Xbox 360 Cable: Gaming Console Can Replace Time Warner Box

If you own an Xbox 360 and you have Time Warner Cable, you will soon be able to use your gaming console as a cable box.

Microsoft announced the new partnership on Friday. Under terms of the deal, Time Warner customers will be able to access more than 300 of the networks most popular TV channels. To use the service, Xbox 360 users must have an Xbox Live Gold subscription.

The Time Warner app for Xbox 360 will launch in late Summer 2013. TWC says the app is almost identical to the program used by Roku users. Once logged in, channels available will include CNN, Comedy Central, AMC, and many more.

While Comcast and Verizon both provide channel access for Xbox 360 users, those channels are limited to a select set of content options. This is the first “live TV” deal Xbox has signed.

One of the new features offered with the Time Warner deal is a pass-through option. The new feature means customers can seamlessly watch live TV side-by-side as they play their favorite video games.

Gamers must already be Time Warner customers if they plan to use their Xbox 360 as a cable box.

The push to add Time Warner Cable services to the Xbox 360 is yet more proof that cable companies are attempting to figure out how best to deliver their products in a rapidly changing atmosphere.

With the additional of TWC alongside Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Instant Video, and other services, Microsoft is now able to deliver various content types to users who may be seeking better variety.

Will you be using your Xbox 360 as a Time Warner Cable box? What do you think of the side-by-side “live TV” feature?