Select Zune services being pulled, Xbox 360 largely unaffected

Microsoft is preparing its transition from Zune to Xbox Music, announcing today that select Zune functionality would go the way of the Dodo starting tomorrow, August 31. Xbox 360 users will find their experience pretty much the same for now – you can still stream unlimited music videos with your Zune Pass subscription.

With the Windows 8 launch right around the corner on October 26, Microsoft is doing away with Zune HD apps and many aspects of using Zune on the PC, Engadget reports. Social Zune features such as sending messages, sharing playlists and viewing past play history have been axed, and users may no longer purchase or stream music videos on the PC, nor can Zune users re-download, re-activate or re-license music videos on new machines or if they upgrade to Windows 8.