360's Facebook and Twitter only for Gold members [UPDATE]
Thursday, 27 Aug 2009 11:44
Twitter
Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360's Facebook and Twitter integration will only be available to Gold members.
Hidden in the depths of Microsoft's announcement of an
Xbox 360 Elite price cut, we've found some news that we weren't quite expecting.
Although the
company revealed that access to Last-fm would require a Gold Xbox LIVE membership, there was no mention of the free Facebook and Twitter services.
However, it now looks like you'll also have to be a paying subscriber for these two social networking websites:
"Xbox LIVE Gold Membership will be required for Twitter and Facebook when they are available, and is required for Netflix. Games, media content and Netflix membership are sold separately; a hard drive is required for storage," Microsoft's press release reads.
The social networking additions will arrive this autumn, and though their integration into the Xbox 360's dashboard is impressive, should free websites be limited to paying subscribers?
[UPDATE] - A Microsoft spokesperson has
told MCV that the paragraph concerning Twitter and Facebook is "incorrect," since the company is still formulating their plans for the console's social network integration.
[UPDATE] It has been confirmed that Twitter and Facebook will only be available to Silver members for a
free trial period.