Xbox Gaming in South Africa

Facebook and Twitter on my Xbox? It's just what I've always wanted! And by "always wanted", of course, I mean "DO NOT WANT." But who am I to argue with the indubitable authority of market research and the enormous consumer power of tweens.

“We’re delivering some truly exciting social entertainment experiences to our members,” says Xbox LIVE general manager, Marc Whitten. “Xbox LIVE’s differentiator has always been our community, and we’ve already seen a tremendous response to these features in our public preview. It’s the community that drives us forward and allows us to pioneer new ways of connecting people through the entertainment they love.”

This means Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm will be landing onto Xbox 360's all over the planet next week when the dashboard update arrives. Although available to all Xbox owners between 20-23 November, these services will become exclusive to Gold subscribers thereafter. Silver subscriber? You still have to waste your bandwidth and HDD space downloading and installing it all.

• Facebook* – Update your status to share what movie, game or entertainment you’re enjoying, connect with friends and view their Facebook stream, status updates and photos on the big screen – all seamlessly integrated and custom-built for Xbox 360. You can even compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists to see which of your friends are on LIVE.
• Zune – Zune video on Xbox LIVE offers a full fidelity experience with instant on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. No waiting for downloads or buffering, it’s there at the press of a button. You can also share the experience with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen – it puts a whole new spin on “movie night.”
• Twitter*– Stay in the know by discovering, posting and replying to Tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who’s tweeting about your favorite game.
• Last.fm* – Discover more music and explore endless personalized radio stations with Last.fm on Xbox 360. Skip, “ban” or “love” tracks to create your perfect mix—we’ve even built in “Gamer Stations” with game-related types of music selected specifically for the gaming community (Available in the U.S. and UK)

Oh, it's probably also worth mentioning that the "Available in the U.S. and UK" bit isn't just there for fun. Access on the preview program has been IP restricted, and is likely to remain that way.

* Adults only!