Microsoft is always working on Xbox Live, looking for new areas of innovation and areas that can be improved. So what is to be expected of Xbox Live in the future?

Well, as it is now, it is clear that Microsoft is looking for more ways to enter into the social media such as Twitter and Facebook, while also trying to improve the social capabilities of Xbox Live. So what you can expect is something along the lines of PlayStation HOME. Right now, Microsoft hosts 1 vs. 100, a game that you enter as your avatar and you are in a contest that may allow you to win anything from Free Xbox Live membership to 1600 Microsoft Points. As you can see, this was quite the surprise to many Xbox 360 owners when it was first announced, because it was the first attempt at a community wide contest of this generation, and it has gotten a lukewarm reception. So what is to be expected in the future of Xbox Live for this aspect of gaming? You can expect for the gaming audience to have a much more social and enjoyable experience, hosting rooms just to chat in, and more. It will also become more connected to social media such as Facebook and Twitter, although it already is. We will possibly see more video games supporting the ability to post achievements directly to your Facebook or Twitter page.

Another thing that Microsoft is showing a clear interest in, as well as much of the video game industry, is digital distribution. One of the main issues that game developers are having with the video gaming public, is the issue of piracy. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of dollars in video game sales are lost due to the widespread and open nature of piracy. However, one argument is made that if the game is good enough, the one illegally downloading the game will buy it anyway. Another argument being made is that the person downloading the game would not buy it to begin with, so the video game publishers and developers are not actually losing any money. Whatever the argument, Microsoft, and other gaming companies, are beginning to delve into the idea of digital distribution. Where we may have a future where they do not sell video game via DVDs anymore, but they sell them over an online market place, where you then download to your hard drive and play it that way. The problem with this is that your data may get lost, but this seems to be a pretty solid idea and it saves you a trip to the game store. Most likely, Xbox Live will be making a full use of the digital distribution movement, more so than it already is with the Xbox Live On Demand service.

Those are the major two things you can expect for Microsoft to do with their Xbox Live service in the future.
 


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