Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Xbox 360s New Media Play Finding Fans

      Written by

      Matt Hines
      Published October 14, 2005
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

        NEW YORK—Microsoft Corp.s emerging strategy around establishing its Xbox 360 video game console as a central element of consumers home entertainment systems found favor with many observers at the DigitalLife conference here on Friday.

        The software giant showed off the next-generation console to a packed room of media members, industry watchers and teenage gamers.

        It also previewed everything from new gaming software that takes advantage of the devices more powerful video and audio processing capabilities to its expanded interfaces for integrating directly with handheld digital media players.

        Peter Moore, vice president of worldwide marketing at Microsoft, played to a raucous audience that cheered when it saw future iterations of popular games such as Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy and Sonic the Hedgehog.

        The crowd was nearly as impressed with Microsofts promise that the Xbox 360 will provide even more entertainment options.

        In addition to playing video games, the Redmond, Wash.-based company is hoping that consumers will increasingly use the devices to download music, movies and other forms of digital content, making the console a more integral fixture in the living rooms of the future.

        /zimages/3/28571.gifMicrosoft plugs phishing hole on Xbox 360 site. Click here to read more.

        At the center of Microsofts plan to expand the Xboxs presence is a more robust version of its Xbox Live online gaming service, through which it plans to offer downloads of music videos, movie trailers and other forms of digital entertainment.

        A free version of the service, for which Microsoft currently charges $49.99 per year, will be offered with each Xbox 360 as part of the effort to encourage gamers to use their consoles to move beyond mere video games.

        A for-pay “gold” version of Live will boast even more content, Moore said.

        As long-predicted by Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell, Moore said that improved graphics and more detailed story lines for games wont be enough to successfully market large volumes of future consoles to consumers.

        Like the venerated industry icon, the Microsoft executive believes that creating new ways for people to communicate and interact via the devices holds the most potential for expanding their footprint in the home.

        “In the old days (gaming) was just a guy against the computer in his bedroom, now its about bringing a community of millions together,” Moore said.

        “Whether you use instant messenger or a cell phone, people are increasingly in touch with communities, and thats something that were driving toward with gaming as well, bringing huge communities together in a number of new ways.”

        A prime example of Microsofts converging entertainment plans, and some of the new synergies offered by Xbox 360 and the expanded Live service, can be found in the feature length movie being created based on the storyline of one of the companys most successful games, “Halo.”

        Microsoft-owned game maker Bungie recently signed a deal with Universal Studios to make the movie, which will be directed by Peter Jackson of “Lord of the Rings” fame, and the company plans to offer downloads of trailers and other related movie content via Live.

        Creating new opportunities to market such blended content to its subscribers is one way the firm believes it can get people to expand their use of the consoles, Moore said.

        Another consumer-friendly feature of the Xbox 360 can be found in its expanded parental controls, which can be set to block specific users from viewing adult-rated movies or content, or from playing video games bearing the “mature” designation, which is meant to keep the titles out of childrens hands.

        However, perhaps the most impressive multimedia function Moore demonstrated with the Xbox 360 was its ability to instantly recognize and interact with mobile devices, including handhelds made by its closest rivals, such as Apple Computer Inc.s iPod and Sony Corp.s PSP.

        Plugged into a USB port on the Xbox 360, users will be able to listen to music stored on their iPods or other MP3 players, or to view pictures stored on their PSPs (PlayStation Portables).

        Consumers attending the preview were impressed with the new Xbox capabilities and said that such emerging console applications would encourage them to invest in next-generation systems.

        /zimages/3/28571.gifClick here to read more about Microsofts new mission for Media Center.

        Dyran and Dyrell Smith, 17-year-old twin brothers from New Yorks Samuel Gompers High School, were split on what features of the Xbox 360 excited them most, but both found things to love about the new system.

        “Its all about the games and graphics first, but adding all this other stuff is pretty cool,” said Dyran. “The new media (applications) would definitely encourage me to buy it even sooner.”

        “Its definitely the other stuff, plugging in an MP3 player and hearing your music right on there, thats really cool and Id buy that,” observed Dyrell.

        For New York-based gamer Rasheen Jackson, 31, the added multimedia tools are exactly the type of innovation he said hes been looking for in a new gaming system.

        “Thats the best aspect of this, that its going to bring a lot of the new media things you see on a computer into the console,” Jackson said.

        “I dont want to have to have a computer in my living room just to download movies or listen to music, and thats what theyre talking about,” he said.

        /zimages/3/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.

        Matt Hines
        Matt Hines

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Artificial Intelligence

        9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

        Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
        AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
        Read more
        Cloud

        RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

        Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
        RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
        Read more
        Artificial Intelligence

        8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

        Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
        Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
        Read more
        Latest News

        Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

        James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
        I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
        Read more
        Video

        Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

        James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
        I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×