Xbox Upgrade

So, once in a while, you’ll sign in to XBox Live and you’ll see that there is an upgrade that must be downloaded and installed. It happens a lot with games, but I get really excited when it happens in the dashboard because that can only mean one thing, a new XBox Live experience. Well today marks the day that such a change is gonna come, and I’m happier than a pig in mud.

According to Xbox Live’s website, “This fall and winter, your Xbox LIVE Gold Membership gets even better with new entertainment options in movies, television, sports, and music in ways you never imagined.” I couldn’t have put it better myself. Currently, we can watch Hulu Plus, Netflix, listen to music via Last.fm, etc. Now Microsoft has taken it’s Xbox from gaming console to entertainment center. It’s a great way to keep up with the Joneses, because what the Playstation 3 did when it first came out was brand itself as an entertainment center. And it truly was. From photos, to internet browsing, to being a hub for all computers in the home, it was a solid media center. However, it lacked the user base that Xbox had, and Xbox has been steadily improving its XBox Live member experience with each upgrade. For a full list of the upcoming changes

Laurie Sullivan on Media Post News writes,

“Getting back to its roots, the new update integrates the Metro Design language supported through Windows Phone 7 to bring continuity to multiple screens. The idea, based on Microsoft’s foundation for making all user interfaces across screens and applications appear similar, will allow consumers to move seamlessly from one device to another without having to relearn new platforms.

The Xbox LIVE landing page will present a series of hubs similar to those on the phone — allowing consumers to pick and choose icons related to social, videos, games, music and applications. Gestures, voice, or controllers will allow the user to move through the platform to find and use content.”

This is critical because the new update features improved Kinect functionality to enhance the user experience. Kinect was the fast selling peripheral for a video game console ever. Sullivan adds, “Xbox users will no longer go to the Kinect hub or hold their hand over an arrow on the screen to move from one screen to the next. The cumbersome first version of the technology required time to identify and act on gestures. Microsoft had to make the change before integrating NUAds, natural user ads into the platform for advertisers. The format presents voice- and gesture-enabled ads made possible through Kinect, expected to launch in spring 2012. The NUAds will tu
30-second stale promotions into interactive TV ad spots.”

The new update also includes voice-activated search with Bing. I can’t wait to say “Xbox, search ‘Teach me how to Douggie.” With more and more voice-activated apps and programs hitting the market, maybe the people are ready to embrace the technology. From Siri, to Talk-To-Text, to Kinect, hands free is becoming the wave of the future, and as a gamer, I’m happy to be a test dummy.

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