Report: Next-gen Xbox TV Device Coming in 2013

[JMcEntegart]

Microsoft apparently planning set-top box device for release next year.

Report: Next-gen Xbox TV Device Coming in 2013 : Read more

 

[mightymaxio]

This might be an interesting competitor to Roku, AppleTV, or GoogleTV. If it is priced the same I might get one just to check out what you can do with it. If you could use a 360 controller I would be all for this

 

[edogawa]

This is actually very interesting.

One reasonable small time fee for a DVR box that can just use a cable card and run Windows 8, it would give me a reason to get rid of FiOS DVRS, those things are so slow and expensive for multiple rooms!

I was hoping to get a Centon Q, but that looks like a lost cause.

 

[esrever]

Sounds like an interesting device, if it can play xbox live arcade games for cheap, it would be such a bad device.

 

[unimatrixalpha]

Nice. It should be able to function as a Media Center Extender that the other alternatives cannot function as, except for the Xbox 360 which does.

 

[boogalooelectric]

It would be nice if they made it Cable Card ready with at least 4 tuners and gave it a 2 TB HD.

I have a Silicondust Homerun Prime and have a Ceton Echo on pre-order, still it would be nice to have in al-in-one solution.


[citation][nom]edogawa[/nom]This is actually very interesting. One reasonable small time fee for a DVR box that can just use a cable card and run Windows 8, it would give me a reason to get rid of FiOS DVRS, those things are so slow and expensive for multiple rooms!I was hoping to get a Centon Q, but that looks like a lost cause.[/citation]


Ceton killed that one, its not even listed on their page anymore.

 

[vilenjan]

So its Google TV, but with windows 8 instead. If done right, it might actually work, especially if they include fill browser in there and support for wireless keyboard.

 

[evilsizer]

I wonder if that is why Microsoft seems to be phasing out Media Center. Sounds like it'll basically be a little HTPC with limited gaming ability.

 

[godfather666]

Sounds interesting in theory, but we'll see.
Personally, I wouldn't buy an Xbox (PC gamer), but would be interested in such a device.

 

[drwho1]

This might be the reason why Windows 8 doesn't have WMC from the get-go.
Its just lame to be honest.

 

[bigdog44]

As long as the the gaming is arcadey so it doesnt cannibalize... Maybe this is where the arm processor rumors came from.

 

[Achoo22]

Seriously? I can't believe how many people seem to be excited about this junk. Clearly, "deliver quick access to TV and entertainment services" directly translates to, "deliver quick access to demographic analytics and personalized advertising." There's another device on the market that can deliver quick, instant-on access to TV - it's called a TV.

None of these streaming boxes can hold a candle to a little-bitty (USB key-sized) Linux running XBMC, let alone a full-blown HTPC.

 

[techy74]

I wonder how similar to Sony's PlayTv it will be?

 

[evilsizer]

Microsoft has realized that currently the money is in getting people to pay for programs,games,movies,tv shows, music, ect... While mom and dad may not be interested in paying $500-$900 for the next XBOX, they may be interested in paying $100-$200 for this kind of system that offers the MS Store and all of the goodies MS plans to have in place by the time this thing comes out.

We've got three main competeing companies that want to sell us basic products to get into their stores exclusively. They want to tie you into their store with all of your devices. Phone, TV, Tablets, Home Computers. That is where the money is right now.

Will this compete with Linux running XBMC technically, no. In a market of people where most have no clue about Linux, programming, or XBMC. The closest Linux competition will will come from Apple and Google. We can keep our XBMC to ourselves because most people want ease of use. You'll plug these things in andthey'll run. Maybe the won't have all of the bells and whistles that we would expect, but enough to sell the main product, the store.

 

[edogawa]

[citation][nom]boogalooelectric[/nom]It would be nice if they made it Cable Card ready with at least 4 tuners and gave it a 2 TB HD.I have a Silicondust Homerun Prime and have a Ceton Echo on pre-order, still it would be nice to have in al-in-one solution.Ceton killed that one, its not even listed on their page anymore.[/citation]

Amen!

 

[kyee7k]

What does "with fast boot times to deliver quick access to TV and entertainment services" mean? Are they implying they will use an ssd?

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]Achoo22[/nom]None of these streaming boxes can hold a candle to a little-bitty (USB key-sized) Linux running XBMC, let alone a full-blown HTPC.[/citation]Full blown HTPC is harder to set up and use for your average non-techie. Linux on a USB-sized device? Even worse - not to mention lacking the horsepower of a larger solution. A good HTPC will have superior image quality to a little stickputer. Or do you want to run it through the HQV testing suite to see if it matches discrete desktop GPUs? Then there's web browsing with Flash, HTLM5, Java, etc.

On top of this, Xbox TV devices are probably going to play some XBLA games. So they need at least some punch. It will help bridge the gap between a full HTPC and something tiny, and it will be easy to use as well. It's more of a competitor to Google TV and Apple TV, and it complements Xbox consoles on other TVs.

 

[kinggraves]

[citation][nom]kyee7k[/nom]What does "with fast boot times to deliver quick access to TV and entertainment services" mean? Are they implying they will use an ssd?[/citation]

It means it's going to use Win8 and never actually shut down.

Little late to jump on the bandwagon MS, Google and Apple already have the best seats. MS has an advantage on the syncable devices since they could possibly go across XBox, PC, laptops, phones, and tablets.

What's funny is that even MS that's in the gaming industry does not seem to understand that "casual gaming" is a market that only really applies to mobile. I don't want to play Angry Birds for several hours on a big screen.