The Xbox 720 may actually stream broadcast TV.
It seems the Xbox 720 might actually have a purpose behind the “always online” rumor. The next Xbox is poised to take over your living room for good, or at least until the next generation comes along after the Xbox 720. It’s inevitable; there will always end up being a next generation console.
The next step in Microsoft using the Xbox 720 to take over your living room is streaming broadcast TV.
Us older gamers remember back when TV was free to watch, and all you needed was an antenna to get a good picture. Then came HDTV, and free TV went the way of the dinosaur. Eventually, videogame systems became more and more sophisticated and started playing CDs, and then DVDs, and then the PlayStation 3 ushered in the age of Blu Ray. Not to be left behind, the Xbox 360 used Xbox Live to stream Hulu , YouTube , and Netflix . The next step in basically taking over the entertainment center, aside from including the TV, is offering a TV signal service, and Xbox 720 may just offer that.
This TV service may just be enough to make gamers accept an “always online” videogame system, ending the uproar over Microsoft’s former creative director’s “deal with it” statement on Twitter . Watching broadcast TV is definitely one of the best ways to justify requiring an online connection.
Could Microsoft be onto something with the next Xbox? They could also be planning to integrate the Kinect into your TV experience, so that, say your turn your head and look away for a second, it will pause the video and resume when you look back. This could also cause some chaos, as multiple viewers could really mess with the sensors and make the show unwatchable. Super Bowl could be a mess.
We will know more in a few weeks, hopefully, when and if Microsoft finally unveils the Xbox 720.
What do you think about the Xbox 720 streaming broadcast TV?