Microsoft: Xbox to become entertainment brand
40 per cent of Xbox activity non-game related claims console maker
As much as 40 per cent of activity on the Xbox 360 is related to non-game entertainment according to Microsoft, as the company plans to reposition the Xbox as a more general entertainment brand.
Writing on the official Microsoft Blog, corporate vice president Frank Shaw claimed that the console saw an average of 30 hours of "video consumption" per month.
Although the figures are likely to relate only to North America, and are primarily due to the Netflix service, Shaw uses the examples as evidence that "Xbox = entertainment".
"The vision for Xbox is straightforward: all of the entertainment you want. With the people you care about. Made easy", says Shaw.
"That is why you'll see Xbox marketed more as an entertainment brand this year. And that is why we're investing so much in natural user interface technologies (speech, touch, gestures) to make the entertainment experience that much easier-and more fun," he adds.
"With Kinect, we've made NUI real for millions of people, and we've only begun to scratch the surface of what's possible."
Microsoft is widely expected to focus on the Kinect motion controller at E3, with games for both core and casual audiences.