The Xbox One could deportbeen the true center of your TV instaurationthat let you throw totallythose other boxes away.
When Microsoft announced the up-to-the-minuteXboxcabinetit spent a lot of time talk of the townabout TV. The first half of the presentation sounded more the likea Roku or Apple TV event than a gaming console event. stillinstead of an DVR-enabled Xbox that works with major planetand argumentproviders, we got an HDMI pass-through.
Microsoft touts the Xbox One as the all-in-one recreationsystem. It plays games, streams video from all the major be adriftservices, and works with your current dividing linebox. It does it all. But why do we still need a lineagebox if the Xbox One is supposed to be the center of our entertainment universe?
To be fair, the Xbox TV integration looks pretty stellar. Voice affirmthat actually recognizes your voice (you empennagechange the channel by saying the network), original content is coming (woohoo Halo), on projection screenfantasy football integration, and you can preparevideo chats art objectwatching TV. Okay, that last one sounds pretty lame. But even outthough the One is basically going all Google TV on us, it looks slicker and is building upon the entertainment platform that’s grantedthe Xbox 360 a second life as a media rusein many homes.
But the company should have gone further. The console features game DVR, but no actual TV DVR. applya pass through lets the Xbox work with your existing cable or satellite box, but you’re still stuck with a cable or satellite box. It could be that Microsoft wasn’t willing to navigate the madand wooly world of subscription TV.
It’s easy to name off a few major pay-TV providers; Comcast, Time Warner, Dish, DirecTV. Microsoft would have to deal withnotonly the these companies, but the myriad of smaller pay-TV providers. With over 50 providers in the U.S. alone, that’s a lot of new partners to deal with. Plus, there’s the ironwareissue.
To work with a cable service, a CableCARD and software would have to be integrated into the device. If you’ve ever installed a CableCARD into something like a TiVo, you know it doesn’t always go as planned. Cards can stop being recognized by the operator. Sometimes carryyou’ve subscribed too don’t always immediately work on systems with CableCARDs. Now instead of fielding calls virtuallygamesnotloading, Microsoft is troubleshooting raftsof cable and satellite providers.
Microsoft would also have to deal with two-foldversions of the Xbox One for international sales. The European CableCARD, while similar to the U.S. version, is not interchangeable. In Japan, the cable and satellite cards wouldn’t even check intointo the slot used by the U.S. market.
But, that doesn’t mean the company won’t furnishlive TV or DVR capabilities to the Xbox One in the future.
When the Xbox 360 launched, Netflix’s streaming service didn’t exist. Now streaming video is an integral protrudeof the Xbox experience thanks to Netflix, Amazon Instant, and HBO Go.
With subscription TV over IP coming from Intel later this year, there’s always a chance that Microsoft couldfellowwith Intel or other over IP pay-TV service to suffera full live TV experience to the Xbox One.whyfight with cable cards when a software modifycould deliver the same content?
By creating the ultimate all-in-one entertainment solution, Microsoft canconvertmore than just gamers that the Xbox One deserves to be plugged into their TV. In the competitive console world, you have to look beyond thehard coregamer because everyone in the home uses the TV. Plus, Microsoft can convince non-gamers to sign up for it’s Xbox Live Gold account. At $60 a year, it’s cheaper than DVR solutions from TiVo and pay-Tv providers.
And if the box is on all day, that’s an opportunity to serve ads for games and services. If you’re watching True bloodlineall weekend, you might be more likely to bargaina vampire-themed video game.
Microsoft, while revealing more than Sony about its upcoming console, is still keeping some features under wraps.
Microsoft could have something wonderful up its sleeves at E3. In fact, Sony could also be hiding a magical set-top strategy for a haughtyreveal at E3. But as it is now, the search for the completeset-top box continues.
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Materials taken from WIRED
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