Fall Update hits Dec. 4, brings new Friends list feature
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Nov 26th 2007 at 12:30PM }
Major Nelson just informed us that the always anticipated Fall Dashboard Update will be arriving next week on December 4 (just in time for Xbox Originals, what a co-inky-dink). Far more interesting than the revelation of the actual release date is the newly revealed Friends of Friends feature. With this new feature, players can browse the Friends list of anyone on their own Friends list. You can see if you have friends in common, send messages, send game invites, and even add Friends directly from another friend's list. Even better, the feature is available both on the Xbox 360 and Xbox.com.No doubt you've heard your friends talk about the great time they had with someone else, or perhaps you've heard podcasters like us telling tales of great gaming sessions. Removing the hassle of looking up a gamertag -- which includes the pitfalls of proper spelling and remembering where the spaces are -- is definitely welcome.
So, starting December 4, you'll find a new "Friends" option on the Dashboard and Xbox.com. From this option players can choose to have their friends list open to everyone, friends only, or blocked from prying eyes entirely. We should probably note that the "Everyone" option is only available to gamers eighteen and older. Those thirteen and over are stuck with "Friends Only" or "Blocked," while those under 13-years-old will be defaulted to "Blocked" though the "Friends Only" option is available.
If you'd like to change your setting now, you may do so at the Friends of Friends page on Xbox.com
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Justin @ Nov 26th 2007 12:36PM
what an underwhelimg update this will be...
xenocidic @ Nov 26th 2007 12:39PM
what a dumb feature.
how about bumping up the maximum NUMBER of friends instead?
killploki @ Nov 26th 2007 12:40PM
so now i cant use the "sorry, my friends list is full i cant add you" excuse to those people that want to be a friend but i found too annoying to play with.
Adam Sutherland @ Nov 26th 2007 12:42PM
Divx, please!
VOS @ Nov 26th 2007 12:45PM
Any word if the backwards compat list is get updated as well? Should be due for one by now.
EagleX @ Nov 26th 2007 12:48PM
How about divx support, like the ps3 have?
how about raising the 100 friends limit?
how about fixing random dashboard freezes?
how about adding multi person voice chat?
how about stop releasing this retarded dashboard updates 1 in a century?
I love my xbox, I love the dashboard, way better than the xmb and wii channels, but common, the ps3 is constantly getting new features and options, why do we have to wait half a year to get some, I wont say dumb, but pretty unimportant feature?
DemonGSides @ Nov 26th 2007 12:48PM
This actually does bump up the friends list. Create a bunch of silver accounts, and add Friends through there. Friend of Friend with them, bada bing, infinite friends lists.
Shape @ Nov 26th 2007 12:55PM
EagleX:
How do you know those features are not coming in this dashboard update?
"how about stop releasing this retarded dashboard updates 1 in a century?"
Well, they have already updated the dashboard 4 times this century, so it looks like you have already influenced their decisions.
Big Filth @ Nov 26th 2007 12:54PM
cool!
Matriarch Benezia = BITCH
http://www.thegreatgamer.wordpress.com
mike @ Nov 26th 2007 12:53PM
this is not an infinite friends list with silver accounts. You wont get notifications if your friends friends sign online, so your still limited to 100 friends. I agree with above post. Where is the divx/xvid, 4 person private chat, the GOOD stuff?
This has got to be the lamest dashboard update yet. I sure hope theres alot more to it. This is a feature virtually everyone didnt even think of, because its freaking pointless. Who cares whos on your friends friend list. You can just ASK them. sigh, what a waste of programming resources
Gemini Ace @ Nov 26th 2007 12:56PM
Is this the update that nobody asked for or what? Who wanted Xbox Originals or this? I call shenanigans.
xenocidic @ Nov 26th 2007 12:59PM
meh, I already blocked all. i don't need people prying into my friends list
http://www.xbox.com/fof
DjDATZ @ Nov 26th 2007 1:06PM
interesting...but pretty damn useless with a cap @ 100...hell...over the past week i've probably deleted about 15-20 people to make room for new friends...and I'm STILL at 95 now. Of course, there are plenty of people who will never get deleted from my friends list unless they so choose explicitly...and Knuckles, Dustin and Rich are 3 of them.
DjDATZ @ Nov 26th 2007 1:09PM
xeno...lol...personally, i really couldnt care who looks at my friends list...lol
h0mi @ Nov 26th 2007 1:12PM
"How about divx support, like the ps3 have?"
You misspelled "is getting". If the fall update gets divx, as has been rumored, the 360 will have it before the ps3.
h0mi @ Nov 26th 2007 1:12PM
"How about divx support, like the ps3 have?"
You misspelled "is getting". If the fall update gets divx, as has been rumored, the 360 will have it before the ps3.
Jcarpio @ Nov 26th 2007 1:17PM
Geez people, this is just one feature announcement. This is not going to be the only feature that is being added. Just the only one being talked about at this time. Have some patience.
felkdogg @ Nov 26th 2007 1:21PM
The major changes in this update will deal with the friends list, rearranging of tabs to better feature XBLA, Divx/Xvid support through connect only (IE not Media Center), and Xbox originals. Mark it down.
Ithilis @ Nov 26th 2007 1:27PM
We may still get DivX and other features, people, so stop bitching. Major Nelson didn't say that this was the only feature included in the update, it's just one of them.
Ithilis @ Nov 26th 2007 1:40PM
Oh, and this isn't a flame, so don't take it as one..
But I can't comprehend the need to increase the 100 friend limit on Xbox Live. I have had my 360 for almost 2 years and I have.. 10 friends, 6 of whom I know in person. Perhaps I'm just strict about whom I add, as I decline 99% of the requests that I receive. I only accept them if I genuinely enjoy playing with that person and would like to do so on a regular basis. Also, if I add someone and I don't play with them a sufficient amount of times over the following month, I delete them.
How many people do you actually play with on your full lists?
Jcarpio @ Nov 26th 2007 1:47PM
@20
I actually see your point on this.. I have about 70 on my list. But I "know" about half these people and/or remember how i met them.
DjDATZ @ Nov 26th 2007 1:50PM
@20
I've played with about 90% of my friends list in the past month...lol
the rest that I haven't played with belong in the never to delete category...lol
Paul @ Nov 26th 2007 2:15PM
features i would like:
separation of trials and purchased games in the xbox live arcade games (i have it set to download every trial version every week onto my elite)
divx and xvid support
groups in friends list
multiple people in one voice chat
and MORE
NOT xbox originals
NOT friends of friends
tokyomaestro @ Nov 26th 2007 2:22PM
This update is looking more & more like teh Suck! I will no longer say Firmware 2.00 was teh suckiest.
David @ Nov 26th 2007 2:24PM
This isn't the only feature that will be in the Fall update. Microsoft has said they will announce more features as we approach Dec. 4.
Project Ekim @ Nov 26th 2007 2:25PM
You relize this is not the only thing in the update right?
ccc @ Nov 26th 2007 2:27PM
Tough to knock something thats free but MS helps out alot. I still got some hope that thier hiding something people actually want with the fall update.
Christopher Pereira @ Nov 26th 2007 2:35PM
What i'd really like to see in the friends updates is some way where i could manage it better than i already can. I want a tab for my COD4 clan, and if i meet anyone else in COD4 i want to add to friends i want to be able to make a tab where i can do that. A tab where i keep my family and friends from irl, maybe a tab for each game.
xenocidic @ Nov 26th 2007 2:34PM
@Ithilis
so maybe you don't play friend-centric games? or you're just a loner?
many peoples lists are full because they've got numerous friends from different communities. for example, i have RL friends (around 10) , fellow GamerDads (10-15), Shadowrun friends (20-30), texas hold'em friends (15-25) and then the rest i met in other games.
Gh3tt0 Child @ Nov 26th 2007 2:37PM
sounds cool so i can play halo 3 with some of my friends friends lol.
DjDATZ @ Nov 26th 2007 3:58PM
xeno...and then there's me. :P heheheheh
xenocidic @ Nov 26th 2007 4:42PM
oh yea ! totally forgot... "same-city fellow X3F'ers" ... sorry dj-datz ;>
Tom @ Nov 26th 2007 5:35PM
Having 100 friends is like highlighting an entire book: excessive to the point of losing all meaning.
Bryan T @ Nov 26th 2007 5:40PM
Don't matter to me...I'm 19 and my xbox thinks im between 13 and 17...they still haven't fixed that??
StinkyBob @ Nov 26th 2007 5:52PM
Yes, but what a quality URL...
http://xbox.com/fof
That's xbox dot com / eff off... PMSL
YoRone22 @ Nov 26th 2007 7:17PM
@ 35
Actually it's Eff Of. But w.e. I remember when the first update came out, they said they would add what people requested the most. How many people asked for FoF? Just wondering.
Paul @ Nov 26th 2007 8:07PM
@ 36
man i wonder how many people asked for FoF too. i remember major nelson made a post a while ago saying to post a comment about what features you would like to see in the next dashboard update and i don't think xbox originals or FoF was posted by anybody. i think he even said something like the best and most realistic ideas would be used and added in as features. oh well maybe someday we will get what we ask for.....i still can't believe they haven't fixed the child account issue yet. that is just ridiculous. i am glad i got my account when i was over 18 to begin with.....
ReekinHavok @ Nov 26th 2007 9:52PM
Are you kiddin me? Big F'n deal. I don't know 80% of the friends in my list currently. And I don't give a crap about other peoples friends either. Please give us stuff we need not this bs.
Yuccadude @ Nov 26th 2007 9:57PM
Hopefully I'll get my voucher from Best Buy by next Tuesday because my 360 died today, and I'll be sending it in tomorrow, so hopefully it'll only take the company a week to give me my monies back. And this really sucks because I got Rock Band yesterday and I hope my less than stellar singing didn't force my 360 to suicide.
Boff @ Nov 27th 2007 8:00AM
This is laughable, why the fuck would you want view the the friends of your friends? This isn't fucking facebook.
How about some features people are actually asking for?
Almost as useful as the family timer shit they released upon us last time.