The recent Xbox LIVE update, which allows Gold Members to access Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and Zune. For most gamers, it's probably not anything to get excited over. Some people may like it, but this had me thinking.

A few months ago, I was trying to figure out why Xbox 360 is the only current gen console that doesn't support an internet browser (you can access 3rd party internet without sound through the PC link feature, but that doesn't exactly cut it) I had responses anywhere from "in order to avoid piracy" to "illegal mods" to "Microsoft doesn't want people to think the Xbox is a PC".

What if this is why they won't support an internet browser? Just about everything added as gold exclusives in the new update can be accessed for free via internet browser. Perhaps Microsoft's reason for denying Xbox 360 users internet is to make Gold more desirable with tiny web fragments.

What do you think? Do you enjoy the new features, are they just wasting memory, or is there something shady about them?

...I don't think it works like that in their minds, it makes absolutely no sense. It's just a neat little, optional addition that is either useful to you or not worth mentioning. It doesn't do anything for people who don't want it and it's not forced on them either, so eh.. whatever way it goes doesn't really matter to me.

I personally tried the Facebook addition.. it's exactly what it says it is. I personally use last.fm but don't link up with my computer enough to want to use it really, or use the internet radio features of it. The other two just don't interest me.

As far as your idea goes, back to that, no... I don't think they're trying to make Gold look amazing to people by doing this. I think they just made some partnerships with the services listed and brought them over as a way to promote this.

I once used a browser on the Xbox, It was terribly slow and badly designed though. Just search on google like I did.

As for the new update, I havn't tried it yet because my little brother lost our Xbox hard drive about a month ago and hasn't found it (hasn't actually bothered looking cos he's a twat) But it sounds useful enough.

I don't use these new features since those websites all suck ass, but when I tried to, my god was it slow as hell. It too about 1 minute to get the menu started up... 1 minute to log in... 1-2 minuts to type a message (depending or not you have that useless toy that snaps on the bottom of the controller like a mini keyboard) ... then 1 minute for it to post. Well, that was my experience, of course you guys could have diffrent.

I don't care about these add-ons and I won't use them.

I used the new features, and they're all executed well. Prefer Pandora, but Last.fm isn't bad and speed/buffering hasn't been an issue. The Facebook and Twitter applications work well, though don't see a time I'd really ever need or have any sort of desire to use them while on my 360. Think you'd probably want a messenger keypad so you're not going letter by letter with the d-pad.

Best thing for me is still the Netflix streaming, but it's nice that 360 continues to put efforts into making their console a true entertainment center while still executing great games.

It came out? Oh cool now I need Facebook to get the full experience

I've been using the twitter and facebook add ons on my 360 and so far I've loving it

Never used Twitter.

Self indulgent ego stroking crap.

Here's what I think of each new app-

facebook- Don't have it so IDC!

twitter-Also don't have it!

last.fm- It's that the same thing as blip.fm? If so pointless!

zune-HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAH who uses a zune?

Logically, if they were just trying to withold Internet to make Gold accounts better, why not just make the web-browser a gold feature?

I never used any of them, supposedly last.fm is good for just relaxing to music to, put ive got my computer for that.

I don't have a 360 yet but those features are pretty ok, if I can access and listen to Last.fm while playing then it will make me happy.

As for the second part of the OT, I don't really have any thoughts on that.

I just see them as bonus content - if you enjoy them, great, but they're not why you likely showed up in the first place. I think the intent of them is to make Xbox Live a bit more appealing for people who aren't necessarily gung-ho gamers.

For Facebook it's ok I guess, but I have only used it once. For Twitter it's almost completely pointless because you can't click any links.

The Zune video store and Last.fm aren't available in my country so I don't know anything about them.

Don't use any of the new features, so I don't care none. If I want an internet browser, I can jump the few feet to my computer.

Xbox 360 is basicly a PC, so is the PS3. Intel processors ect...

But I have my pc and when it crashed I had the net with my ps3. The thing is, the more access you give people to the net the more they will do things greedy heartless corps will call illegal and profit hurting.

Like down loading a 20 year old NES game, playing it for 45 seconds and realizing why you never played that game again, equals piracy (for a game they wish to die and vanish never to be seen again and no one made profit off of in years) and you will play free games and not buy the new ones. As well microsoft has to have total control of you and your system to be at ease. Cause if they could charge you 5 bucks for the 20 year old game, damn well right they will.

Why I never seen myself as a fan boy. Fan boys care about platforms and specs and all. I just see Sony as less of a big brother than microsoft.

But as for features and my ps3.... those aren't features...it's just access to the normal internet. Taking away something and making me pay for it when it should be normal access is not a feature.

So far I've only used facebook and I think it's kinda cool. comes in handy when you want to see who has live on your friends list that you forgot to ask.

Because an Xbox is for video games. This stuff is just for appeal.

I spend enough time on Facebook as is

Well I can ignore facebook and twitter, Zune is OK I suppose, and Last.FM is awesome.

I have found much more pirate metal. Yarrr.

I love Last.fm for 360. My TV speakers are much nicer than my computer speakers, so it really makes it worth my time.

Lukeydoodly:
Well I can ignore facebook and twitter, Zune is OK I suppose, and Last.FM is awesome.

I have found much more pirate metal. Yarrr.

There's more?! You'd better not be joking.

Microsoft never liked the web from the start. They always wanted people to pay to use Microsoft software to look at Microsoft approved content. That so many people will put up with Live is like a dream come true for them.

Last.fm would be better if you could continue to stream music whilst gaming. Since my PC died I've been sorely missing my music collection.

The Facebook app is okay I suppose, but could do with some major work. [Unable to read the comments people left on my status, I could only post a new status, not browse my current one]

Twitter and Zune I don't use.

I am indifferent, I can't use them. I have a child account, and I am only 17. It is rare I actually tell the truth about my age...

...I told the truth here mods.

Well, I couldn't care less. The Zune Feature was the only thing that really made me give two shits, but other than that.... Nope. All what it's doing is trying to make XBL Gold look a hell of a lot better, and trying to make people ignore the fact that it's THE ONLY FUCKING SERVICE WHERE YOU HAVE TO PAY MONEY JUST TO PLAY ONLINE.

Couldn't really care less about it as my computer is next to my Xbox, but i'll at least give them a try, once I get on XBL again.

This is why the 360 sucks. You have to pay for fucking everything. You want salt on your fries? That's $49.99 please.

miracleofsound:
Never used Twitter.

Self indulgent ego stroking crap.

Theory: they're trying to lure the FPS douchebags and the under-thirten crowd away from the actual games they play, giving them a void to shout all the racist/bigoted/hateful bile into instead of the XBL Mic. In the process, they tag the accounts and only allow those idiots to play against each other in matchmaking.

To anyone who's complaining about the "pay-service:" Last I heard, maintaining the XBL service requires people who like to get paid (as well as licencing fees, use of trademarks fees, contract payments, communcation costs, etc.). Instead of, say, jacking up the price of the base console by $100, they instituted a system where only those who actually want to play games online/use certain programs have to pay and everyone else doesn't, which sounds fair to me. You don't want it, you don't have to get it. That money also helps pay for the repair services, where they pay for the UPS shipping, the general repairs and the manpower needed to do that, and everything in between.

So what if it's a pay-service? I'm fine with that and, in my opinion, it's the "we want it cheep/free" crowd that have tanked the US's industrial economy. Nothing is free in this world, so get over it.

But I digress...

I use the Netflix feature a lot. Seeing as I'm quite satisfied with that, I can see why they would try to expand to other similar sites. Now if only the NBC News programing could be seen in its entirety as a single video and at full screen (not that bloody box).

I could care less about Facebook on my XBox, since my computer is right in front of me when I'm gaming. Same with last.fm, if I cared to just listen to music and not actually game.

However, switching the video marketplace to Zune has the nice benefit of actually streaming videos to watch, rather than download them, watch, delete.

So Microsoft decides to do something nice and add something for no charge to add more content to gold live and you are attacking them? They are giving it out for free since they aren't charging more for gold, be happy.

I find it all completely pointless (though I do sometimes enjoy Last.fm).
Seriously, you have internet, you most likely have a computer that has the internet connected to it, why make everything slower by using it on the Xbox 360?

It's free so I don't really mind it, but I just find it to be useless.

The facebook is useless, you can look at photos and you can update your status but it doesn't show your notifications so you don't know when people are commenting on your stuff. I don't use twitter so that's not relevant and the new zune video thing is just the old video marketplace but with all the gaming videos taken out so you can't find them. My internet connection isn't good enough to stream any videos so whilst that might be good, you seem to need the world's fastest broadband in order to make use of it which most people won't have. Last.fm is my favourite of the new features, I don't have any complaints there. Overall, it's all fairly useless to me but it's free so who gives a flying fuck?