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| Xbox LIVE Update Preview (October 2009); Preview of Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm... | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 25 2009, 04:55 AM (209 Views) | |
| Darth Pinhead | Oct 25 2009, 04:55 AM Post #1 |
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Well... the Xbox LIVE Update Preview for October 2009 just rolled out a couple of days ago. I'm not one of those types who do any "twittering" and I've not used Facebook, either... but I signed-up for both services the day I put in to participate in the Preview. I still haven't used either of these services yet... but from what I've learned about Facebook, I'll probably see about using that one in the near future. Twitter I know about, and though I still the think the whole concept is silly... I will look into that to see if it merits any use by me. Now I'll get into the one service I "almost" didn't download the app for: Last.fm. I downloaded the apps for the other two, because you can't use them on the 360 without them - duh! I had never heard of Last.fm before, but I figured since it's free... I'll take a look. Last.fm ROCKS! It is a music streaming service, that is so vast... you can't begin to imagine how awesome it is. Once you setup your "free" account (this can be done from the 360 dashboard, as well as a computer connected to the Internet), you can get started. There are several ways to choose what you want to listen to: genre, artist, era and other ways you wouldn't think of. When I logged-on Friday night to play some games, I was informed of an update... which after some thought, I realized I must have made it into the preview. After I browsed through the new additions to the dashboard and downloading the aforementioned apps, I spent the next 2 or 3 hours listening to Last.fm! I was so mesmerized by the diverse selection of music, I couldn't get enough!! It's like listening to the radio, but with more control over what you actually get to hear. I was told by a friend that you can customize it to play exactly the songs you want played. I haven't figured that one out yet, but it's pretty good, what I've figured out so far. The "Zune Marketplace" is another new feature, which amounts to a new shopping venue. The content here is fully compatible with Zune players that are capable of playing video (I don't know if this is ONLY the new Zune HD players, or any of the older ones - I'll let someone else elaborate on that). Obviously, these same videos will play on the XBOX 360, too! I'd have to say that these new features will be well-liked by many users, even though I've only really used the one (Last.fm). You MUST have a Gold Membership, in good standing, to use these new features. Some "silver" members may balk at that, but let's be honest... electricity isn't free, and neither is high-speed Internet, so with that in mind... $4.17 a month (for a 12-month Gold Membership) is small potatoes! I think this is a great update to the 360 dashboard. Now... if they'll just finish making some more of those Original XBOX games compatible, I'll REALLY be happy! |
My gamercard below links to xbox.com, so if you are logged-in to their web site, you can view my Xbox Profile... as well as my played games! Neat trick, huh?!!
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| SpartanZypher | Oct 26 2009, 09:43 PM Post #2 |
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Thanks for the post, Pinhead. I was going to create one myself, but I've been sick for the past week, so I never felt like doing it. The key thing to let people know is that these new features are Apps ran from the Dashboard. They are not fully integrated services. So you won't be receiving Twitter and Facebook updates while playing a game, nor can you check them from within a game. But I will agree that Last.fm is a great little service/app. I've found myself using it at least a hour a day. It's also something I hope they integrate into the service, so it can be used while playing games. The only hurdle for that is bandwidth, since Last.fm seems to stream very high quality audio. This new update might not be interesting to some, especially those outside the United States, since some services won't be available to them. But for those who can access it, I think it's a great step towards forming a larger and more connected community. |
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| saucey feet | Oct 27 2009, 07:02 PM Post #3 |
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I can't believe you just found out about the awesomeness that is Last.fm!!! I've been using it for years now! It's how I find all my music lol. It's sad that it's not fully integrated, I would love to stream music from last.fm while playing Forza 3. Also, you can check out pandora.com. It's similar to last.fm in that it finds music similar to what you like, but it's... different. It's more like a radio that is suited to your tastes. Try it if you get the time. |
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| SpartanSinister | Oct 27 2009, 08:15 PM Post #4 |
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I used Pandora for a while, but it kept playing music that I already have on my computer. I just stream music off my computer so radio streams aren't very useful to me. As for Facebook and Twitter, that's cool I suppose. It seems a lot more practical to just get on your computer to check those things since it is a gaming console. Looks like 360 is taking a step towards the PS3, and a step back since Microsoft said not to expect blu-ray on Xbox. |
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| SpartanZypher | Oct 27 2009, 09:55 PM Post #5 |
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Microsoft isn't really taking a step-back by not putting out a Blu-Ray player for the 360, they believe the future is in Digital Downloads. Why spend $150 on a player, when you can get the same content through download, and for less money? And I don't really consider adding these new features as a step towards the PS3. These are stand-alone, custom apps, not a browser, like the PS3 uses. Microsoft will never put a browser on the 360, so custom apps is the only way you'll see other services. But yes, Facebook is still more practical on the PC, but it's nice that it's there. Twitter I don't care for, so I don't care about it. |
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| Darth Pinhead | Oct 27 2009, 11:00 PM Post #6 |
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I haven't used Twitter or Facebook, although I did sign-up for both. I may use Facebook, as I can see the logical use behind that, but Twitter... I don't think people need to know what I'm doing every 10 minutes. I just didn't want to sign-up too late for an account, and have to use a screen name like, "Darth Pinhead 007" or something similar tagged-on, for any of the services - including, but not limited to, Last.fm. The only mistake I think MS made (or is "making"), is to not have a high-capacity optical drive in the console, for future games that could have more content (like "Lost Odyssey") on a single disc. Whether they had started making 360 consoles with an HD-DVD drive in them - if only for the high-capacity (and HD-DVD movie playback), or to add a Blu-ray drive for the same reason, would have been a good idea. That... and a console that doesn't keep needing repairs every few months! Oh... I am in agreement with the idea of Last.fm running natively, as opposed to the app it runs from: It would be nice to have music streaming from the service while I play games (that it wouldn't distract me from)!! However... the bandwidth would probably be an issue. It could work, as long as you were playing a single-player game/mode. Edited by Darth Pinhead, Oct 27 2009, 11:14 PM.
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My gamercard below links to xbox.com, so if you are logged-in to their web site, you can view my Xbox Profile... as well as my played games! Neat trick, huh?!!
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| SpartanSinister | Oct 27 2009, 11:45 PM Post #7 |
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I said they were taking a step back from the PS3. I agree that digital downloads is a good idea especially since I rarely buy CDs or anything like that. And that's why I said 360 has taken a step towards PS3 with the Facebook and Twitter thing because it is stand alone. I would say they copied them had they put in a browser which I don't see happening. |
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| SpartanZypher | Oct 28 2009, 05:46 AM Post #8 |
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Wouldn't a better term be "taken a step ahead"? Saying taking a step back usually means going backward in time. And taken a step towards something means becoming more similar to said object. At least that's what my understanding of those terms has been. |
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| SpartanSinister | Oct 28 2009, 12:26 PM Post #9 |
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When I say taken a step back from PS3, I mean taken a step back from being similar to it. If you want to get specific about the definitions "back" and "away" and "toward" and "forward" then I'll rephrase by saying 360 as taken a step away from PS3 by not using Bluray, not that any of this is even relevant because my point remains the same. |
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| Darth Pinhead | Oct 31 2009, 05:10 AM Post #10 |
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We should probably try to keep this thread on-topic, instead of debating features (or the lack of them) on the 360. With that... I'd like to mention that "Halo: Waypoint" (beta) is available NOW... for those included in the Preview program. This is another app to download, that loads like an XBOX Live Arcade game (it even shows-up in your game history - with 0 of 0 Achievements). It's very extensive, as far as the details it gives on your progress through the different Halo games for the 360. In addition to that, there's news and info about everything Halo. Halo: Waypoint is FREE, and will be available for everyone on Nov. 5th! Even if you're just a casual Halo gamer, it's worth a look. |
My gamercard below links to xbox.com, so if you are logged-in to their web site, you can view my Xbox Profile... as well as my played games! Neat trick, huh?!!
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| SpartanZypher | Oct 31 2009, 06:40 AM Post #11 |
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Yeah, sorry about that, sometimes misunderstandings happen, lol. But yes, Halo Waypoint is a neat little app that lets you explore all your Halo game Achievements, and awards you with medals, which are used to unlock Avatar Awards. Which if you haven't noticed, Darth Pinhead and myself are both rocking the ODST Armor. Sweet. |
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