I enter a buttload of contests on any given month but I never win anything; yet every time I sign up for the Xbox Live Update Preview, I’m accepted. Go figure. The newest update, coming next month to everyone who doesn’t get into the preview, brings Twitter and Facebook to all Xbox Live users, and Last.fm for Gold subscribers. The update also changes the Video Marketplace a bit, re-branding it with Zune logos, adding Zune Social connections, and throwing in a bit more content for good measure.

To give you a better idea of how each new addition works, I’m going to give each one its own section and go into as much detail as possible. If reading isn’t your thing, feel free to check out the demonstration videos on Kotaku. I hear that Stephen Totilo guy has a lovely voice.

Facebook and Twitter

Both can be found under the new “My Community” section, which is located below Spotlight. I’d rather see them listed in the “My Xbox” section, but that’s probably my OCD talking. First up: Facebook.

Facebook on Xbox Live is a wee bit bare-bones. You have to download a 6 MB file to use the service, then you sign in (thankfully, you’re given the option of saving your sign-in info) and your on your way. You can update your status; view friends’ profiles; view news feeds, including specialized friends list feeds, and comment; and view photos and leave comments if you wish. There’s also a neat section that shows Facebook friends who are on Xbox Live, and also XBL friends on Facebook. This allows you to add Facebook friends to XBL who aren’t already on your list, and vice versa.

What’s missing? Just about everything else, actually. No apps, no videos (from what I’ve seen), no music, no quizzes…nada, zip, zilch. You also can’t leave wall posts on a profile. Basically, the stuff that keeps people hooked on Facebook is completely absent. Even so, it’s nice to have a means of checking out news feeds, looking at friends’ pics, and updating my status without opening my laptop.

Now I’ll move on to Twitter, which offers most of the service’s abilities, unlike Facebook. You can tweet, view your friends’ tweets, send direct messages, and retweet posts. You can also search for friends, topics, etc. Speaking of topics: there’s a section to check out trending topics, which is nice if that’s your bag. Lastly, you can view profiles, and follow—or unfollow—people. Like Facebook, Twitter will save your log-in data, but it won’t stay logged in like the former. Not a big deal, really.

If you wish to make good use of either Twitter or Facebook, it’s in your best interest to purchase the Xbox 360 chat pad or plug in a USB keyboard. I took the latter option, and it works well. Both options beat the crap out of typing with the on-screen keyboard. I’m typically a patient guy, but that thing really tests me. Also, keep in mind you can only use the Twitter service through the dashboard menu. You can’t view tweets while playing a game or watching a movie.

Last.fm

If you have no idea what a Last.fm is, let me fill you with some knowledge. Last.fm is a music service designed to help users discover new music based on listening habits. Last.fm keeps track of your music via “scrobbles,” which save listened tracks to your profile so others can see and so the service can help find music you might like. The biggest feature of Last.fm is its radio stations, which come in myriad flavors. There are band-specific stations; stations based on music Last.fm recommends for you; music tag stations (based on artist and track tags, such “classic rock” and “80s music”); and so on.

So now that you know what Last.fm does, you’re not doubt wondering how it is integrated into Xbox Live. Thankfully, most of the service’s best features are present and in full effect. You can use the aforementioned stations to listen to music; “love” tracks you enjoy, which helps Last.fm to better learn your preferences (or you can ban a track, if you really hate it); and check out band bios and similar artists. If you want to listen without a commercial or two popping up, you need to pay a S3-a-month fee for a premium subscription. I didn’t hear any commercials while I played with the service on my 360, so take that for what you will.

Sadly, you can’t view user profiles, check out groups or forums, or leave comments. Part of discovering new music is seeing what your friends listen to and love; without that feature, you’re stuck listening to what Last.fm recommends. Thank goodness that Last.fm does a pretty good job of figuring out what you’ll like. In my experience, Last.fm has a spot-on batting average recommending new artists to me. Your mileage, however, my wildly vary.

Oh, one last thing: like Facebook, you’ll need to download a 6 MB file to use the Last.fm service. Microsoft loves to slowly eat away at those 20GB drives, eh? I’m glad I bought my 120GB drive a while back.

Music/Video Marketplace

The last change to Xbox Live comes with the addition of a Zune-branded Music Marketplace and a revamped Video Marketplace. Actually, both marketplaces are one and the same, linking to the same service. Silly, yes, but that’s Microsoft for you.

The Zune music/video section works in the same way as the old version, but with Zune logos everywhere and a different, darker look. I actually prefer this look, but I’m just weird that way. I guess this is technically supposed to be the Zune Marketplace currently available via the Zune PC software, but I didn’t notice any functional differences. There’s definitely a slightly larger wealth of videos available now.

Perhaps the only real difference between the old Marketplace and the new is the addition of “Instant On” 1080p video viewing. What that means is that, theoretically, a video should immediately load in full 1080p high definition (assuming of course you’re watching a high-def video). In reality, videos need to buffer for a bit before reaching full 1080p quality. Once fully buffered, high-def videos look almost as nice as a Blu-Ray.

The Zune Music/Video Marketplace offers movies, TV shows, music videos, and independent video content. I know video rentals were available before, but I’m not sure about buying them. Movie rentals typically cost 320 MS points (standard) and 480 MS points (high-def), while buying them sets you back 1200/1600 MS points. Music videos are priced similar to movie rentals, but they don’t seem to come in high definition. I certainly couldn’t find any high-def music videos, but perhaps I wasn’t looking hard enough.

Should You Care?

Yes, if you any of the aforementioned features intrigue you. If you could care less, don’t worry about getting into the preview program. Nothing about Xbox Live proper has changed. Speaking of the preview: if you didn’t get in this time, there will be additional waves starting soon. Keep an eye on your email inbox for an invite, or check your status on the Microsoft Connect website.