Thought the Xbox 360 was just for gamers? Us too… but, come tomorrow (Dec. 6th) Xbox consoles around the world will be getting a new face, features, apps, and more.
“We have a brand new dashboard, with that it’s providing full integration with Kinect” says Glenn Purkis, the Product Manager for Xbox LIVE, “Whether you want to use your voice or gesture, you’re in power to navigate the dashboard…You can literally jump from controller to voice to gesture.”
Voice activation and movement aside, the goal is to make the Xbox console a major hub for movie, TV, and overall entertainment. Up to 40 media firms have signed up with Microsoft to provide live and on-demand TV and movie services for the console, Rogers and Disney XD included, all under the apps market. However, only Xbox Live Gold Members can access these apps.
The app market will be displayed through the new interface, which has been based around “tiles” that are very similar to the Windows Phone 7. It’s a clean look and it’s as easy to use as saying: “Xbox, Tom Cruise!” to get a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie up.
Overall, this upgrade basically means that you hardcore gamers will have to share your Xbox 360 with the rest of the family. Bummer for you, winning for everyone else.