360 Twitter/Facebook "before Xmas"

By Ellie Gibson Published 29 July, 2009

Although not as part of a dash update.

Microsoft has said that the Twitter and Facebook applications planned for Xbox 360 will be separate applications rather than part of another broad dashboard update.

Microsoft marketing type James Halton, speaking at an event earlier today, told Eurogamer the company is targeting an "autumn" date for integration of the social networking / tedious showing off sites, but wouldn't narrow it down.

However Halton did go on to say, "It will be before Christmas." He added, "A lot of the background work's been done for a lot of applications that are coming."

We already know they're not in the August dashboard update, which has been extensively detailed and goes live on the 11th.

So there you go. Isn't the future brilliant?

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (42) 4 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • skillian #1 3 years ago

    Gold subscribers only?

  • AaronTurner #2 3 years ago

    They could do with redesigning the layout of Xbox live since the horrible update. I'm sure there are a number of ways they could make it easier and quicker to navigate otherwise all these added extras will just get lost in the endless pages.

  • siwrath #3 3 years ago

    let me be the first to say.

    yey a chance for my friends to see me always on my xbox and what a big geek i am...NOT!!!

  • stevetuck #4 3 years ago

    im fairly sure that most xbox owners have a pc that they can go on twitter with :)

  • MrGilder #5 3 years ago

    What is the point of this... if i want to use Twitter i'll use my PC - 140 characters is rather short, but using the Xbox controller will tage a fraking age!

  • systems #6 3 years ago

    Now ask them about Sky. Looks like it'll be with this update.

  • Dizzy #7 3 years ago

    "im fairly sure that most xbox owners have a pc that they can go on twitter with :) "

    You are missing the point of this.

    FB and Twitter will be integrated with your *games* and avatar. So games could post pictures of stuff that is happening, your new avatar hat ;) or a FB entry of some achievement that you earned or some cool score that you managed to beat. Both services are integrated with the SDK as well.

  • etherfiend #8 3 years ago

    I'm sure at E3 when Felicia Day was doing her presentation thing about it all, the introductory chap told everyone that the twitter/facebook/sky/movie stuff was to be introduced in the 'Fall'.

    I'm looking forward to it, well not facebook - I won't bother with that, but twitter will be interesting. Yes people will have PC's and stuff to use for social networking if they wish to keep them separate. I prefer the fact I won't have to turn on my laptop or PC just to check updates...what a waste of electricity, plus the xbox boots quicker so easier for a 'quick look' before some gaming or a DVD.

  • discobiscuit #9 3 years ago

    If its saying its an application download, this hints that the tweeting won't be very automated, as you will have to open the application

  • kangarootoo #10 3 years ago

    Grrrr. Twitter is pervasive beyond belief. Adding new ways for it to spam others with even more inane and unoriginal updates is hardly news for celebration.


    "So games could post pictures of stuff that is happening, your new avatar hat ;) or a FB entry of some achievement that you earned or some cool score that you managed to beat"

    This is what I mean. Who on earth wants to actually receive updates everytime one of their friends changes their avatar's shoes? I can only thank God this will almost certainly be opt in (just like MSN in the dashboard, which I turned off with a quickness).

  • kangarootoo #11 3 years ago

    @discobiscuit

    Not necessarily. It could just be an app you can choose to have always running in the background.

  • Dizzy #12 3 years ago

    "If its saying its an application download, this hints that the tweeting won't be very automated, as you will have to open the application"

    No that is for the UI. Integration is in the SDK and the Live servers.

    Games could "twit" or post on FB almost automatically (User has to agree ofc), just like a normal FB application would post some info to your main FB page ("XXX has reached level 10" in CoD4 for example, with a screenshot). I guess it is probably better to say that Live is now supported by Twitter and FB instead of the other way around (that would just be like a dumb browser and that is not the case).
    Edited by 6 at 29/07/09 @ 16:30

  • kangarootoo #13 3 years ago

    "has reached level 10 in CoD4 for example, with a screenshot"

    Now a screenshot might be interesting. Something to add uniqueness to the event. Getting an update that someone had reached level ten is boring 'cos everyone reaches level ten eventually. But a unique recording of something the player made their own might have value.

  • El-Dev #14 3 years ago

    "Sitting typing about typing on a computer in work."


    "OMG, look how drunk you are in that photo!!!!"

    Why the hell would anyone want this on their console, I don't even use it on m computer.

  • brof #15 3 years ago

    I want the + - thing for EG articles.... so then let the mob decide which article is good

  • WinterSnowblind #16 3 years ago

    The integration is the interesting part, although I doubt I'll use either of them much myself.
    I'm more excited about Last.fm and Sky. I rarley get time to watch what I want on Sky, so being able to use my 360 would be great... Shame the details are so vague.

  • Toothball #17 3 years ago

    I'm not at all interested in these in the slightest. They can take as long as they like.

  • carlitoswagon #18 3 years ago

    Just a hint of sarcasm creeping in at the end of the article.......

  • dobisskill #19 3 years ago

    Get some more information about Sky, much more interesting than these two.

  • skillian #20 3 years ago

    El-Dev, kangarootoo - if people post spam and boring updates, then you don't follow them. It's very simple.

  • chubster2010 #21 3 years ago

    PS3 Twitter/Facebook "now". To be fair.

  • urban #22 3 years ago

    get a fucking web browser you tink.

  • space_ace #23 3 years ago

    youtube?

  • smelly #24 3 years ago

    I love my xbox.. but this idea is shit

  • mega7ech #25 3 years ago

    Facebook is for people who would get rejected from appearing on big brother - cold white dogshit!

  • comedian #26 3 years ago

    so 1200 points a piece?

  • darc #27 3 years ago

    What's the story with Pandora? I don't much care about twittering on an XBox - does it even support a keyboard?? But streaming music in the most comfortable room in the house? Yes please.

  • wellzy4eva #28 3 years ago

    The xbox360 supports usb keyboards, but I think this is just gonna end up as a load of automated facebook msgs stating every achievement unlocked because most idiots won't know how to configure it properly

  • mattigan #29 3 years ago

    Get a chatpad

  • Doctor_What #30 3 years ago

    I'm damned if I want my 360 spamming my friends with achievements updates that they don't care about. No, I don't think I'll be going in for this when it releases. I hope MS didn't spend too much money on it.

    Anyway, doesn't the PS3 browser work on these sites? I guess it's not 'integrated', but that side of things sounds annoying for my friends anyway.

    Does anyone actually know what the functionality will be of this integration? What is the advantage to doing it on your 360 rather than the laptop?

  • VandelayIndustries #31 3 years ago

    "Anyway, doesn't the PS3 browser work on these sites? I guess it's not 'integrated', but that side of things sounds annoying for my friends anyway."

    So 360 owners could communicate with PS3 owning friends through their respective machines?! :D

  • Dizzy #32 3 years ago

    "I'm damned if I want my 360 spamming my friends with achievements updates that they don't care about"

    You do know that in FB you can just block an app from spamming you? So if your friends are not interested they will block this.

  • frogslegs #33 3 years ago

    remember "to many twits might make a tw*t!"

  • FireMonkey #34 3 years ago

    "im fairly sure that most xbox owners have a pc that they can go on twitter with :)"

    They also have a PC to play games and watch films on, but they still use the 360 for that!

  • ChthonicEcho #35 3 years ago

    @skillian

    There actually are updates that aren't dull? Twitter is essentially a watered down blog for the mentally challenged and those with a short attention span.

  • Quige #36 3 years ago

    Agree with several other posters that I'm more interested in the Sky movies addition ... we can't get Sky 6 months of the year due to hill and trees, so this is the thing that will be most useful to me, and would be great if in time for Christmas.

  • skillian #37 3 years ago

    There actually are updates that aren't dull? Twitter is essentially a watered down blog for the mentally challenged and those with a short attention span.

    Yes, and email is for those too retarded to know how to write a letter, and video games are for those too illiterate to read books,.

  • ChthonicEcho #38 3 years ago

    Yes, and email is for those too retarded to know how to write a letter, and video games are for those too illiterate to read books.

    Quite possibly the most moronic analogies. E-mail does what a letter does, and the main difference between them lies solely in the speed of delivery.

    The juxtaposition of books and video games is simply too stupid to even respond to. Why not compare Twitter to Wikipedia, while we're at it?

  • skillian #39 3 years ago

    You sound like a pretty negative guy. No wonder you feel like there is not a single person on Twitter with anything worthwhile to say.

  • VMerken #40 3 years ago

    Oh God, yes. Just what the doctor ordered.

  • dillonparker30 #41 6 months ago

    Xbox with <a rel="follow" href="http://backg roundlayoutsforfacebook.com">Facebook backgrounds</a> now seeing is believing

  • linkit #42 4 months ago

    I hope they get facebook templates soon.