Xbox 360: the centre of your connected home

Following the launch of Xbox SmartGlass earlier this month, Microsoft’s plan for the connected home continued apace at the Future of Entertainment summit.

Speaking at the event, general manager of consumer channels group at Microsoft, Neil Thompson, revealed that users of the Xbox 360 are spending more time socialising and watching television than playing games on the console.

It was also pointed out that the motion sensing Kinect, which launched in November 2010, has significantly increased the accessibility of the platform to users.

The company is looking to position the Xbox 360 as the centre of the connected home, by turning it into a portal through which video, social interaction, television and a shared experience that doesn’t stop at gaming can be achieved.

Speaking on Microsoft’s current strategy, Thompson said: “This is not just a games console but a gateway to all your entertainment needs. It is convergence in action, on a single device.”

Thompson also spoke of the challenge presented by two-screening, which has shaken up the traditional methods of viewing, interaction and gaming, as well as the plethora of extra programming choice. Microsoft believe the Xbox 360 can bring different devices and applications together in a unified structure.

SmartGlass, for instance, which allows users to control what they see on television screens through smartphones, and provides fully customisable second screen features that change automatically as programming alters, is the latest step on the road to the fully connected home.

As Thompson boldly declared: “Our mission today is beyond the console and beyond the living room.”

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