Xbox 'Collectives' update arrives

Microsoft has finally launched its eagerly awaited 'collectives' update for the Xbox 360, bringing Twitter, Facebook, Zune Movies and Last.fm to the games console.

The new features were first announced back at E3, although they were overshadowed rather by the unveiling of Project Natal.

But this represents a key milestone for Xbox, bringing two of the biggest names in social networking to its burgeoning Live service.

The Zune movie streaming service is also likely to be a popular addition to Xbox, along with the ability to Tweet and browse Facebook, or listen to Last.fm.

Deliver on promises

"I think this sees us deliver on our promise to broaden the appeal of the Xbox," Head of UK Xbox Neil Thompson told TechRadar at a launch event headlined by Taio Cruz and Paloma Faith.

Problems plagued the launch of the Sky Player over Xbox last month, with the sheer scale of people trying use the service overwhelming servers, but Thompson insists that this will not happen with the latest update.

"I can't envision the same problems happening again," he stated.

Currently the services run in isolation - so you cannot listen to Last.fm while browsing Facebook or updating Twitter for instance - but Thompson insists that the service will "evolve over time," adding that he wasn't announcing anything quite yet.

"We're focused on getting quality applications or services onto the platform before we look at integration into things like games."

Last.fm

One of the services that is set to benefit from integration into the Xbox experience is Last.fm with a spokesman telling TechRadar that the company was delighted to have formed a partnership with the gaming giant.

"Tapping into the Xbox community is great for us, and hopefully can add to our 35 million users," he said.

The new functionality will roll out at some point during the 17th, although Microsoft did not have an exact time to hand - but TechRadar will, of course, update you when the update arrives.