Xbox Live

Today is Xbox Live’s birthday! That’s right, the service on the Xbox 360 is now 7 years old. The service has gone through many changes, every time re-inventing itself. Next week Xbox Live gets another update where Gold users get access to Facebook, Twitter, and Last.FM. Inside Xbox is getting a makeover and 1 vs 100 is back again!

It’s great to see the Xbox Live team always pushing itself to improve. Being the most used online service they definitely could turn their focus on other things. But they constantly challenge themselves to make the service even better.

Thank you to everyone that has worked on Xbox Live for creating a service that really brings community on the 360 together. In honor of the birthday, comment below with what you love about Xbox Live!

Here are some pics of the various versions of Xbox Live:

Twitter 360

On November 17, Xbox 360 gamers everywhere will be able to tweet from their Xbox. Yes, the service we are all addicted to is now coming to the Xbox and will be available to all Xbox gamers not just those in the preview program.

Major Nelson just released the information in his blog that the next update will contain Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and Zune video and will be available to all Xbox LIVE members launch Nov. 17.

I’ve tried Facebook and Twitter while participating in the preview and honestly didn’t care for it. I think Last.fm and Zune video may be the most useful to gamers. If you are going to use Facebook and Twitter, you may want to invest in a chat pad.

UPDATE: We have some new information about the update.
Zune video will offer instant HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. Last.fm includes “Gamer Stations”. Wonder how we can get on that.

“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.”

News & More is also debuting with the update. It will be a full media portal taking over the Inside Xbox channel.

On the 17, log onto Xbox Live and the update will start. Silver members can enjoy the latest Gold features for free starting November 20 until November 23.

Twitter 360

Major Nelson has confirmed that the Xbox 360′s firmware will be upgraded today to prep for the addition of Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm functionality.

“Sometime over the next few hours when you sign in to Xbox LIVE you’ll receive a prompt to accept this mandatory update,” said the exec.

“If you are signed into LIVE already, you may be signed out and asked to accept the update and you’ll be back online in a few moments.”

There were some touch and go moments but everything seems to be smoothed over.

Twitter 360

Microsoft cleared up all the questions yesterday about whether or not Facebook and Twitter would be available only to Gold members. To me this is a pretty obvious question since Microsoft would want everyone to ideally be a Gold member but since you all love official statements here it is:

Facebook and Twitter on Xbox LIVE will be free to Gold members, with a free trial period also available for Silver members. Facebook and Twitter on Xbox LIVE will offer a truly one-of-a-kind social experience, completely optimized for the TV and seamlessly integrated onto your console. Add to that exclusive access to Last.fm, Netflix instant streaming, demos, trailers and discounts, plus the best multiplayer gaming network on the planet, and we’re confident Xbox LIVE Gold memberships is hands-down the best value in home entertainment. We’re committed to adding new features and value for our Gold members, and will continue to do so.

Silver members will get to use Facebook and Twitter but only for a trial period. The time is probably a researched number that is the exact amount of time you need to get hooked on the service.

From the Last.fm blog:

As of today, you can play full-length tracks and entire albums for free on the Last.fm website.

Something we’ve wanted for years, for people who visit Last.fm to be able to play any track for free is now possible. With the support of the folks behind EMI, Sony BMG, Universal and Warner and the artists they work with, plus thousands of independent artists and labels, we’ve made the biggest legal collection of music available to play online for free, the way we believe it should be.

Full-length tracks are now available in the US, UK, and Germany, and we’re hard at work broadening our coverage into other countries. During this initial public beta period, each track can be played up to 3 times for free before a notice appears telling you about our upcoming subscription service. The soon-to-be announced subscription service will give you unlimited plays and some other useful things. We’re also working on bringing full-length tracks to the desktop client and beyond.

Free full-length tracks are obviously great news for listeners, but also great for artists and labels, who get paid every time someone streams a song. Music on Last.fm is perpetually monetized. This is good because artists get paid based on how popular a song is with their fans, instead of a fixed amount.

This actually almost makes me wish I was still creating music, and trying to get it out there. They’re doing some new stuff for people that just want to share their music, and making it so you get paid for it too – which is awesome.

I know this isn’t gaming related, but it’s too good not to share with a group full of internet savvy people. Feel free to add me if you sign-up at Last.fm (I’m Cherith there also).

[copied from my personal blog]