Xbox 360 evolves from console to gateway

Microsoft has been outlining its strategy to put the Xbox 360 at the centre of the connected home, providing our video entertainment and enabling social TV interaction and synchronised companion screen experiences in addition to games. And according to Neil Thompson, General Manager of Consumer Channels Group at the company, the Kinect controller is making the platform accessible to anyone in the same way that the Wii took console games to a much wider market.

Xbox 360 users now spend more time watching TV and socialising with friends than playing games on the platform, Thompson reported. “This is not just a games console but a gateway to all your entertainment needs. It is convergence in action, on a single device.”

He highlighted the explosion in content choice and hailed the arrival of interactive TV at last, but pointed to the fragmentation of viewing and applications across multiple screens and the difficulty making them all work together. The vision is that Xbox 360 can remove the hassle from connectivity and provide a more unified, multi-device experience.

A concrete example of this is SmartGlass, the second screen app designed to provide synchronised companion experiences that complement the content viewed through an Xbox 360. Thompson highlighted the companion map feature that allows Game of Thrones viewers to track the geographic location of the action in the fantasy drama but SmartGlass supports the kinds of experiences we are coming to expect on a companion, like giving more details about actors as they appear on screen.

One of the technology foundations for Microsoft’s multi-screen vision is the new Windows 8 operating system, which covers tablet, PC and smartphones and which will enable a consistent UI and navigation, regardless of device. And Thompson made it clear that the motion-based Kinect controller is a key asset when it comes to making the Xbox the hub for a connected and multi-screen home.

Kinect means consumers can control entertainment and multimedia using both gesture and voice recognition. Thompson paid tribute to the way the Nintendo Wii broadened the appeal of games consoles because of its intuitive control. “Kinect is the fastest selling CE device of all time because we took the same principle of accessibility and went much further. You do not need buttons of any kind to control the box; you are the controller,” he added. “Suddenly, the Xbox has become available as a gateway to everyone in the house, whether they are nine or 90 years old.”

Another important part of the Microsoft vision is cloud storage, which means content can travel with you wherever you are and whatever device you are using. “Our mission today is beyond the console and beyond the living room,” Thompson declared.