Take that, Siri: Xbox upgrade uses voice to master entertainment hub

By Andy Goldberg Dec 5, 2011, 20:13 GMT

Seattle - In a major upgrade to its Xbox 360 video console, Microsoft Tuesday rolled out a string of improvements that it hopes will transform the humble gaming unit into a groundbreaking voice- and motion-controlled hub of the digital living room.

The upgrade includes a raft of new video providers that will allow users to access a wide variety of programming over the internet. And instead of having to peck out searches on an on-screen keyboard, users can just say what they are looking for and the new software will use voice recognition tied to Microsoft's Bing search engine to find it. Another interface method is to use the Kinect motion controller to choose on-screen options.

The upgrades, which also include simplified sharing options and Microsoft's new tile-based menu system, set a new standard for interactive television and establish the software giant as a leader over Apple and Google in the quest to bring television into the internet age.

'The update is another huge step toward realizing our vision of bringing you all your entertainment, shared with the people you care about, in an easy way,' Marc Whitten, the head of Microsoft's Xbox LIVE group, said in a blog posting announcing the move. 'Now, all of your entertainment is in one place. Games, music, movies, sports and live and on-demand TV together in one box connected to the best display in your house.'

The new software comes just months after Apple's introduction of the Siri voice-control option on the iPhone 4S prompted speculation that the feature would be at the centre of Apple's TV efforts. But analysts say that Microsoft has now taken a possibly decisive lead in the battle to control the digital living room.

'Microsoft has just built and delivered it: A single box that ties together all the content you want, made easily accessible through a universal, natural, voice-directed search,' wrote James McQuivey of Forrester Research in a blog posting. 'This is now the benchmark against which all other living room initiatives should be compared.'

Another key advantage that Microsoft enjoys over both Apple and Google is that there are already 57 million Xbox 360s in people's living rooms around the world - 35 million of them connected to Xbox Live. With no new hardware needed to incorporate the software updates, McQuivey predicts that adoption of the new features 'will spread quickly and with devastating effect.'

'This does to the TV product experience what Apple did to phones and then to computing generally with the iPad,' McQuivey wrote. 'it will take us far beyond interactive TV, engaging viewers in ways that will forever alter the future of home entertainment, communication, and commerce.'