REDMOND, Wash. – As of May 7, Xbox 360 owners will be able to connect with more than 260 million Windows Live Messenger users via their game platform.
The launch of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360, will connect friends across Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft Windows-based PCs and Windows Mobile-powered devices. With this update to Xbox 360, friends and families can easily connect and chat directly from their television using Windows Live Messenger, a network of more than 20 billion relationships and more than 260 million active accounts.
It might actually be a way for parents to get their Xbox-addicted kids’ attention (assuming parents know how to IM their kids in the first place).
Beginning the week of May 7, 2007, the Xbox 360 spring update will provide Xbox 360 owners worldwide with access to Windows Live Messenger features, broadening the communication options on the Xbox Live social network.
Members of the six million-strong Xbox Live community currently send more than two million text and voice messages a day and can now use Windows Live Messenger to text chat with up to six people on their contact list at one time, while playing games, listening to music or watching movies. Text chat adds to the variety of options friends and families already have to communicate with on Xbox Live, including voice and video chat.
Current relationships on Windows Live Messenger and Xbox Live will be unified on Xbox 360 and users will see at a glance if their existing friends on Windows Live Messenger have gamertags, instantly expanding the breadth of connected experiences they can share online, says the Microsoft press release.
“Bringing the largest IM community in the world, Windows Live Messenger, to Xbox 360 makes sense, as Xbox Live has really become the largest social network on television,” said Jerry Johnson, product unit manager of Xbox Live at Microsoft. “For our growing community of six million on Xbox Live, using Xbox 360 is a very social, connected experience. They are using Xbox 360 to play games, music and movies while simultaneously communicating with one another through video, voice and text chat. With this announcement we are simultaneously expanding the access of Xbox Live users to existing friends and family while introducing Windows Live Messenger users to the benefits of Xbox 360.”
Users of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360 will be able to text chat using the virtual keyboard on Xbox 360, or by connecting a USB keyboard to the console. This summer Microsoft will also launch a QWERTY text-input device, a new accessory that will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging.
Beyond Windows Live Messenger, the Spring Update for Xbox 360 includes hundreds of new features and enhancements.
