Xbox Live to get more social features

Microsoft is introducing more social networking features to its celebrated Xbox Live service.

As part of the Fall update going live on December 4, users will be able to view Friends lists directly from the Dashboard, or keep the list private.

Citing popular web services Facebook and MySpace, the publisher believes that "this type of capability has largely come to be expected from consumers as a means to relate in an online community."

The new dashboard update will also allow users to download original Xbox games — including Halo and Fable — for 1200 Microsoft Points.