Microsoft is quietly "retiring" its Facebook and Twitter apps for Xbox 360 with the new dashboard for the console, and introducing Internet Explorer instead.
Facebook and Twitter for Xbox 360 were introduced in 2009, but are now no longer listed in the app marketplace. Microsoft responded to a query from Neowin.net saying: "We are retiring the Facebook and Twitter apps. Xbox Live subscribers will have the ability to access these sites through Internet Explorer on Xbox, available through the Web Hub located on the new dashboard."
Microsoft started rolling out an overhaul to the Xbox Live dashboard last week to select users, and the broader rollout is expected tomorrow. Key features include cosmetic changes that resemble the Windows 8 interface, the introduction of Internet Explorer for Xbox, genre search, the extension of voice search for the YouTube app, and the new all-in-one music service, Xbox Music (scheduled for official rollout across devices on 26 October).
It has been suggested that the removal of the Facebook and Twitter apps will push users towards using the IE 9 browser, but Microsoft has only said it is part of its push to "streamline" app functionality on the Xbox 360.
Other commentators have speculated the apps were removed simply due to a lack of use. Microsoft has declined to comment on whether the apps could return to the Xbox dashboard in the future.
Users who had previously downloaded the Facebook app, will still be able to access it via the "My Apps" tile or from the quick launch menu. The same cannot be said for the Twitter app however, which was Web-based and, therefore, not downloaded to the user's hard drive.
The Xbox forms an important part of Microsoft's renewed push to create a single cohesive ecosystem, together with Windows and Windows Phone.
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