The Future of Entertainment on Xbox

[Lᴜᴋᴇ]

IGN:

 

On the current Xbox 360 Dashboard, "games" is the fourth tab to the right. It's not quite hidden, but it's buried in the middle of everything else. At this point in the console's life, Microsoft isn't concerned with games as much as broader entertainment. Rightfully so: More of us are using Xbox Live for entertainment.

 

Video dominates the Dashboard, with numerous services available for you to catch up on your favorite TV series, download new films, or see a

. We can access music libraries, various social networks, and content straight from our PCs. Even Kinect was built with Netflix and other applications in mind. We're making our way to a place where the next Xbox won't be primarily a gaming machine -- it will be an entertainment hub, a one-stop-shop for everything you enjoy.

 

This means better versions of what we already love, plus plenty of new and unexpected possibilities.

 

 

Exclusive content could seal the deal for a lot of us.

 

In 2011, comedian Louis CK sold out shows at the Beacon Theater in New York, filmed them on his own dime, and sold the performance online for a cool five dollars. Just 12 days later he'd earned a million dollars. It was a risky experiment that sent a message: People want cheap, digital entertainment. Xbox Live could be a great avenue for endeavors such as this. Joss Whedon pulled a similar stunt with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog which was also a smashing success.

 

Stand-up comedians could join Joss, documentary filmmakers, reality shows, sitcoms, and sketch comedy groups in building a network of organized, original content on Xbox Live. Sony is already experimenting with this: The Tester and Qore are sizable series with respectable production values appealing to similar interests.

 

It would be wonderful to see content like this (sans humiliating LARPing episodes, please) go for cable networks' throats. Wouldn't it rock to see this come in addition to all the services we already enjoy, plus a few more for good measure? After all, this is your device. It should be your choice when it comes to how you get the content you pay for. In a perfect future, even Apple is on board with the Xbox 3. Accessing your existing iTunes library on your home hub opens up even more ways to watch and listen.

 

Of course, the ideal would be just having one channel for Live video rather than an unmanageable set of subscriptions to a dozen different services. This is something that's currently in limbo while Microsoft sorts out the most cost-efficient means of eliminating your cable provider.

 

 

Kinect-enabled, Sesame Street-themed education? Brilliant.

 

Sports and pay-per-view broadcasting are the two major things that could keep consumers from cutting that tie, but even now we're seeing steps toward bringing this content to the 360. The ESPN app has great coverage of untelevised matches, access to international sports, and a strong archive of past games. But it doesn't have everything. If ESPN went all in, it could monopolize sports coverage on Live outright and add to a new console's mass appeal. Availability of all sports spread throughout ESPN's channels -- or any sports giant willing to step up -- would be an incredible draw for buyers unsure whether to buy a PlayStation 4 or Xbox 3. We have yet to see if MLB.tv will steal fans from what ESPN has already built when it hits the dashboard, but regardless, we have an additional program to clutter our dashboard.

 

UFC on Xbox Live gives us paid access to streaming events, and access to more content like this would give the next Xbox another great bullet point for its packaging. The WWE is much larger than most give it credit for as well. People pay for this stuff, and it would be awesome if it existed in the same place we're taking in all of our other entertainment.

 

Above all else, though, Xbox gamers cherish Gamerscore. Integrating unlockable rewards for consistent viewing and using all of an app's features would encourage viewers to come back. It worked for games, why not sports, sitcoms, and stand-up? The Achievement-obsessed might even find themselves falling for tennis when all they wanted was the points for watching 10 matches. We're already allowed to bet on UFC fights using a proprietary system. Let's blow that up.

 

 

UFC on Xbox Live even has free fights from time to time.

 

In bringing what we love about Xbox to what we love about entertainment, Microsoft could strengthen the bond with its current audience while attracting a new one. Although the Xbox 360 was built as a gaming device, games are now only one component of a far greater whole. This is the new direction for Microsoft, and it's absolutely its future. Sesame Street and National Geographicwill have exclusive programming on Xbox Live soon with interactive Kinect functionality.

 

Combining original content like this with existing services would create an entertainment space unlike any other -- and really, isn't "more" and "new" exactly what we want when it comes to having a good time?

 

What would you like from the next Xbox as an entertainment hub? Where should it go next for loyal subscribers, and what would finally bring you on board as someone on the fence?

[The Director]

You know what would also be cool? If your XBL Gold account came with an actual internet connection. That would run the cable companies out of business REALLY quickly. Most people have cable because they can get internet with it (myself included), and it wouldn't even have to be that much of a price hike if they worked with a company like clearwire or something similar. Maybe a charge for installation, and then just the monthly price of maintenance. It would be a bit of a price hike for a yearly XBLG account, but it wouldn't be unaffordable. And if they had a built in wireless modem INSIDE the X-Box and outgoing ports on the back, that might help with lag too! At first it would probably be a "Only available in so and so country", but after a while it could be worldwide!