

i made an account on Last.FM a few days ago for when it comes to the 360 and i have been messing about on there,it isn't bad

[Laner]

Played around with it for a few minutes.  The apps themselves are nice, but I don't like how they're placed in the overall structure of the dashboard.  They really need to offer some more customization options so users quickly get to the stuff they're interested in, and remove all the rest (Spotlight, I'm looking at you)

[CeeKay]

they should make it like a Windows desktop, with icons for all the choices that you can navigate to with the thumbstick, click on, and then you're where you want to be.  get rid of this scrolling crap.

[biggercup]

Tried it this morning for a few minutes.

I was very surprise with Last.FM with amount of songs they had and artist photos and info is also nice touch.
They even have latest Korean Pop that my wife is into...

Since, I do not use Facebook, I have to wait till tonight to use my wife's Facebook account.

I did not had time to try out the Zune Marketplace but looks like they have less movies than Movie Marketplace.. or is it just me?

[metallicorphan]

well as said i got the email..that was at 430am....it is now 930pm and still not had the actual update,lots of people in the same boat as me...says if still the same by Tuesday to let them know

[metallicorphan]

okay if anyone can tell me the basics of how Twitter works i would appreciate it,as right now i haven't got a froggin' clue

i made up an account,i follow a few others(mainly 360 related...Bioware,Major Nelson etc)...when i post on other topics,i don't see my message,is that normal?(there was one topic i found called oneletteroffmovies,where you post a movie with one letter off that says something different..for example i posted Planet of the Ales..instead of Planet of the apes-one letter off..you see)..but my message never appeared,does it just appear for whoever's twitter that is,even though i can see lots of other peoples twitter responses on there?

and also,everything i write on the twitter,does that appear for people i am following,or do people have to be following me for it to appear on their twitter?

thx

[disarm]

i came across an annoyance with last.fm yesterday that i hope they'll reconsider and fix in the near future.  i was using last.fm for music while i did some work around home for several hours yesterday.  while i've used it some in the past, i never listened long enough before to discover the 60-minute time limit before your music is interrupted.  once you've been listening for an hour, the music is stopped and a message pops up asking if you would like to continue listening.  it's not hard to answer 'yes' and keep listening, but it is annoying that the message will interrupt the middle of a song, and when you choose to continue it plays an ad before starting a new song.  it's just a little thing, but it would be nice if they make it resume your current song when you choose to keep listening...sucks to be rocking out to a great song, have it stop in the middle, hear an ad, then move on to something else.

apparently you can increase the time-out limit to six hours by paying a $3/month subscription fee, but i just don't see that as worthwhile considering that most of the other benefits you get from being a paying user aren't available through the current 360 interface.