Microsoft

Of the three major console manufacturers, Microsoft is the Johnny-come-lately, but somehow the company has managed to stake out the first slot on the first day of E3 for their keynote over the last few years. For this year's keynote, all ears were perked lest Microsoft let a detail slip about the Xbox 360's successor. In the end, no details slipped and Microsoft showed off a solid line-up of hardcore and casual games, all backed by a big bet on Kinect, but `round these parts, the most interesting announcements related to how Microsoft plans to continue to push the Xbox 360 as the living room media hub.

The big news on this front was Xbox SmartGlass. Details first started leaking a couple of days before E3, but no one was exactly sure what to expect until Microsoft took the wraps off of Xbox SmartGlass on stage. Xbox SmartGlass is an app that will be available on Windows 8, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android devices this fall that offers Xbox remote control, media hand-off and play-to functions, and supplemental experiences for games and media. The first two functions appear to be a refined and slightly enhanced version of what the Xbox Companion App currently provides, except cross-platform. It's the last feature that offers the most intriguing opportunities for the future. During the keynote, Microsoft demonstrated an example of the Xbox playing back an episode of Game of Thrones while, on a tablet, Xbox SmartGlass showed a map of the character's off-screen journey through the realm, as well as an example of the Xbox playing Halo 4 while Xbox SmartGlass was displaying Halo WayPoint updates on a mobile device.

While gaming pundits seem to be quick to characterize Xbox SmartGlass as a response to the Wii U GamePad's auxiliary screen functionality for gaming, this is only part of what Xbox SmartGlass brings to the table. The real target here actually appears to be Apple. With the Xbox, Kinect and Xbox SmartGlass, Microsoft is positioned to offer the streaming media functionality of the Apple TV, Siri-like interaction with the home theater and a credible Apple AirPlay competitor, all wrapped up in a high-quality video gaming system and support for your choice of mobile devices, including ones you probably already own. The ribbon on the package was the announcement that Internet Explorer is also coming to the Xbox and that Xbox SmartGlass will offer an option for controlling the experience in lieu of a mouse and keyboard.

Evidently Comcast posted those support pages just in time as the Comcast XFINITY TV app for Xbox 360 is now available. Joining XFINITY TV are MLB.tv and the long awaited HBO Go app. As we have come to expect from most of the Xbox Live entertainment apps, only Xbox Live Gold subscribers can partake of the streaming, and each service has its own additional restrictions. HBO Go and XFINITY TV are available exclusively to subscribers, though interestingly enough Comcast subscribers will not be able to access HBO Go on the Xbox. This will also be true for Time Warner Cable subscribers. The MLB.tv service is also subscription-based, though it does offer some limited functionality for non-subscribers such as standings and game recaps. All three apps also include Kinect support.

Confirming yesterday's whispers, Microsoft announced that today marks the launch of Comcast Xfinity, HBO Go, and MLB.tv apps for Xbox Live — three new heavy-hitters that join the likes of Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, VEVO, and more. The launches mark a milestone for the Xbox 360 as the company poises to make the home console a versatile media hub not just for gamers.

The Verge

The new apps launch as Microsoft reveals that their strategy to transform the Xbox 360 from a hardcore game console into a versatile media device appears to be paying dividends. For the first time ever, Xbox Live users used their Xbox systems more for watching video content and listening to music than for playing games online. 

Microsoft has also shared some rather interesting stats for its new entertainment apps on Xbox 360. Xbox Live Gold members in the US are now spending an average of 84 hours per month on Xbox Live, with entertainment app usage more than doubled year on year. 

The Verge

Microsoft will be attending the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, but not just for Windows Phone. Microsoft will also be hosting a Windows 8 Consumer Preview event to launch the next phase of their Windows 8 beta program. While launching the Windows 8 Consumer Preview at WMC will lead to all sorts of speculation about how Windows 8 will tie into Windows Phone 8, it is far more likely we will hear more about Microsoft's tablet strategy for Windows 8 and hopefully even get some more specific details about Windows 8 on ARM. 

Microsoft revealed today that it plans to launch the highly anticipated "Consumer Preview" version of Windows 8 on February 29th. The company will hold an event at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on February 29th to launch the Windows 8 Consumer Preview between 3PM and 5PM (CET).

The Verge

Unfortunately for Windows Media Center fans looking forward to previewing the next version of WMC, the Consumer Preview may end up being a letdown. Although Microsoft continues to confirm that WMC will be part of Windows 8, it appears that it might not be part of the Consumer Preview. Given the screenshot that Microsoft has tweeted today of WMC running on build 8225, it does not look like we will be missing much. Anyone still hoping for a Metro-fied WMC, however much of longshot it may have been, will be disappointed.

It's unclear if Microsoft will include Media Center in the "Consumer Preview" version of Windows 8. The software maker originally removed the application from its Windows 8 Developer Preview, released at BUILD in September last year, and explained "Media Center will not be part of the first pre-release builds," at the time. However, Media Center fans expected to hear more during the beta (Consumer Preview) phase.

The Verge

Rumors started floating before E3 last year that Microsoft was looking into offering a subscription TV service that would mix some Netflix-style content streaming with more traditional live and network TV content. Since then, Microsoft has gone on to establish the Xbox as a streaming media apps platform, and unfortunately that is also as far as Microsoft is going to get with the Xbox 360 right now. Microsoft has reportedly given up trying to offer its own TV/streaming service because the licensing costs would have been too high. We will continue to see new content via provider apps and services, but not through an app with Microsoft's name on it. 

After talking to programming partners over the last year, Microsoft recently caught a glimpse of what it would cost to roll out its service and it turns out the addition of current shows and live networks put costs over the top.

Cable companies and program makers are likely offering their content for sky-high prices to either get a huge cut of the pie, or thwart potential Web partners all together in an effort to stay relevant.

Dailytech