Next Xbox To Also Offer TV Functionality

From the outset, rumours suggested that the next Xbox would focus more on becoming an entertainment and media hub within your living room rather than put emphasis on becoming a better gaming system. Of course the console will likely feature plenty of new tech to keep pace with Sony but Microsoft is looking at a more integrated system so that the next Xbox becomes the last word in any sort of entertainment or media you’re looking to view/ interact with, except maybe for books and oil paintings.

The rumours suggest that the NextBox will be able to take over your TV and set-top box (DSTV decoder over here) in much the same way that Google TV does. This would cause the rumours of a mandatory always-on internet connection to be somewhat viable and understandable in terms of streaming media and having that service constantly and immediately available to also access TV signals.

Your cable box or decoder will be connected to the Xbox via an HDMI cable and the console will then overlay its own UI and features on top of an existing channel for added functionality. Microsoft has also made smart partnerships with content providers in recent years to ensure that the new Xbox will have all the media services you could want at your fingertips, or thumbtips.

Extended support is said to be an ongoing endeavour while the console will have basic TV functionality at launch. The Kinect system said to be integrated into the NextBox will also serve a purpose in terms of controlling the TV with commands or gestures and smart features such as tracking the number of people in a room and pausing when it detects you’ve turned your eyes away from the TV.

It sounds like the sort of thing Microsoft would be pursuing in their quest for a multipurpose ultra media hub although it’s funny that we say these things with such certainty yet a console hasn’t even been announced.

Rumours also suggest a late May reveal of the next Xbox.

Name: A-G Sonday
Location: Cape Town
Position: Editor, Reviews

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