Xbox.com adds friends management

Microsoft's integration of its consoles and the Web took another step today, with the announcement of friends management on My Xbox, the online community based around the Xbox and Xbox 360. The addition is "only a portion of what we've got up our sleeves," says My Xbox lead program manager Clinton Fowler.

Beginning today, whether gamers wish to add a player they rumbled with in Halo 2 the night before to their friends list or kick off some noob that was clinging on to their roster of buddies, they won't have to wait until they fire up their Xboxes or Xbox 360s. Friend requests can now be sent, accepted, or declined over the Internet through Xbox.com, and existing friends can be removed from lists.

"I can't tell you how long we've wanted to do this feature, and it's finally here," Clinton beamed in a post on Xbox.com. "You don't have to look at those pending friend requests anymore, and you also don't have to wait 'til you get to the console to send a friend request to that guy or gal in the forums!"

For more information or to sign up for a free My Xbox account, head over to Xbox.com.