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Xbox.com Adding More Social Functionality To Prep For 360 Update

by Jeff Cork on Nov 09, 2011 at 02:52 AM

Xbox 360 owners will be able to get a taste of what's coming to the latest dashboard update in a few days, via the newly redesigned Xbox.com. While the added features won't be hitting the console quite yet, it'll be a decent way to test out some of the enhanced social functionality while players wait for the fall update.

The biggest change is that players will be able to set beacons for games. Say you're interested in playing some Forza after work, as shown in the picture below. Rather than send out invites to everyone on your friends list, you can flag the game, add a optional message, and hop back online when you're ready to play. Meanwhile, your friends who own the game will get an alert saying that you'd like to hit the track. For now, you'll have to check out Xbox.com or use a Windows Phone to get alerts, but they'll pop up on your console when the fall update is available.

The overall interface is getting retooled to match the new Kinect-friendly tile design, which Microsoft is dubbing Metro. Even if you don't plan on navigating your system with Kinect, the UI looks much cleaner than before.

Check out Xbox.com for complete details on both the upcoming site relaunch and what's ahead for the Xbox 360.