M+E Daily
Game Consoles Transforming Into Multimedia Entertainment Hubs
Story Highlights
By Lyndsey Schaefer
Game consoles are now becoming general entertainment consoles, as evidenced by the slew of announcements at this week’s E3 Expo, where Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony announced new partnerships for non-game content available on their respective devices.
Now, the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation are multimedia devices, where gamers and non-gamers alike can enjoy their favorite television and movie content. Video game consoles are now the most common way for people to watch content from the Internet on a television set, according to a recent study by Leichtman Research Group.
Microsoft recently reported that Xbox 360 owners spend more time online watching video and listening to music than playing games. The company announced 35 new entertainment partners being added to the Xbox 360 in the next year, including the NBA, NHL, Nickelodeon, and Univision. ESPN is expanding its programming on the Xbox to include live feeds of all of its channels. Microsoft is also launching a music service to compete with iTunes.
Also at E3, Nintendo introduced the next generation of its Wii console, the Wii U, which boasts a new tablet-like device for controlling games. The GamePad allows a player to keep playing a game only on the controller if the TV is in use for something else. The Wii U, debuting this fourth quarter, will also feature Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video.
In a similar strategy, Sony Corp. unveiled a new way to use its PlayStation Vita, a touch-screen portable game system, as a controller on the PlayStation 3 on certain titles. Sony also announced its Wonderbook, an interactive device that utilizes the Sony Move Controller and Eye camera. Outside of games, the PlayStation Network also now delivers access to streaming content from Hulu Plus, Cinema Now, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, NFL Sunday Ticket, NHL Game Center Live, MLB.TV, ESPN and Crackle TV, while users will soon have access to YouTube from the PlayStation Vita.
With these expanded offerings, consumers have myriad options to access the content they prefer across multiple channels and platforms. It will be interesting to see how the changes in gaming consoles may correlate with continued cord-cutting of traditional cable in the future.
