Major Nelson just informed us that the always anticipated Fall Dashboard Update will be arriving next week on December 4 (just in time for Xbox Originals, what a co-inky-dink). Far more interesting than the revelation of the actual release date is the newly revealed Friends of Friends feature. With this new feature, players can browse the Friends list of anyone on their own Friends list. You can see if you have friends in common, send messages, send game invites, and even add Friends directly from another friend's list. Even better, the feature is available both on the Xbox 360 and Xbox.com.No doubt you've heard your friends talk about the great time they had with someone else, or perhaps you've heard podcasters like us telling tales of great gaming sessions. Removing the hassle of looking up a gamertag -- which includes the pitfalls of proper spelling and remembering where the spaces are -- is definitely welcome.
So, starting December 4, you'll find a new "Friends" option on the Dashboard and Xbox.com. From this option players can choose to have their friends list open to everyone, friends only, or blocked from prying eyes entirely. We should probably note that the "Everyone" option is only available to gamers eighteen and older. Those thirteen and over are stuck with "Friends Only" or "Blocked," while those under 13-years-old will be defaulted to "Blocked" though the "Friends Only" option is available.
If you'd like to change your setting now, you may do so at the Friends of Friends page on Xbox.com
