Microsoft is making Windows Live Messenger available to Xbox 360 ...
Microsoft is making Windows Live Messenger available to Xbox 360 users, enabling them to instant message (IM) via TVs, in another move by Microsoft to link its console gaming and Windows services. Windows Live Messenger now has “more than…
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260 million active accounts,” Microsoft said. The Xbox 360 Spring Update debuting the week of May 7 will give Xbox 360 owners worldwide with access to Windows Live Messenger features, “broadening the communication options on the Xbox Live social network,” it said. The Xbox Live online gaming community’s 6 million or so members send 2 million-plus text and voice messages daily, Microsoft said. Now members can use Windows Live Messenger to text chat with up to 6 people on their contact lists at a time, while playing games, listening to music or watching movies, the company said. But current relationships on Windows Live Messenger and Xbox Live will be unified on Xbox 360 and users “will see at a glance if their existing friends on Windows Live Messenger have gamertags,” it said. Bringing Windows Live Messenger -- “the largest IM community in the world” -- to Xbox 360 “makes sense” because Xbox Live “has really become the largest social network” on TV, Microsoft claimed. Starting the week of May 7, users of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360 will be able to text chat using a virtual keyboard accessible on Xbox 360 or by linking a USB keyboard to the console. This summer Microsoft will launch a QWERTY text-input device, a new accessory it said will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging. The spring 360 update also will provide “a richer achievement notification pop-up” showcasing the name of the unlocked achievement and the gamerscore value so users don’t have to leave a game to check the achievements list, family settings features enabling different defaults for video chat and voice chat and updates letting owners see quickly which Xbox Live Arcade games friends are playing so they can join them. A new option in Auto Downloads will offer faster access to all free, trial-version Xbox Live Arcade games, Microsoft said. New progressive download controls will mean “easy access to optimal viewing options by letting people fast forward, rewind, pause and resume as their video is downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace,” it said. An extension of the background download functionality will enable console owners to set Xbox 360 consoles to turn off automatically once downloads finish. The update, to be provided at no charge, can be downloaded through Xbox Live or at Xbox.com.