In a recent exclusive with The Verge, Microsoft has revealed that their next console is hoping to be the nerve center of your entire living room/entertainment space.
Looking to take over your television set with a box system similar to Google TV, Microsoft is investing in being your hub that ties all of your media together. From The Verge:
"The functionality will work by taking a cable box signal and passing it through to the Xbox via HDMI, allowing Microsoft's console to overlay a UI and features on top of an existing TV channel or set-top box. We're told that this is a key part of the next-generation Xbox and that it will go a step further than Google's TV implementation thanks to Microsoft's partnerships with content providers. Extended support for various cable services will be rolled out gradually, but the basic functionality will be available at launch."
"Coupled with this TV functionality, Microsoft's next-generation Kinect sensor will also play a role in the company's TV focus. The Verge has learned that the next Kinect will detect multiple people simultaneously, including the ability to detect eye movement to pause content when a viewer turns their head away from a TV. Microsoft is said to be using these capabilities as part of its UI and features for its TV plans."
While that sound more than ambitious, Microsoft still hasn't made an official comment on the always on drama, which would require users to have a constant Internet connection for the system to function. What do you think? Should Microsoft's next system take over your TV like some Brazilian Rainforest parasite? Let us know what you think.
[via theverge.com]
