Xbox Live update prepares for Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm

Last month, Microsoft rolled out a significant portion of the new features coming to Xbox Live that were announced during the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo. In addition to tweaks made to the console's Netflix movie-streaming service, August's update introduced the Avatar Marketplace and the new Games on Demand service, which offers a variety of full Xbox 360 catalog titles for download.

Today, Microsoft again updated its console, though the firmware tweaks provided no new features for Xbox Live gamers. The good news, wrote Microsoft director of programming for Xbox Live Larry Hryb on his official blog, is that today's update does cement the underlying infrastructure for many of the social-networking capabilities coming to the game service, including Facebook, Twitter, and GameSpot sister site Last.fm.

As detailed during the publisher's E3 2009 press conference, Twitter integration will allow gamers to post tweets through Xbox Live but outside of actual games. With the Facebook hookup, Xbox Live gamers can sync their gamertags with their social-networking accounts, as well as share photos and in-game screenshots. Friend updates will also be viewable through the Xbox Live dashboard. Last.fm will be free of charge to Xbox Live Gold subscribers and will operate in a way that's similar to Netflix streaming, with a dedicated menu box on the console's dashboard.

Microsoft has previously stated that all three services would be available on Xbox Live later this year, and the publisher did not narrow down that time frame today. A number of other Xbox Live features are also planned for release in the coming months, including Zune video downloads and 1080p video playback. Of the latter, Microsoft this week confirmed that a new 802.11n wireless adapter that accommodates high-definition video transmission is also in production.