Xbox 360 Goes Social and Says Phooey To Controller
Microsoft had the honor of the first major keynote at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles Monday, and got the much-anticipated conference off to a rousing start. The Redmond-based software giant introduced a number of new innovative features for its high-end gaming console, the Xbox 360, including social-networking features, a controllerless system for interacting with games, and 10 new titles.
“Today with cultural visionaries at our side and controller-free gaming on our horizon, Xbox 360 authored a new page in home entertainment history,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft. “For us, this E3 is about breaking down barriers — between generations, between games and entertainment, and, most important, between video-game players and everyone else — in a way that only Xbox 360 can.”
Tweet Hot Lead, Alien Scum!
Already widely (and somewhat unfairly) mocked for its use as a diary of the banal, the micro-blog site Twitter is on the verge of being invaded by Xbox 360 high scores, running battle updates, and Easter egg tips. Microsoft said Monday that users will be able to post directly to the service from the Xbox 360 Live Dashboard.
Twitter isn’t the only social-networking service to come on board. In addition, the Xbox 360 will take advantage of the Facebook Connect service to allow gamers to link Xbox Live Friends with Facebook Friends, and to post updates to that service as well. Beginning with an upcoming edition of the golf game Tiger Woods, for instance, users will be able to share their favorite video-game screenshots with their online buddies.
Finally, Microsoft said, the Xbox 360 is getting music capability through a new partnership with Live.fm, an Internet radio provider. The service will be automatically available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers at the end of the year.
One existing partnership — with…
Related posts: