Xbox Live Beacons and other new social features incoming to Xbox.com

by Mike Schramm on Nov 8th 2011 8:00PM

Microsoft has posted that the Xbox.com website is getting an update "in the coming days" that will remove the "My Xbox" frontpage currently there now, and replace it with a "Social" section to make use of the "Beacons" feature eventually making its way to the console. Beacons are a way to mark which games you're currently playing or want to play, and are supposed to encourage you and your friends to set up times to play together on Xbox Live. Players will be able to set up three Beacons at a time, and add an additional comment as well, like "between 7-9pm PST" or "Horde mode only."

The website update will also make use of the "Metro" setup coming to the console's dashboard, and of course allow for access to the usual Xbox.com actions like redeeming codes, messaging friends and checking out their profiles, or browsing for and purchasing Xbox Live titles.

Officially, the console's Dashboard Update is still scheduled for a "Holiday 2011" release, though previous reports have placed it sometime right around Thanksgiving. With this update coming to the website as soon as next week, however, it's a good bet the console update is also close at hand.

[Thanks, Liam!]

Xbox.com (Social and Video Section Enhancements)

Source: Microsoft

Tags: beacons, console, dashboard-update, friends, kinect, microsoft, social, update, xbl, xbox, xbox-live, xbox-live-beacons

Reader Comments (51)

Too bad xbox.com hasn't worked for a month and a half for me. It always gives me a blank white screen with a. Couple randomly placed lines of text.

@Schlecht

what browser are you using?

@Schlecht
Been working fine for me. Must be your browser?

This is a good change. A little on the social--facebook status--esque feature but more options are welcome.
Love how Xbox.Com is very immersive in connecting with the Console itself. Get to send messages, add points, add friends... pretty much do everything outside of actually playing your video game ^_^

@PedoJokerBear On three computers I've tried Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Same problem on each one. And I'd just use my Android or my iTouch, but every mobile device calls that site a redirect loop so I can't load it there.

@Schlecht
I think xbox.com hates everything that isn't IE. It might like firefight but it does not work with chrome when I try to sign in. Mostly redirect loops for some reason.

@Schlecht I know when they did the last update it required me to install Silverlight to be able to access it.

@Schlecht
Works for me. I'm using Firefox.

@Schlecht

Clear your cache.

@DarkNightRJ

I can use it fine on all three browsers.

@Schlecht It never works for me either, in Chrome or IE (which is the only reason outside of bing points to open it)

@Schlecht

It has to be silverlight, because it works fine in all three browsers for me (just checked)

@PedoJokerBear I just checked. Silverlight is installed already. And I occasionally had redirect loop issues in Chrome, but this is much different.
It just says "Bad Request" on the left. It's a windows Live problem apparently, not just Xbox service related.

@DarkNightRJ Works for me. I can access it from IE and Chrome

@Schlecht try opening IE, go up to the Internet Options and reset them back to default.

@PedoJokerBear

You can use the website without silverlight. I don't have it on my laptop and can open it fine with IE and Firefox.

Silverlight is only used the for rotating banner bellow the menu bar.

@Schlecht I had this problem at one point. The only way to found to fix it was to delete every cookie related to .xbox.com and .live.com. I believe that the Live sign-up page had changed and didn't migrate my cookies properly, or my cookies got corrupted, or something like that.

@GamingColt

Ugh, you Xbox people and your cool stuff that PS3 owners don't get.

Damn you Sony! If it weren't for Sony's exclusives like Uncharted, the Shadow of the Colossus & Ico Collection, and God of War, I'd get rid of my PS3 in a heartbeat.

@DarkNightRJ

Of course, that's because Microsoft doesn't want you to use other browsers. :)

@DarkNightRJ

And IE 9 is terrible. I absolutely hate how it's designed. Chrome and Firefox FTW.

@Schlecht It's just the cookies people. clear your cache too while you're at it. these two things are the primary problems when a site doesn't load properly, especially after some updates to the site.

@ravissimo I've gone digging and finally gotten it to work after over a month. It managed to make my Chrome friends list add-on not work along with the 1337pwn friend apps on my mobile devices not work either. Hoping they can go back to normal now.

@DarkNightRJ yes! Finally, someone who shares my problem (with Chrome).

@Schlecht

I actually had the same problem for a few weeks, probably the first few weeks of October (using IE). What fixed it was going to another live site, I think I used hotmail, logged out, and then logged back in. Really strange.

Gee whiz, I wish I had 12 friends.

when is the fall update preview starting...jeez.

@PedoJokerBear
That's what I was about to ask. Usually they send out the preview updates like a month before the actual update. I've been waiting since the registration.

@PedoJokerBear
They invited and registered everyone, but havent had any news other then nelson saying he "should" have news for us in a few days

@PedoJokerBear - There was a post on Twitter today from Major Nelson saying that he should have good news for those that signed up sometime this week.

At this point, I can't see any news being left other than the update's release.

@PedoJokerBear - I'm going to hazard a prediction and say that the launch of the new Xbox.com and the launch of the update to those in the preview program will be simultaneous.

@PedoJokerBear there is not an email sent. you have to go back to where you registered to obtain the license key to download the update to your console. They then authorize your console for the update. You can do this for up to 3 xboxs

@PumaBoy

i already did that last week, been waiting since then.

Seems nifty, I'll check it out when it's implemented.

I'm in the preview program.

Nice.

I can't wait to set a beacon as something like, "No I don't want to play this with you." I intentionally picked up Gears 3 like two weeks after it came out to avoid the game/party invites. It didn't help, there I was trying to enjoy the campaign by myself and what pops up? Invite after invite.

@kazD

yeah damn friends and their friendly ways!

@kazD

do what i do when you want to play privately, quickly go to preferences and set to appear offline. No one will ever know!

@kazD if if you want to play a campaign without people knowing you're online, just set your profile to not log you in automatically when you start up the X360. Then set your profile to appear offline, and then log in if you want.

@kazD

PROTIP: Gears campaigns are always better co-op.

Social anxiety disorder sold seperately.

@baby sea tuna

Indeed. There is literally nothing in Gears that I'd rather do solo.

@kazD I'm sorry you have too many friends.

@baby sea tuna
It's true, there's really nothing quite like running through the campaign the day after release with 3 of your buddies in the same house, all on different TVs, on Hardcore difficulty. Experiencing all that together provides a sense of camaraderie that you just can't find in most other games!

And before anyone says anything, we would've done it on Insane, but you have to beat it once to unlock that difficulty. =\

Ha ha sad thing is now that I have gold membership I have no one on my friends list. No one that I know is a gamer. Damn kinda sucks ha ha : /

@shoan - I was the same way when I first joined Xbox Live but in my case, that was back on the original Xbox when it was much easier to make friends on Live because there was no matchmaking so you could stay in the same lobby with the same people for hours on end once you found a good room and there was no party chat so people in game were actually speaking to one another.

@shoan

TimoTim19 is my gamertag...I run a little of everything.

Cloud support! Please, just give us cloud support for profiles and saved games.

@Butmac - That's coming whenever the next dashboard update launches.

*sigh* Everytime I turn on my PS3 and see that archaic UI I get disappointed. Sony really needs to refresh the XMB on the PS3, or else they will forever be playing catch-up to Microsoft.

@tendoboy1984

I don't mind it too much. It's easy to find everything. They do really need to update the PlayStation website though. It's so slow and hard to navigate. Plus there's very little useful connectivity to your own account or console from the website. I try to avoid going there whenever I can help it.

I wish they'd make the avatars a little less effeminate looking. I don't stand like that.

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Xbox Live Beacons and other new social features incoming to Xbox.com

Xbox.com (Social and Video Section Enhancements)

Reader Comments (51)

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:06PM Schlecht said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:19PM PedoJokerBear said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:28PM GamingColt said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:40PM Schlecht said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:40PM DarkNightRJ said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:47PM Tragik TK said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:59PM CBA25 said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:08PM BoBsS said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:08PM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:13PM SuperWoody64 said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:15PM PedoJokerBear said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 10:09PM Schlecht said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 10:52PM trickybuz93 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 12:24AM LinkRazr said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 12:29AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 1:17AM 22tma said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 1:37AM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 1:38AM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 1:39AM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 2:52AM ravissimo said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 2:58AM Schlecht said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 10:53AM blustrkr said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 4:11PM Jenks said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:08PM SMTDante said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:20PM PedoJokerBear said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:10PM The Boss said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:57PM Midnitte said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 10:29PM Mcmax3000 said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 10:30PM Mcmax3000 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 8:39AM PumaBoy said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 9:15AM PedoJokerBear said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:33PM Dubiousity said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:44PM ItsameMatt03 said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 8:53PM type2red said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:24PM kazD said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 10:12PM PedoJokerBear said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 11:29PM philmcfail said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 2:57AM ravissimo said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 8:48AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 9:58AM Vcize said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 10:43AM briscott said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 1:16PM trendscenedental said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:33PM shoan said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 10:33PM Mcmax3000 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 2:39PM timotim said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 9:38PM Butmac said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 10:31PM Mcmax3000 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 1:34AM tendoboy1984 said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 7:48AM Ospov said

Posted: Nov 9th 2011 8:42AM Yogibara said

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