Microsoft launches new Xbox Live Dashboard

A number of key upgrades to the Xbox Live service have been rolled out in the past few days as part of a low-key automatic update to the Xbox Dashboard system.

Originally promised some months ago, the upgrade - being referred to as Xbox Live 2.0 - offers significant Live functionality right on the Dashboard, with the ability to view your buddy list, see what games people are playing and even launch voice chats without being in a game.

The system is also thought to have plenty of new functionality "under the bonnet" which will eventually enable tighter integration between Xbox Live services and the web. The "silent upgrade" system is also interesting in itself - although this isn't the first time that the Xbox has been upgraded online, it's the first really major update to happen over the service, and as a proof of concept for seamless console software updates online, it seems to have worked excellently.