Outside the Box: A Look at How Outside Services Are Effecting the Big 3

[DocHop]

With Facebook, Twitter, and last.fm launching on Xbox 360 and Netflix finally coming to PS3 next month, how has this affected the hardware publishers?
There was a time when a console was just a console. An Atari 2600 played Atari 2600 games, and that’s it. An Intellivision played Intellivision games, and that’s it. An NES played NES games, and that’s, well, I guess you had to blow on the cartridge a little bit first. However, today’s gamer is faced with a completely different landscape. As the Communication Age continues to thrive, gamers can connect in ways never thought possible even twenty years ago, be it playing a game online or simply chatting with a friend over Messenger.

This month marks a big milestone for Xbox 360 owners, as Microsoft’s upcoming update is poised to begin allowing Facebook, Twitter, and last.fm users to connect with other people around the globe. After the success that both Microsoft and Netflix saw last year respectively with their joint venture, allowing Netflix subscribers to access the company’s Watch Instantly library on their consoles, it seems like a no-brainer that Xbox 360 owners are clamoring for more ways to access previously PC-only features on their machines. Microsoft is definitely leading the pack for outside partnerships, but where do the other two members of the Big 3 fit in?


Check out the full article here: http://www.gamezone.com/news/11_06_09_10_00AM.htm

[aceinet]

While I do agree that Microsoft is leading the way by offering these features I also think they are dragging their feet in other areas.  For me it is the rumored Blu-Ray attachment for the system.  There have been rumors ever since the demise of the HD DVD format that MS was going to release a Blu-Ray attachment.  Recently even Steve Ballmer himself said there was going to be a Blu-Ray drive released for the system.  Yet the company press department comes out almost immediately to say that Steve is wrong and there isn't a Blu-Ray drive coming.  SO which is it?   Is the CEO right or is the press department right?