Microsoft plans to let Xbox LIVE users save their game saves to the cloud and send out beacon notifications to friends.

The features, introduced at E3, will allow Xbox owners to download and resume games on other Xbox consoles. You can also sign-in and access your full profile and items such as Microsoft Points. “Cloud storage will allow you to enjoy the same great Xbox LIVE gaming experience even when you’re not in your own living room,” said Microsoft’s Larry Hryb. Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE cloud will store game saves securely instead of users having to store them on a console hard drive or portable memory unit. “Gone are the days of gamertag recovery,” said Hyrb. “Now all you need to do is sign in, no matter where you are!”

Microsoft also announced a beacons feature. The new service allows Xbox LIVE users to connect to their friends via the console or Facebook. Beacons let users tell their friends that they want to play a game. “By setting a Beacon, you tell Xbox LIVE what you want to play,” said Hryb. “Then, Xbox LIVE lets you know when friends are playing or want to play the same game.”

Both features will be available later this year as part of an overhaul of Microsoft’s Xbox dashboard.