Microsoft receives patent for gaming console DVR functionality

[Spectral Jester]

Though the Xbox 360 currently has a litany of streaming options available, back in 2007 that just wasn’t the case. About the only thing you could stream on your 360 in 2007 were files from your computer, as long as it was Windows compatible. Microsoft didn’t always plan for that to be the case though, and as tech website Tom’s Guide found (and Joystiq reported), Microsoft was actually planning to allow console owners to record digital content directly to their consoles. A patent for a gaming console DVR filed in 2007 by Microsoft was just approved, and though it’s not likely to affect 360 owners that much, the prospects are intriguing for future Microsoft devices.

 

Even though the 360 now offers a large amount of streaming options, with even more to come, a DVR function would actually be pretty handy. It would take the next Xbox one step closer to becoming a fully-fledged media center that would truly be the centerpiece of any owner’s living room. That said, pretty much every cable provider in the nation now offers a DVR set-top box with a subscription, so the value of this patent may not be what it once was in 2007.

 

Of course, just because new technology (or old tech in new devices) has been patented, that doesn’t mean it will ever see the light of day. Microsoft could have developed this patent to make sure no other gaming console could offer the feature. The timing of the filing was right around the release of the PS3, so the possibility can’t be entirely ruled out. What do you think? Will the next Xbox come with a DVR, or is it an unnecessary feature thanks to all the streaming options available?

[Flly]

i say make it something you can optionally have insalled into the xbox, just makes more sense to me

[AgentLoFi]

This would definitely make sense for them as with the new dashboard they now are partnering with multiple cable providers.