Xbox Live About to Get More Social

Starting next week, you'll be able to view and send messages to the buddies of your Xbox Live pals, à la Facebook and MySpace. Still no writing on walls, or at least not yet.

The new Facebook-like features arrive on December 4, when the fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update (which will also include downloads of "original" Xbox games) goes live. Basically, you'll be able to check out the Friends list of your Xbox Live buddies and invite your "friends of friends" to a game, send them messages, add them to your own buddy list, or compare Achievement points.

The move makes sense, given Microsoft's new appreciation for social networking; witness the Zune Social, which lets Zune owners create and customize profiles, add buddies, and compare their musical tastes. While Xbox gamers have always been able to call up their Xbox Gamer Cards in the Dashboard or on the web, there's been no way to view the buddy lists of their Xbox Live friends, or at least there won't be until next week. Of course, what I'd really like to see are customizable Xbox Live profile pages (all you can do now is change your gamer picture) and even a "wall" that your pals can write on, as you can on Facebook.

Don't want strange gamers poking around your Friends list? No problem; privacy settings will let you keep your list of gaming pals under wraps, if you wish (click here to access those settings now).

Related:
Fall Dash update coming next week (Dec. 4) [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]