Anyone remember the winter we just had? Yeah, I know, of course you remember it, it only stopped like three weeks ago. It was a long, cold affair jammed full of snow, hazardous road conditions, and a lot of days spent indoors communing with the wonders of game systems and online video. But this winter—which hopefully won't be anywhere near as bad as last one thanks to the El Nino currently out in the Pacific Ocean—will offer us a lot more opportunity to stay inside and watch television, thanks to some serious new augmentation coming to the Xbox One.
Those who have picked up an Xbox One are set to get hands on fully 45 apps previously unavailable for the system, ranging from entertainment apps like HBO Go and Major League Gaming to connectivity apps like Twitter and even Vine. Twitter, moreover, will be built directly into not only the console interface, but also into the OneGuide TV listings. What this will do, according to Twitter's Jana Messerschmidt, vice president of business development and platform, is allow users to tell much more rapidly what television shows are trending right from the listings platform. That in turn boosts the Xbox total roster of apps to over 225 worldwide, and meaning that, no matter how cold it gets outside, as long as the lights and the Internet connection stay on, there will be something to watch.
Reports have even suggested that there are more in the works, with an indie developer said to be at work on a version of Plex thanks to the ID@Xbox system. And that doesn't even limit what may well follow, especially after recent revelations that WatchESPN got Google Chromecast support.
This all goes to underscore Microsoft's ambitions for living room dominance. That hub system has always depended on more than just great games, but also video apps and the like to fully complete the experience. That's a particular competitive advantage, though it has left it at least somewhat at loggerheads with Sony in recent days as the two compete for dominance in the field. Right now, Sony has seemed a bit more focused on the games than Microsoft could claim, though the upcoming E3 event should make the difference on that point.
Video gaming has always been a competitive field. There's a lot going on, all over this market, and ground will be gained and lost in every direction. Only time will tell just how it all comes out—in all likelihood both will be around for the next running of the console wars—though just which strategies will leave who at a disadvantage remains to be seen.
