Today I will be telling you about Microsoft's Xbox and how
far gaming systems have come in the last 12 years and how it's impacting
society. Bill Gates said himself that "a gaming/multimedia device was
essential for multimedia convergence in the new times," and in 2001
Microsoft released their first gaming console, the Xbox. With this gaming
console came the introduction of Xbox Live. When Live was first integrated into
the gaming console all users were allowed to do was download arcade games and
play with other users online. At the time the online service required a
broadband Internet connection, which was far less available compared to today.
When Microsoft released the Xbox 360 in 2005 it also came with better graphics
and an upgraded online Live service. Not only could users download arcade games
and compete with other users, you could now stream TV shows, movies, and music.
It allowed specific regions to access streaming applications such Netflix and
Hulu. Xbox live is a subscription based service and the user had the option
between Xbox Live Free and Xbox Live Gold. The free service provided very
little to the user, but the Gold service made a plethora of applications
available. A few of these applications include Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, MLB
Live, and soon Skype will be a part of this. In 2010, Microsoft introduced the
Kinect. The hands free device allowed users to voice commands and play games
without even touching a game controller. The Kinect is equipped with a camera
and a microphone, so when Skype becomes an authorized application on the Xbox,
user-to-user communication will be extremely easy and convenient. Gaming
consoles today are now becoming the hub of multimedia. Gaming systems with
limited online and media capabilities are now able to stream videos, music,
movies and give users access to social networking sites. Gaming consoles today
are changing the way we communicate we with one another and it's exciting to
think about what new features the "next generation" consoles have in
store for the future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gaming consoles today are changing rapidly according to society's needs. Consoles must change and stay up to date in order to compete with mobile phones. The Xbox 360 is doing a terrific job at setting the standard in technological advances. A few examples of how they are doing this are the Xbox Live, the Kinect, and the Xbox 720. The Live service provided on the Xbox now has social networking sites and streaming applications so the user can watch their favorite movies and TV shows and listen to music. The Kinect is setting the standard for hands free devices with voice command. And finally, the new 720 will be the most advanced game console on the market and will provide the user with whatever he needs.
Post a Comment