Inside Social Games

During E3, Microsoft announced a number of changes that would be coming to Xbox 360, specifically Xbox Live. The thrust was to make the platform more social to make it more than just a service that hosts console games online. The future Live will enable “social entertainment,” complete with streaming movies from Netflix, games on-demand, virtual goods, Facebook, and Twitter.

The latter two, Facebook and Twitter, may be coming along sooner than expected. Rather than come as part of a dashboard update, each social network will be released as separate applications sometime. Microsoft marketing executive James Halton says a lot of the background work for these applications is already done and that the release “will be before Christmas.”

With the inclusion of these apps, Xbox Live could grow significantly as a social platform. As was learned at E3, Facebook connections will allow players to link to GamerTags, post screenshots, and display achievements within their user feed. Similar features will likely come with the Twitter integration as well. The combined addition of these popular sites will add significant depth and usage for Live and its social endeavors.

But will the traditional elements of Facebook or Twitter translate into the console market? By “traditional,” we’re referring to status updates and tweeting. Generally speaking, users detest typing on consoles. Without the dozens of keys that come on a standard computer keyboard, it’s hard for the average person to type anything quickly.

The upcoming addition of Project Natal could possibly mitigate the issue with its motion-based interface. Using a sensor-based camera, Natal can track full body gestures, depth, and even voice. To that end, interaction with Live could become an incredibly immersive, sci-fi experience.

The future of Xbox Live could be something completely different than anything we’ve seen to date. However, we will only be seeing the changes leading up to the full concept bit-by-bit (until Project Natal is ready for the public). Nonetheless, the additions of Twitter and Facebook will certainly do wonders for the platform.