The idea of a all-in-one set top box has been around for a very long time now, and at one point, it is seen as the future – a single box which sits on your TV rack, and all you need is one remote. In one click, you can watch TV, play games, watch DVDs, record shows, serve the net, listen to radio… the list goes on.
The Xbox 360 has been credited with trying to expand itself to become one of those. Last year, netflix was introduced, allowing subscribers to watch movies on demand in high definition on their television, at $17 a month($8.99 for Netflix and $7.99 for a Xbox Live Gold membership).
This year, they are releasing programs for Facebook, Twitter, and LastFM.
Sure, I would love to have extra programs for my xbox, but I am not so sure about facebook and twitter.
Here is why:
The concept of  game updates from a game console is great- IT savvy gamers using Twitter as they game- the Xbox may even tweet for you. However, a program tweeting for you have been done before. In fact, gamerDNA and Raptr has been offering the service for quite long now- I personally use raptr, which tweets when I play a game, unlocks achievements, and gives me daily recaps of what I played. I amplified the updates to facebook too, but my friends are pretty pissed at me for spamming their news feeds. Ever since, I stopped the auto-updates. All it does is summarize what I been playing every day now.
That is one of the “features” in the Xbox Facebook. It has been tried before – A game called Uncharted 2 which was just released has auto tweets integrated into the game- causing some people’s feeds to be filled up with game updates, causing a uproar- and developer Naughty Dog patched it quickly.
The other feature is to be able to see your friend’s gamertags below their actual name. But really, if you are a friend with that person, won’t you already had played with him? Why do we need to see a list of “friends on Xbox Live and Facebook”?
Most importantly, the apps will not be there. Microsoft, just give us a web browser… Its hard enough to type on the on screen keyboard, and you want me to type 140 characters when I can pick up my iPod Touch (or even better, Macbook) sitting 5 inches away from my Xbox and do it in a faction of the time needed on the Xbox. All your competitors already has a internet browser- and even has free wifi implanted in them. Do I need to pay a $100 fee for the stupid internet adapter (EXCLUSIVE TO THE XBOX 360!) when I can get one for $20 online?
I guess we have to see how it does on nov 11 (if you are in the UK)
Heres a video of the features coming: